Help is on the way for Panthers’ rushing attack

If you can’t beat them, join them. If they are already in their conference and you can’t join… If you can’t beat them, join them. If they are already in their conference and you can’t join them, steal their coach.

This is a strategy that Pitt, a team looking to develop an underachieving rushing game under new head coach Dave Wannstedt, implemented last month with the hiring of David Walker as the Panthers’ new running backs coach.

“It is exciting to add a quality football coach like David Walker to our staff,” Wannstedt said. “He brings talent, enthusiasm and experience to a position that will be a top priority for our offensive success.”

Walker comes to the staff after 10 seasons as the running backs coach at Big East rival Syracuse. Massive reforms to the school’s football program left the Orange with a new football coach and Walker, like many others, searching for a job. He wasn’t searching too long, though, until he filled the vacancy at Pitt — something he is glad to do.

“I’m very happy to be here. Obviously you have respect for an opponent when you play them,” he said. “I was fortunate to be able to land on my feet and get a great job.”

Walker’s arrival couldn’t come at a more opportune time for the Panthers, who struggled to run the ball this past season. Pitt managed only 97.8 yards per game on the ground, capped off with a 17-yard rushing performance in a 35-7 Fiesta Bowl loss to Utah, and couldn’t keep a healthy starting running back for the season. Last season, Syracuse featured a dual-threat of Walter Reyes and Damian Rhoades to rip through defenses on the ground, averaging 178.8 yards on the ground a game.

“Commitment, it always starts the tip and works its way down,” he said of running the ball. “Coach [Walt] Harris had a certain philosophy that was more pass emphasis. We are looking to develop a more balanced [offense] between run and pass.”

While at Syracuse, Walker oversaw numerous productive rushing attacks. He coached four consecutive 1,000-yard rushers from 2000-2003, a school record. In 2003, Walter Reyes, the latest Orange pro-prospect, ran for 1,347 yards and 21 touchdowns. Other notable rushers coming through Walker’s system include James Mungro and Rob Konrad, all of whom have helped him learn more about coaching and what players want.

“[Coaching is] definitely a two-way street. Whether or not a guy makes it to the NFL, you learn a lot from [him],” he said. He went on to say that his playing days at Syracuse, where he was a standout running back in the early ’90s, helps him communicate and work with his players.

“I think players want to know how you can make them a better player and also a better man. I am able to put myself in their shoes sometimes, and players can respect this. It all comes to down to wanting [playing time] and wanting to play, and we know every kid isn’t going to be happy [with his playing time],” Walker said.

He added with a chuckle, “The only way we can make everybody happy is if we have about 85 footballs instead of playing with one.”

Playing time is something Walker saw plenty of at Syracuse. A 1993 and two-time All-Big East performer, he captained the 1992 team, leading it to a No. 6 national ranking, 10-2 overall record and 26-22 victory over Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl. He remains the sixth-leading rusher in Orange history with 2,643 yards.

He said talent and recruiting the right players has a lot to do with a coach’s success, but what he looks for most in his players is how to communicate with them, the cornerstone of his coaching philosophies.

“Communication is so important with young men,” he said. “I hope we can get to the point where we can sit down and talk about anything. You have to be a friend at times, a father figure … you wear a lot of different hats.”

Walker is one of six new coaches on the staff, including Wannstedt. While he said it was too early to assess what kind of offensive scheme the Panthers will look to implement, he feels the program is already headed in a positive direction and is creating excitement.

“We are still seeing what we have and trying to evaluate our players as to what they can or cannot do. It’s early, we have to coach and see how these guys respond to us.”

“We can share different [coaching] ideals, we have two coaches who come from the highest level of football,” he said in reference to Wannstedt and new offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh. “That will obviously benefit [the program], to be able to say to a recruit, ‘Our coach was the head football coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins.’ I mean if that doesn’t get the kid excited, there’s probably something wrong with the kid.”

The new look of the coaching staff is something he sees as beneficial to a Pitt program looking to return to earlier years of national prominence.

“It is going to benefit us both on and off the field and help give more of an identity to Pittsburgh football,” he said.