Harris has nothing but Syracuse on his mind

Two Big East wins in their last two Big East games. That is all the Panthers need to secure a… Two Big East wins in their last two Big East games. That is all the Panthers need to secure a Big East championship and a trip to a Bowl Championship Series game.

The first of those two Big East games comes Saturday in the form of a trip to the Carrier Dome to take on the Syracuse Orange, which is coming off a 42-30 victory over UConn and has head coach Walt Harris making sure the Panthers aren’t looking ahead.

“We have a very important game this week against Syracuse,” Harris said at his weekly press conference on the South Side. “They had an excellent football game last week against an opponent that we respect. We are going to be in for a really big battle.”

“We like to practice intensely whether we are winning big or not winning big,” Harris said. “We believe in what we do, and we are committed as a coaching staff to our program. We are working real hard to get our guys to better understand it and buy into it. Early in the year we had a lot of young football players; that’s the bottom line.

One of those young athletes playing with extreme confidence has been quarterback Tyler Palko. The redshirt sophomore has become better with each week as he has learned and executed the system. On the season, Palko has thrown for more than 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns with only six interceptions. In his last five games, Palko has thrown eight touchdowns with just two interceptions.

“I think the game has slowed down a little bit for [Palko],” Harris said. “I think that one of his best qualities is that he is very accurate. He moves around the pocket and throws the ball away. I think it hurts his percentage but it helps our team. I think he is a very accurate passer, and he is starting to see it better.”

Early in the season, health was a problem for the Panthers as they were without their entire starting offensive line and fullback Tim Murphy. Now, with the offensive line healthy and Murphy returning to the lineup against Rutgers, the Panthers appear to be in good health, something that Harris said is a big reason for winning football games.

“We’re probably healthier than a lot of teams are at this time of year,” Harris said. “That is all part of having a good football team. When you have guys staying healthy, you give yourself a better chance of being successful. It takes so many players to have a successful football team, so injuries play a huge part.”

Being in the driver’s seat and controlling their own fate is not new to Harris and the Panthers. Harris understands that the territory isn’t new but he hopes the result is.

“We have been in this situation a couple times,” Harris said. “We are real excited that we are in this situation. But we are really not worried about any other game but this one. If you watch the tape of them dismantling UConn, you would understand why we we’re not thinking about anything but Syracuse.”