Rutherford finally speaks to media

After more than a month of silence, quarterback Rod Rutherford was finally able to talk with… After more than a month of silence, quarterback Rod Rutherford was finally able to talk with the media yesterday. He and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald spoke at a press conference in the South Side.

While football was supposed to be the primary topic of conversation, there was some time spent discussing Rutherford’s preseason, off-field incident, which led to the starting quarterback being benched for the first quarter of the season opener.

“I felt embarrassed about the actual incident,” Rutherford said. “Me being suspended for the first quarter didn’t really bother me. I appreciate the fact that coach let me play. I regret what happened. It’s a mistake that I’m definitely going to learn from, and I’ve just got to do what I can to move on.”

It was a trying time for Rutherford, but he was able to focus on what he needed to do for the Pitt football team and to learn from it all in the process.

“It humbled me a lot. It brought me back down to Earth,” Rutherford said of his off-field incident. “It made me a better person, because you think you’re this, you think you’re that, and then you lose all credibility. Everything went out the window. So I just started from ground zero. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get the respect because I know I’m a respectable person.”

The outstanding play of Rutherford and Fitzgerald has made them both Heisman candidates. But both players are very modest regarding the question of who should win the Heisman.

“Well if you really want my honest opinion, I think that you’ve got the right team but you’ve got the wrong man,” Fitzgerald said when asked about being a Heisman candidate. “Rod’s been leading us all year.”

“I can’t say enough about Rod [Rutherford] in terms of his preparations,” Fitzgerald continued. “You don’t see him Saturday through Friday and what he’s doing in terms of film study, in terms of leadership, in terms of just the little stuff that a quarterback needs to do. Its all through his preparation that he’s able to do what he’s doing on Saturday every week.”

Fitzgerald also talked about a speech Rutherford gave the team before the Panthers took the field in College Station last Saturday.

“He’s not a big talker,” Fitzgerald said. “But he says things at the right time and it really inspired us to go out there and play a really good game, and we’re just going to continue to follow his lead.”

Rutherford maintained his usual calm demeanor throughout the press conference. The season and this team’s goals are what Rutherford is concentrating on now.

“When you’re having fun, you’re willing to work at what you’re doing, and I’m having a lot of fun,” Rutherford said. “I’m willing to fight through whatever obstacles; I’m willing to jump through whatever hurdles – whatever I’ve got to do.”

Pitt has the weekend off before taking on Notre Dame at Heinz Field on Oct. 11. After that, the Panthers officially begin their Big East schedule with a game at Rutgers on Oct. 18.