Rutherford earns Big East honors

After throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions on Saturday against… After throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions on Saturday against Ball State, Pitt quarterback Rod Rutherford earned Big East honors as the Offensive Player of the Week.

He finished the game having completed 19 of 31 passes – including a third quarter in which he went 10 of 11 – and also having rushed the ball eight times for 47 yards, averaging nearly six yards a carry.

After two weeks of play, Rutherford has seven touchdowns and no interceptions and is the nation’s leading passer with a rating of 191.5. He has completed 64.3 percent of his passes (36 of 56) this season.

Rutherford was named a preseason candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.

Rutherford leads the Panthers (2-0), who are ranked No. 9 by the Associated Press and No. 11 by the USA Today/ESPN poll, into Toledo this weekend for a matchup with the Rockets. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

ABC to televise Pitt-Texas A’M matchup

For the first time this season, the No. 9 Panthers will play in front of a television audience on Sept. 27 when they travel to College Station, Texas, to take on the Aggies of Texas A’M.

The game is scheduled for a regional broadcast, and kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m (EST). The Aggies beat the Panthers a year ago at Heinz Field, 14-12.

This game will mark the first time the Panthers have ever traveled to play the Aggies. The last time the Panthers visited Texas, they defeated Houston, 35-24.

Pitt names new assistant coach for swimming and diving

Pitt head coach Chuck Knoles hired Rick West as a new assistant for the swimming and diving team for the 2003-2004 season. West joins the Panthers from Duquesne University, where he was the head coach of the men’s swimming team during the 2002-2003 season.

As head coach at Duquesne, West coached the team to its first-ever Atlantic-10 championship in the program’s 26-year history. Before taking over with the Dukes, he also served as an assistant at Ohio State University in the summer of 2002. With the Buckeyes, he worked mostly in recruiting.

“We are fortunate to have a coach with Rick’s experience and panache”, Knoles said. “He will immediately help us to climb higher in the ranks of Division I programs nationally.”

Pitt names new Director of Compliance

Jody Sykes has been named the new Director of Compliance at Pitt after serving as the Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance and Student Services at nearby Robert Morris University.

Her new duties will include interpreting NCAA rules for the athletics department staff and being responsible for monitoring summer camps and similar programs.

Sykes spent two years at Robert Morris and oversaw all aspects of NCAA and Northeast Conference compliance.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to stay in the Pittsburgh area and to work in the Big East Conference,” Sykes said. “The University of Pittsburgh is a great institution with a prominent place in collegiate athletics and academics.”