Harris says Panthers won’t overlook any opponent

Walt Harris had one message for fans and the media at Monday’s press conference after… Walt Harris had one message for fans and the media at Monday’s press conference after Saturday’s 43-3 victory over Kent State.

He stressed that Pitt will not take any game for granted and will look to improve and build upon its first win of the season.

“There’s no taken-for-granted games; every game is a struggle,” Harris said. “All you’ve got to do is take a look at the scores around the country and you’ll realize that it [an upset] can happen at anytime.”

Panthers quarterback Rod Rutherford was able to put his off-the-field incident aside and throw for a career-high four touchdown passes on Saturday.

“I thought Rod came in and performed tremendously,” Harris said. “He did an outstanding job of keeping his mind in the right area. I thought [Rod] threw some laser beams. The ball wasn’t in the air very long.”

Aside from being enthusiastic about his team’s performance, coach Harris was thrilled over the attendance at Saturday’s game.

“I was most excited about this (holding up a copy of the Pitt News) – not so much the picture of Larry, but the picture of the crowd in the background,” Harris said. “I think that’s so exciting for our football program and our football team and hopefully for the city of Pittsburgh.”

Coach Harris wasn’t the only one who was excited about Saturday’s turnout. Starting left guard Dan LaCarte felt that the fans played a role in the team’s success.

“To have all the fans support [Pitt] and to have 56,000 at the game for the first night is something we didn’t have before,” LaCarte said. “It helped us get excited and come out and get out of the gates quick.”

The biggest area of concern for coach Harris was the special teams play.

“We want to improve our special teams the most, especially the area of kick coverage and punt protection,” Harris said. “Those two areas we’re not pleased with. We’re a lot better than that, and we’re going to take care of that business.”

One player who continues to demonstrate progress is starting tailback, Brandon Miree. Dating back to last season, Miree has rushed for 100 yards or more in four consecutive contests.

“I thought Brandon ran tremendously in the game,” Harris said. “I just think Brandon is making the reads. Last year, he just wasn’t as consistent at that.”

Coach Harris also confirmed that Rutherford is no longer a question mark as the starter.

Harris was also impressed with first year starter Brian Bennett, who had a big game at linebacker, leading the Panthers in tackles.

“Brian is an intelligent young man,” Harris said. “He’s very energized to come and play, but he’s not as big as some of the other guys we’ve played. He’s one of those high-energy guys who are excited about playing. We think he’ll continue to get better.”

This week, the Panthers take on the Ball State Cardinals, who are coming off a tough loss to Missouri.

“Ball State had a good game against Missouri,” Harris said. “Missouri is a ranked football team, and I thought Ball State played them tough.”

LaCarte echoed coach Harris’s belief that Ball State must be taken seriously.

“We don’t look past any opponent,” LaCarte said. “I think Ball State is a very formidable opponent. They won six games last year and have a lot of returning starters on defense, so it’s going to be a tough game.”

Coach Harris shoulders the responsibility of not only getting the team prepared, but also making sure that the team stays focused and does not look beyond any opponent.

“The goal of the football coach is to get the players to practice like it’s a game,” Harris said. “Coaches aren’t concerned about games down the road. They better not be, or else they’ll get beat. We know we have an opponent that is going to be tough to beat.”