Harris focused on game against the Fighting Irish

In the grand scheme of Panthers’ football, achievements are evident at the midpoint of the… In the grand scheme of Panthers’ football, achievements are evident at the midpoint of the 2002 season.

Winners in 11 out of the past 12 games, coach Walt Harris’ squad has turned a 1-5 disaster to begin last season into a 5-1 gem to begin this one.

On Saturday, 12 years worth of futility ended with the 48-24 drubbing of the Orangemen – the Panthers’ first victory in 20 years at the Carrier Dome. After the game, Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni even went as far as calling the 2002 Panthers the “best team” Harris has coached since his arrival.

But to Harris, those stretches, streaks and compliments of the past don’t mean a thing to the future, as the only future Harris cares for is the immediate – starting with the preparations for their game at No. 8 Notre Dame this weekend.

“To me, all we need to talk about is this team, and what this team can accomplish,” Harris said. “The future is now for all these players, and that’s why they have made a commitment to us.”

Harris dismissed the notion that the Fighting Irish mystique coupled with playing in the national spotlight could hinder his teams’ focus.

“I’m sure we’d be excited about playing Notre Dame, [even] if it was out in their parking lot,” Harris said. “The hoopla and the crowd is not really what matters – what matters is the players that we play with and the players that they play with, and who’s doing the job in terms of executing what their coaches do.”

To beat the undefeated Fighting Irish, Harris said he will depend on his players to do what they have been doing thus far this season, which is motivating each other with their efforts on and off the field.

“It’s easy to talk about being ready, but we’re always looking for the guys that back it up,” Harris said, “and the guys that are motivational to our football team are motivational by example first, and then through their own individual way of motivating.”

And just as Harris pointed out, past the “hoopla,” the crowd and the national television spotlight is a game plan to be executed.

At the center of Harris’ concerns is what he calls an “opportunistic” Notre Dame defense, which has not only stifled opposing offenses but has also developed a scoring touch themselves.

Led by standout defensive back Vontez Duff, the Fighting Irish won their first five games on the strength of 16 turnovers, five of which were returned for a touchdown. In addition to Rod Rutherford’s continuing improvement as quarterback, Harris stressed the offense’s task in not turning the ball over against the Irish defense.

On the other side of the ball, just as much preparation – if not more – will be focused on stopping the Irish offensive weapons. In last year’s meeting, quarterback Carlisle Holliday completed 10 of 13 passes for just 70 yards, but did the majority of his damage on the ground, where he accumulated 122 yards on 19 carries.

But just like the streaks and trends of the past, Harris finds little solace in dwelling too long on last season’s contest, which ended in a 24-7 Notre Dame victory. What he is concerned with is the basic fundamentals of football, which his team has executed quite well of late.

“We’ve got to do the things you do to win a game,” Harris said, “which is obviously not turn the ball over, don’t beat your self with penalties and execute.”

Harris knows that a team can fall from the graces of 5-1 as easily as they can rise from the depths of being 1-5. As for beating the Orangemen – satisfying as it was – Harris noted the win was “a couple of days ago” and that “we’ve got to move on,” as their date with Notre Dame approaches.