Uncertainty over rule may have cost game

It’s been said in the past that football is a game of inches. For the Pitt Panthers on… It’s been said in the past that football is a game of inches. For the Pitt Panthers on Saturday, it was a matter of numbers – more specifically, jersey numbers.

Page 86 of the NCAA football rulebook states that when a snap starts, it should consist of “at least seven players on their scrimmage line, not less than five of whom shall be numbered 50 through 79.”

During Pitt’s extra point attempts after its first touchdown, long snapper Jonathan Sitter was on the field. His number: 91. The numbering mishap led to two illegal shift penalties, and a missed point-after in Pitt’s 14-12 loss to Texas A’M at Heinz Field Saturday.

“We weren’t airtight on the rule,” head coach Walt Harris said at his weekly press conference yesterday. “We can change his number. We’ve also done it with other guys with different numbers too for the whole time we’ve been here. We going to try to make a decision on that.”

Since the obscure rule is rarely called into question, it was asked whether or not the Texas A’M coaching staff tipped off the referees to the rule violation.

“I heard that they did,” Harris said.

When not discussing the numbers situation, Harris was fielding questions about his offense and, more specifically, starting quarterback Rod Rutherford. Facing A’M’s renowned “Wrecking Crew” defense and a throng of jeers from his own home crowd, Rutherford had a shaky first half but slowly picked up steam in the second half, at one point going 8 for 8 in the fourth quarter as the Panthers rallied from a 14-0 deficit. Rutherford finished 20-for-32 for 169 yards and a rushing touchdown.

“I’ve always felt good about Rod, I think maybe some other people haven’t,” Harris said. “I thought that he started off a little rocky, but I thought that Rod really did a nice job in a tough situation.”

Many of Rutherford’s completions late in the fourth quarter came as he was rolling out of the pocket and throwing on the run. Rutherford went 3 for 3 in rollout situations. When asked if he felt Rutherford was a better passer on the run rather than when he dropped back, Harris answered with one word.

“No,” Harris said. “I think he throws fairly good on the move. I think rolling out is a part of his game that we’re trying to grow to. But we’re still a drop-back team.”

Harris also spoke highly of freshman Larry Fitzgerald. Saturday’s game was a breakthrough game for the 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound wide receiver as he snagged 10 receptions for 103 yards.

“Larry has to be given a lot of credit. He really played tremendous,” Harris said.

This week, the Panthers travel to Birmingham, Ala., to face the University of Alabama-Birmingham Saturday night. Last year, Pitt defeated the Blazers 24-6 at Heinz Field in a game that was the deciding factor in the Panthers going to a bowl game. Despite the Blazers losing much of last year’s team to the National Football League or graduation, Harris isn’t discounting them.

“We thought they were a very good football team a year ago,” Harris said. “We have a lot of respect for the way they played against us.”