Nov 19, 2002 4 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Not even his former boss gave Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris much help in preparing for Thursday night’s game at No. 1 Miami. Harris once was the quarterbacks coach for former Ohio State coach John Cooper, who attended Miami’s 26-3 rout of Tennessee on Nov. 9 as a spectator. When the two talked recently, Harris asked for advice.

“I was hoping he would give me some keys in how to stop them,” Harris said Monday. “He did. He said, “They’re the best team I’ve seen in the last five or six years.”‘

Again, Harris pressed Cooper for details.

“Any ideas, John?” Harris said.

“Yeah,” Cooper said. “Good luck.”

Luck might not be enough for No. 17 Pitt (8-2, 5-0 in Big East) to end Miami’s 31-game winning streak, throw the BCS into a state of confusion, shake up the national rankings and give the Panthers at least a share of the Big East Conference title.

This may be the best team Pitt has played since Harris arrived in 1997, better even than the national championship Hurricanes team that pounded Pitt 43-21 at Heinz Field early last season.

“I cannot believe they haven’t been No. 1 the entire time. All you’ve got to do is watch them, their ability to turn it up,” Harris said.

“They’ve won 31 straight, they’ve got a quarterback (Ken Dorsey) who is 35-1, a running back (Willis McGahee) who averages 132 yards per game, seven defensive linemen who could be drafted.

“We like challenges and, obviously, we’ve got one.”

During more than a week’s worth of watching game tape since Pitt’s 29-22 victory over Temple on Nov. 9, Harris found himself marveling at Miami’s speed, depth and ability to keep a long winning streak going.

“They’ve got it all,” said Harris, who normally isn’t so effusive in praising for an opponent. “When they’re on their A game, they’re a great team. … I think last year’s Miami team was great, and this Miami team is great as well. I don’t think they’re done teaching everybody how great they are. I think this year’s team is every bit as capable as accomplishing what they did last year.”

Pitt has 14 wins in its last 16 games and nine consecutive Big East victories. Its 28-21 upset of then-No. 3 Virginia Tech on Nov. 2 proved it can beat a highly ranked opponent on the road.

The question, of course, is whether Pitt can pull off two such upsets in less than three weeks after not beating a team ranked in the top three since 1982.

“We know how great Miami is, but we’re coming into this game thinking we can pull it off,” defensive lineman Vince Crochunis said.

“We weren’t afraid of Virginia Tech, everybody was hyping them up like they were a really, really good team. Miami is the same deal. We very much respect them, but we think it’s not out of the question we can win this one.”

The Panthers are 1-2 against teams that were nationally ranked at the time, losing to Texas A&M and Notre Dame, and 1-1 against Top 10 teams. They outgained then- No. 8 Notre Dame by more than 2-to-1 and dominated play last month at South Bend, only to watch their offense stall repeatedly inside the 20 in the 14-6 loss.

“The challenge for us is we are capable of executing against the talent level they have? Do we handle the highs and lows of the game and not beat ourselves by having turnovers and penalties?” Harris said.

“We can’t be too psyched, or too excitable. We’ve got to be cold and cruel and calculating and keep our eye on the bull’s-eye.”