Cavanaugh still trying to adapt to college game
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Matt Cavanaugh is looking to make his second season as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator better than the first. Cavanaugh, a former NFL assistant, says he had to adapt to the college game after joining Dave Wannstedt’s staff. He says his inexperience helped contribute to Pitt’s disappointing 5-6 record.
“I take credit or blame for a couple of the losses,” Cavanaugh said. “I thought I called some poor games offensively, and I didn’t give our players a chance to execute some plays. … So, I’ve got a lot of improvement to make. It’s not just the players.”
But that doesn’t mean Cavanaugh and the Panthers didn’t learn from the experience.
“I learned a lot the year we won the Super Bowl in Baltimore (with the Ravens),” Cavanaugh said. “I made mistakes, but I’m also not usually someone who dwells on the great things that happen, either. I can be critical of myself and the people around me, and I want to improve all the time.”
Cavanaugh said if a player proves he is performing at the highest level this spring, that player would clearly be the starter at his position.
“I don’t know that there’s anybody that good, at any position – and I’ll speak offensively – including our quarterback,” Cavanaugh said.
Cavanaugh also regrets using fullback Conredge Collins’ redshirt year last fall when the coaching staff decided to play Collins in the last five games.
Cavanaugh also feels badly about freshman quarterback Bill Stull, who won a preseason battle with Shane Murray for backup quarterback.
“I regret burning Bill Stull’s redshirt, putting him on the field just to clean up a couple games,” Cavanaugh said. “But those are decisions that you need to make. The trade-off is that you get some young guys on the field to get a little playing experience and take the nerves away.
“Then, you hope that they come back feeling like they’ve been on the field before. So, they should know how to act. You always can second-guess after the season is over. It would’ve been nice, but we weren’t able to do it.”
Stull played in just two games and was 1-for-2 for 17 yards. Murray has since moved to safety on defense.