This Friday, a former National Football League coach -now at the helm at his alma mater -and a former Big 12 coach -back in college football after some time off -are set to meet for a Friday night showdown at Peden Stadium.
Both are regarded as the saviors of their respective programs and both men are looking for their teams to rebound after opening-week losses.
Just as Ohio fans have placed their hopes in Frank Solich, the Pitt faithful are crossing their fingers that the return of Dave Wannstedt to Western Pennsylvania will launch the Panthers to the top of the Big East Conference.
Unfortunately, like the Bobcats, the Panthers were unable to usher in their new coach's era with a win. Pitt was defeated by Notre Dame on Saturday, 42-21.
After the (first) football game leading into the (next) game
you know what your strengths and weaknesses are and kind of where you're at as a team Wannstedt said. When you're playing a team like Notre Dame that's a very talented team you're going to find out real quick
and we did. We need to get to work and improve and get better in the areas where we came up short.
Given the hype surrounding the opening game, getting his team to bounce back after such a loss could pose a challenge, but Wannstedt is optimistic about his players' ability get ready mentally for Friday's contest.
I believe our players are focused
he said. We've got to go out and try to win a football game
and that should be very easy to get ready for. As far as bouncing back
I'll be curious to see
but the college players may bounce back even quicker than the NFL players. We've got a lot of young players and they're so excited just about playing the game. Our older guys that have been around
they understand why we got beat
and I think that's the most important lesson to be learned.
Wannstedt learned those same lessons during his days in a Panther uniform. Like his players, Wannstedt's football career began at Pitt, where he was an offensive tackle from 1970-1973. He went on to become Pitt's graduate assistant coach before landing defensive coaching positions at Oklahoma State, USC and Miami. He held head coaching jobs with the Chicago Bears (1993-1998) and the Miami Dolphins (2000-2004) and now has over 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and professional level.
Strong defense is the main hallmark of Wannstedt's teams, whether they are NCAA or NFL. The Hurricanes averaged 48 sacks a season during Wannstedt's time as defensive coordinator there and won a national championship in 1987. The Dolphins finished in the top five in the NFL in total defense from 2000-2002.
Wannstedt and the Panthers are also anticipating a challenge from the revamped Bobcats.
I know with Frank Solich they're going to be a very
very well coached football team
