Pitt Football: Wannstedt Has The Cards For a Happy Ending In 2010

Miguel De Cervantes once wrote "Diligence is the mother of good fortune."

According to his backers, no one has been more diligent than Dave Wannstedt in attempting to make Pitt football a champion. To his detractors, Wannstedt is a coach tied to the past and too connected to the touchy-feely aspects the game.

Both his supporters and detractors agree, though, that Wannstedt is in desperate need to some very good luck  And both sides of the argument agree Wannstedt does some of the things necessary to create good luck like recruiting talented players and winning over the Pitt administration and part of the fan base.

The 2010 Big East is there for the taking. Wannstedt's team is probably not talented enough to win the old Big East his predecessor competed in with Miami and Virginia Tech. But the current Big East has seen implosion after implosion, for example Connecticut's quarterback being kicked off the team, South Florida's ineptitude on offense, the bewildering first year of Butch Jones at Cincinnati, and the fiasco of West Virginia's loss to Syracuse.   

So maybe 2010 is going to be the year of the 'Stache. 2010 could witness a ferocious attacking Panther offense setting records and scoring points not seen since the 1981 Jackie Sherril-Dan Marino 11-1 squad and an improving defense about to live up to its preseason hype.

The storyline is already set. A shaky beginning, some horrific play only surpassed by some bonehead coaching decisions, and lowered expectations have set the stage for a great redemption story. Which fans don't rally around the comeback kids? Our hearts are won not by the perennial champs but by the over-achieving underdogs running cool to hot as the season progresses.

That storyline fits perfectly in 2010. Wannstedt didn't set it up this way. He didn't plan to open 2-3 nor did he plan to keep losing to FBS competition. Playing the toughest games of the season first and benefitting from the weakest Big East since 2004 will allow a coach like the 'Stache, who frequently appears as the guy who's always a day late and a penny short, a chance to break his own record.

In Wannstedt's case, the record in the spotlight is his miserable sad ending to seasons with so much promise with the Bears, Dolphins, and Panthers. By allowing Cignetti to run the offense with minimal interference, Pitt fans will see more plays like the one at the end of the first half against Rutgers when Wannstedt was, of course, being himself and tried to sit on the ball with a minute to play. Deon Lewis didn't get the message, though, and sprinted downfield as though he was trying to score. Wannstedt stood on the sidelines looking dumbfounded.That was a learning moment for the 'Stache.

No doubt Lady Luck was whispering in his year, "That's okay, Big Guy, let him run and I will bless you with an abundance of good luck. It's your turn."  For Wannstedt such moments are a leap of faith. The guy has learned to turn bad luck into a crutch and no one can find more excuses for losing than he does. Writers and stand up comics have made careers using his utterly dumbfounded after loss press conferences in columns and routines.

With an unexpectedly tough but certainly beatable Louisville squad up next, the Panthers can repeat their 2001 streak when they ran through the last six opponents on the schedule with impressive wins. Pitt is in better shape now than the 2001 team who fell to 1-5 before recovering. This year's squad sits  at 4-3. All the teams left on the schedule should be underdogs to Pitt. If the Panthers stay steady, they will pile on the victories.

Wannstedt's got to remember that moment before the first half against Rutgers. He's got to learn what counter-intuitive means. If he reacts internally to his instincts but acts externally opposed to them, he will allow Cignetti to develop Sunseri into an All-American quarterback and he will allow Phil Bennet to shut down the remaining Big East offenses. That task shouldn't be too difficult.

Wannstedt will need to exert the diligence he always has but in this case the effort will be all inside his head. Restraint is diligence too. When he and his team break the championship drought with a Big East trophy, Wannstedt will be hearing things like "He's a player's coach and we're so damned glad he finally won a title."

Lady Luck is one your side, coach, now don't mess it up by doing what you always have done. Play your cards right and 2010 will be all about happy endings in a BCS bowl.