West Virginia's Luck Probably Secures Dominance of Pitt for Years To Come

Walt Harris split with West Virginia 4-4 and Dave Wannstedt managed just two victories over the Mountaineers in six tries. New Pitt coach Michael Haywood will be no match for the resources, recruiting and smarts of West Virginia A.D. Oliver Luck and his boy-wonder coach Dana Halgorsen.

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This article has been sourced from espn.com, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Big East Report and pittblather.com.

Stop listening to the spin about this hire. The Wannstedt apologists have already attached themselves to the new guy. With Wannstedt out of the picture, they’ve had time to rest.

Chancellor Nordenberg and Steve Pederson, whose lack of communication through the end of the Wannstedt tenure and the search for the new coach, have sent a clear message to alumni and fans: We only care about your cash, your buying tickets. But we don’t want your input.

On November 26, 2010, West Virginia’s Luck recognized he needed to make a change. The Mounties weren’t in first place in the Big East and hadn’t been under Bill Stewart.

Attendance was falling at Mountaineer Field and the last BCS appearance the Mounties made was in Rich Rodriguez’s final season, 2007.

On December 7, 2010 Pederson conducted an awkward news conference where he appeared to be the twin of Arizona governor Jan Brewer in her first debate: He just can’t get the words out.

His actions at that news conference and lack of preparation for it were the clues Pederson had no plan.

Wannstedt appeared at the press conference, drew his players around him, said a few words and exited with players in tow.

The press conference revealed Pederson had not conducted an early, mid or late season review with Wannstedt. He had not told Wannstedt how close he was to being terminated.

Pederson should not have put Wannstedt in an embarrassing situation like that one. Even terminations can be handled with class and dignity.

The man Oliver Luck hired is a football hipster. Like his former boss Mike Leach, he calls his own shots. His brilliance as an offensive coordinator cannot be questioned.

The man Steve Pederson hired, Michael Haywood, is a virtual unknown. On the verge of being a life time assistant coach, he was hired by Miami, Ohio, to be head coach two years ago. He achieved an 8-4 record at Miami this season but has a losing record overall.

His RedHawk team was lucky to pull out a win over Akron this season, a bottom dweller in the FBS.

How would 7-5 have suited you, Pitt fans? Same record as Wannstedt, right?

Luck had a succession plan and began working on it before the brawl. He spoke today about that plan and where West Virginia must rank in the Big East and the national picture.

Pederson had no succession plan and talked today about hiring a man who fit Pitt’s values. He emphasized the integrity of the new coach.  The new coach is a disciplinarian.

So West Virginia hired a football genius with laid back cool to work under its current coach for one year.

Pitt hired a man who sounds an awful lot like Paul Hackett, lots of blustery rhetoric and tough guy veneer.

West Virginia’s soon-to-be-former coach will spend a year mentoring the head coach-to-be. Luck believes in his plan. He believes Stewart and Holgorsen will work well together.

Pitt put its former coach into the role of assistant to athletic director, whatever the hell that is, and said nothing about utilizing his gifts as a recruiter.

Pitt apologists and lunatic fringe are wondering the same thing: Why did Pitt replace a 7-5 coach with an 8-4 coach? It’s a valid question.

Luck’s coaching search demonstrated cunning and forward planning.

Pitt’s Nordenberg and his lackey Pederson conducted a narrow-view coaching search focusing on the morals of the two candidates.

Pederson admits to having only contacts with five candidates and only two could apparently pass Nordenberg’s morals and family values test.

The only thing Nordenberg cares about his the image of his university. That’s why they wanted former Temple coach Al Golden. He had the right image and the right values.

I can only conclude Nordenberg decided to remove Wannstedt because of off-field incidents this past summer and early fall.

Pitt conducted another rebound search this time emphasising values and discipline.

Wannstedt landed the job as a result of a rebound search, too. He replaced Walt Harris whose agent Bob LaMonte publicly belittled Pitt’s efforts to become a major football power. Wannstedt was to be the rah rah homegrown Pitt guy.

Sadly, Pederson’s announcement that Michael Hadley is the new head coach at Pitt may prove LaMonte was right.

In case you have forgotten, here at the Pitt-West Virginia scores over the past 10 years:

2001: Pitt 23 – WVU 17

2002: WVU 24 – Pitt 17

2003:  WVU 52 – Pitt 31

2004:  Pitt 16 – WVU 13

2005:  WVU 45 – Pitt 13

2006: WVU 45 – Pitt 27

2007: Pitt 13 – WVU 9

2008: Pitt 19 – WVU 15

2009: WVU 19 – Pitt 16

2010: WVU 35 – Pitt 10    

Through the Walt Harris/Dave Wannstedt era of Pitt football, West Virginia achieved six victories—Pitt four—outscoring Pitt 274 – 185.

With Oliver Luck’s strategic coaching hire, his Mountaineers are set to dominate Pitt through the next decade.