THE QUARTERBACK

Before this season opened against Ohio University on Aug. 31, question marks about the man who was chosen to lead the Panthers — Rutherford — popped up more often than photos of J-Lo and Ben Affleck in tabloid magazines.

Everywhere you turned, folks wondered if Rutherford had the wherewithal and ability to take this team to the next level.

He answered his critics in a resounding way.

Rutherford erased a sluggish early-season start to complete 52 percent of his passes for 2,783 yards with 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also ran for 398 yards and six touchdowns.

Yes, he had his misgivings, most notably losing seven fumbles and throwing an interception on the last drive against Notre Dame that foiled a potential comeback, but his positives far outweighed his negatives.

He was the linchpin on this 24th-ranked Panthers team. The Perry Traditional graduate not only established himself as a leader, but also as a tough competitor who found a way to drown out calls for freshman Tyler Palko to replace him midway through the Texas A&M contest at Heinz Field.

Rutherford looked his teammates straight in the eyes after hearing boos during that game and said, "I'm your man. Period. That's the way it's going to be."

His teammates were convinced. His coaches were convinced. And most important, Rutherford was convinced. Now, he has the distinction of being the first quarterback since Dan Marino to lead the Panthers to nine wins.

He was named second-team All-Big East behind Heisman Trophy finalist Ken Dorsey and will be seen as the top quarterback in the league next season.

"In the beginning of the season, I had a lot of doubters," Rutherford said. "I'm not trying to be macho about it, but I wanted to let people know that I could do what I wanted, anything I wanted, if I really wanted to do it.

"People didn't give me a chance, but that's life. I just want to roll with the punches and let things come my way. I accomplished a lot of my goals and I have more to go."

THE COACH

Similar to his quarterback, coach Walt Harris had — and still has — his critics. Some argue that the sixth-year coach is adept at re-establishing a program, but can't take it to the next level.

The question is: Where is the basis for such thinking?

Harris' teams have gone 6-6 (Liberty Bowl), 2-9, 5-6, 7-5 (Insight Bowl), 7-5 (Tangerine Bowl) and 9-4 (Insight Bowl).

This year's squad not only hit the nine-win milestone, but also notched its best-ever record in Big East Conference play at 5-2. The Panthers dominated Oregon State in the Insight Bowl.

When Harris got here six years ago, the program was a disgrace, having endured five consecutive losing seasons, including the 1996 campaign that saw it lose in embarrassing fashion to Ohio State (72-0), Miami (45-0), Syracuse (55-7) and Notre Dame (60-6). It seemed like it was only a matter of time before someone placed an R.I.P. sign at the front door of the Pitt football offices.

But Harris didn't let that happen.

He's had help, of course, with immaculate practice facilities and an NFL venue as a home field, but consider that he turned a neophyte such as Rutherford into a solid quarterback and found ways to exploit the exceptional abilities of Fitzgerald. He also left his defense in the hands of savvy coordinator Paul Rhoads, whose unit finished the regular season ranked No. 11 nationally and put a stamp on a strong campaign by holding Oregon State to eight rushing yards.

"Coach Harris pushed the right buttons," Rutherford said. "I know he did a lot for me."

Make no mistake, Harris needs to be accountable for the swinging-gate fiasco. He must also be accountable for his unwillingness to pick a No. 1 tailback until seven weeks into the season, and for his decision to use freshman Billy Gaines to return punts when it became apparent that the young receiver was struggling with those duties.

He finally gave the tailback job to Miree, who responded by churning up 100 yards in four of his final five games and finishing with 992 yards on the season, and replaced Gaines with senior Shawn Robinson, who returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown in the Insight Bowl that put the game out of reach.

"Even though I've been around for a while, I feel like I have a lot to learn, too," Harris said. "When you think you know it all, you're probably in the wrong business here. We always push our players to work hard and keep improving; it's no different for the coaches. We need to be better, too."

THE SENIORS

Although the majority of the Panthers' starters return, it will be tough to replace All-America linebacker Gerald Hayes, All-Big East cornerback Torrie Cox, All-Big East right guard Bryan Anderson, linebacker Brian Beinecke, center Chad Reed, wideout Lamar Slade, defensive end Brian Guzek, cornerback Robinson and inspirational-leader Yogi Roth.

These guys were the heart and soul of the team, players who own back-to-back bowl victories and a stunning run of 15 wins in their final 19 games. They showed the young players that Pitt could, in fact, beat the Syracuses and Virginia Techs of the world — on the road — and could play with anyone, including No. 1 Miami, which barely escaped with a win at the Orange Bowl against the Panthers.

The win against then-No.3 and undefeated Virginia Tech was a benchmark for the program, in that it sent a message that the Panthers were ready for prime time.

The seniors wouldn't have it any other way.

"I can't even tell you how much they did for us younger players," Fitzgerald said. "They made us understand what hard work will do for you. We can't disappoint these guys and not keep this thing moving. They meant too much to the program. Without them, who knows what would be going on here. I know they made me a better player."

Players such as Slade played in big hand in the development of Fitzgerald — the Big East's Rookie of the Year who set Pitt freshman records with 69 catches for 1,005 yards with 12 touchdowns. The seniors also gave a boost to youngsters such as free safety Morris, who had a big interception in the Insight Bowl, strong safety Ty Gilliard, a first-year starter who had 49 tackles, freshman defensive tackle Charles Spencer, who appears to be a rising star, junior Harriott, who had 10¹/₂ sacks in his first season as a starter, freshman kicker David Abdul, whose four field goals led to an overtime win over Boston College, and sophomore defensive tackles Vince Crochunis and Dan Stephens, a duo that made the loss of sophomore Tyre Young to a leg injury relatively painless.

"Those guys didn't need to say anything for us to understand what this is all about," Miree said. "You could see it by the way they carried and conducted themselves."

Seniors-to-be such as fullback Lousaka Polite, Shawntae Spencer, punter Andy Lee, Rutherford, Miree, junior offensive linemen Matt Morgan and Dan LaCarte and Wilson will be looked upon to fill the void left by the graduates — not just on the field, but in the locker room, as well.

The departing players left a legacy. Now, it's the job of the underclassmen to keep it going.

"We helped to lay it out for them," Robinson said. "If there ever was a season to build on, it was this one. We had our moments when things could have been better, but if you look at the whole picture, we finished on a high note, won nine games and things seem to be falling into place.

"It was definitely a season to remember."

A season to remember? Sounds like a perfect title to the story of the 2002 Pitt Panthers.