Scott Turner, an offensive assistant the past two seasons for the Pitt football program, has been promoted to wide receivers coach, it was announced Monday by Panthers head coach Dave Wannstedt.

“It is always gratifying to be able to reward a member of our staff with a well-deserved promotion,” Wannstedt said. “Scott Turner was a major contributor in our offensive staff room this past season. He is a very bright football coach whose strong knowledge is matched by his equally strong energy and commitment. Our receivers are going to benefit tremendously from his influence. He is also going to be a great asset on the recruiting trail, especially in his assigned areas of Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C.”

“I am very grateful for this opportunity to coach the wide receivers here at Pitt,” Turner said. “I have had the honor of being a part of this football program under Coach Wannstedt for the past two years. Pitt has such a great tradition as well as a very bright future and I am excited to continue to be a part of it.

As a member of Pitt’s offensive staff the past two seasons, Turner aided in the accomplishment of back-to-back 1,000-yard rushers in LeSean McCoy and Dion Lewis. He also contributed to a 2009 unit that produced a 1,700-yard rusher (Lewis) and 1,000-yard receiver (Jonathan Baldwin). Lewis was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, compiling a Pitt freshman record 1,799 rush yards and 18 total touchdowns.

Pitt averaged 32.1 points per game in 2009, the fourth highest scoring average in school history.

A former quarterback at UNLV, Turner joined the Pitt staff in 2008 after working the prior two years on the prep level at South County Secondary School in Virginia.

As South County’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, he helped the program to its first-ever playoff berth and also orchestrated an offense that produced two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.

In 2005, Turner was an administrative graduate assistant at Oregon State under Mike Riley. His responsibilities included assisting in all aspects of the Beavers’ program with a special focus on the offense’s weekly preparation.

Turner was a three-year letterman at UNLV, earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the university in 2005.

Scott is the son of Norv Turner, the current head coach of the San Diego Chargers. Norv and Dave Wannstedt served together on Jimmy Johnson’s Dallas Cowboys staffs of the early 1990s. Norv additionally was offensive coordinator with the Dolphins in 2002 and 2003 during Wannstedt’s head coaching tenure in Miami.

Contrary to what many esteemed football experts based in Western Pennsylvania may say, the Pitt Panthers still have much to play for this season.

Yes, the Panthers are heading to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte later this month against North Carolina on the heels of two painful losses by a combined four points against West Virginia and Cincinnati.

Yes, a BCS berth in the Sugar Bowl was taken from them by Mardy Gilyard, Tony Pike and the rest of the Bearcats on Saturday.

And yes, it is well known that Pitt’s fan base may very well not make itself known in Charlotte the day after Christmas this season.

But this season still has some life and can still be deemed a success if the Panthers beat the Tar Heels in front of what will assuredly be a pro-North Carolina crowd in Charlotte.

Pitt has won nine games for the second consecutive season for the first time since the early 1980s. Coach Dave Wannstedt has the program on its feet and running in the right direction. Critics will say they still have no signature win in the Wannstedt era. But this program has won 18 of its past 24 games and is established as a Big East contender for years to come. Recruiting is at an all-time high and as a result; an improved talent base is in place. BCS berths and big wins are closer to the program more so than they were in the dark ages of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Pitt’s defensive line established itself as one of the premiere units in the nation. The Panthers racked up 45 sacks this season, 36 of which came from the defensive front. Seniors Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas will move on following the bowl game. But ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard are juniors and will probably return. Talented tackles Myles Caragein and Chas Alecxih along with ends Brandon Lindsey and Shayne Hale are also slated to return.

Linebackers Greg Williams and Max Gruder made strides this season. Talented Dan Mason will take over for departing senior Adam Gunn. No drop off will be expected from the linebackers.

The secondary will lose corners Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappel. Safety Jarred Holley may shift back over to corner to assist with man coverage. Safeties Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields each notched three interceptions and both will return. Fellow safety Andrew Taglianetti is slated to return following his knee injury. Antwuan Reed, Buddy Jackson and Ricky Gary will fight over the open cornerback positions.

Pitt will miss the services of quarterback Bill Stull. The fifth-year senior threw for 2,470 yards with 21 touchdowns. He had a marvelous season following an erratic 2008 performance. Now offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti has the chance to mold Pat Bostick or Tino Sunseri into a similar, if not better player in 2010.

Who ever gets to start at quarterback will get to throw to the sensational Jonathan Baldwin. The sophomore nabbed 54 receptions for 1,080 yards and eight scores. Although seniors Cedric McGee, Oderick Turner, Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson all move on, players such as Mike Shanahan, Cameron Saddler and Aundre Wright will have a chance to step up in 2010.

Pitt does lose three starters along the offensive line in guards John Malecki, Joe Thomas and Robb Houser. Tackles Jason Pinkston and Lucas Nix will return. Reworking the offensive line will be a priority after the bowl game and in the spring.

The Panthers do return their biggest weapon in running back Dion Lewis. As a freshman, Lewis shattered school records for rushing and scoring with 1,640 yards on the ground and 16 touchdowns. His 47 carry, 195 yard, three touchdown performance against Cincinnati was simply remarkable.

The explosive Ray Graham will also return and spell Lewis. He could start for any other team in the conference or across the country. Fullback Henry Hynoski will also be back clearing the way.

Not all is lost for Pitt this season. A win over the Tar Heels would give the Panthers 10 wins for the first time since 1981. Ask any Pitt fan in August if they would accept a 10-win season as a success, most likely they would say yes.

With the returning roster in 2010, another similar season could be in the offing, making the future of Pitt football still very bright.

The building blocks of a program can fulfill the promise of creating a championship-caliber football team with one more win.

Eighteen seniors will play their final game as a Pitt Panther at Heinz Field Saturday when they take the field against the undefeated and fifth-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats in what amounts to a de facto Big East title game.

These seniors came to Pitt four years ago with the goal of creating a championship contender. There were the lows of a five-game losing streak to end a once-promising 2006 season to the highs of a shocking upset of West Virginia in 2007 in between then and now.

Players such as the highly-recruited tight ends Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham, along with quarterback Bill Stull, receivers Oderick Turner and Cedric McGee; offensive linemen Joe Thomas and John Malecki; defensive tackles Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas and cornerbacks Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappel all contributed to turning the Panthers into a tough-minded outfit that coach Dave Wannstedt envisioned the program becoming when he arrived in 2005.

Now, this group has a chance to leave its mark in grand style and bring a conference title and a coveted BCS berth.

“It’s probably the biggest group of seniors that we have had since I’ve been here,” said Wannstedt. “Most of these kids are guys that came in as freshmen during that first full recruiting season when I first came to the university. So it’s been really neat seeing these kids grow as young men and also become better football players and build this program back up.”

This group of seniors is known for its leadership. That was evident in the waking moments following last week’s loss at West Virginia. The squad got together for meetings and practice the very next day, which was scheduled as an off-day for the team.

“These kids were in here bouncing around this weekend getting ready to play in this game,” said Wannstedt. “They’re looking forward to playing this football game.”

Wannstedt said having a large contingent of senior leaders on this team will allow for the Panthers to remain focused and keep their eyes on the prize: a Big East title and a spot in a BCS bowl game.

“It’s an opportunity to play their last game in front of a home crowd, a sell-out crowd, on national TV and ultimately play for the Big East championship,” said Wannstedt. “It’s a great script for our football team. It’s a great script for our seniors. Now, we obviously have to take care of business to make sure we are prepared to go out and play the best game that we’ve played all season.”

It is hard to imagine that these senior leaders will not make that happen.

For the better part of a quarter-century, the Backyard Brawl usually ended with West Virginia defeating Pitt with ease.

Although Pitt leads the all-time series with 61 wins against 37 defeats and three ties, West Virginia enjoyed a run of success under former coaches Don Nehlen and Rich Rodriguez. From 1983-2006, WVU took 15 of 23 contests with two ties (1985 and 1989).

It appeared West Virginia, with their speed-laden roster, would control the series for the foreseeable future. But then came December 1, 2007.

Pitt kept West Virginia out of the 2007 National Championship Game by virtue of a stunning 13-9 win before a shocked sold out at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Panthers have won 18 of 23 games since that cold night in Morgantown while West Virginia has taken a couple of steps backwards since coach Bill Stewart took over for Rodriguez, who left for the Michigan job days after the loss.

One of those wins also included a come-from-behind 19-15 Pitt win over West Virginia last year at Heinz Field.

“I think that win, when you look at it, gave us life,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt during his Monday press conference. “That would be the way I would classify it.”

Wannstedt does not deny that game brought many prospective recruits that were sitting on the fence between Pitt and West Virginia over to his sideline.

“We had so many recruits that were right on the bubble,” added Wannstedt. “It gave us an opportunity to get one more shot at these guys and to say to them that it would happen and to believe in us. I think that it was energizing for our players.”

Then blue-chip prospects Cameron Saddler and Shayne Hale of Gateway High School in Monroeville were on the West Virginia sideline that night and were expected to sign with the Mountaineers on Signing Day in February. Both are now Panthers.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic quarterback Tino Sunseri was on a visit to Louisville that night. He watched the game in the dorm room of several Cardinals players. Two months later, he signed with Pitt.

“I remember going out there for pregame warm-ups and the recruits were all lined up on the sidelines and I looked over and could see all of these kids that we were recruiting and that they were recruiting,” said Wannstedt. “Within 10 to 14 days (after the game) we got eight commitments. Two or three of those kids were right there (at the game) and committed with us.”

No doubt Wannstedt and his staff see Pitt’s 2007 win as a moment that shifted not only balance of power in the Backyard Brawl, but as one that kick-started the program in general.

“Winning that game, I can remember the first day of the off-season program in January,” said Wannstedt. “We had as much enthusiasm, from a team standpoint, to get started and build on the following year. I’m sure just for our fans it was a shot in the arm, a little bit of hope. I think it helped our program in several areas that today we look back on and probably it was the turning point since I’ve been here, without a doubt.”

They were five simple words. Five words that at the time made him look overly simple, but they were five words that were too true to be embellished.

In Dave Wannstedt’s first year along the Pitt sidelines, he knew he had a football team that simply was not athletic enough to compete with the likes of West Virginia’s Pat White and Steve Slaton. Both White and Slaton ran past and around the Panthers on a cold Morgantown, W.Va. on Thanksgiving night in 2005. It was evident to Wannstedt that his Panthers were too slow. As he was walking towards the halftime locker room, he was interviewed by an ESPN sideline reporter before halftime and was asked how Pitt could stop WVU’s lightning-fast spread option attack. Wannstedt simply responded with the five words that mocked him for two-plus years: “We have to run faster.”

West Virginia, led by Slaton and White, hung 90 total points on Pitt in 2005 and 2006. Pitt looked especially helpless in 2006 when both Slaton and White rushed for more than 200 yards in a 45-24 win at Heinz Field.

Then came December 1, 2007.

West Virginia entered the 100 edition of the Backyard Brawl with aspirations of a playing in the BCS National Championship game. The Mountaineers were 11-1 and were again led by an offense powered by quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton. They also throttled Connecticut 66-21 the previous week, giving them the Big East title and a ticket to one of the prestigious bowl games in early January.

Pitt was reeling at the time. They were sporting a 4-7 record and were assured of missing out on post-season play for the third straight year under Wannstedt. The Panthers were 28 point underdogs and apparently were simply invited guests to West Virginia’s coronation before a sold-out Milan Puskar Stadium.

Then came kickoff.

The Panthers showed how much they learned in two years and how faster they had become. Pitt’s defense held the high-powered Mountaineers to 183 total yards, nine first downs and in check all night long. Pitt churned out enough offense thanks to then freshman running back LeSean McCoy and shocked West Virginia in Morgantown with a 13-9 upset.

It would be Rich Rodriguez’s last game as Mountaineers coach. Days later, West Virginia’s then favorite son announced he was bolting for the vacant coaching job at Michigan. West Virginia was also not going to play for a national title in 2007 and has not been close since that year.

Pitt parlayed the upset into a banner-year recruiting wise. The Panthers gained steam and won nine games in 2008, one of which included a 19-15 win over WVU at Heinz Field in late November.

It is the Panthers that appear to be the superior team that will take the field in Morgantown on Friday night. Pitt’s defensive line, led by ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard along with tackles Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas; appear to have a distinct advantage against WVU’s strong but young offensive line. Players such as safety/linebacker Elijah Fields, linebacker Adam Gunn, safety Jarred Holley and cornerback Aaron Berry are the athletic-types that can run with WVU’s speedy skill players.

It is obvious the Panthers needed to become faster. Five years after watching the Mountaineers run past his players, Wannstedt has a team that can and should short-circuit West Virginia’s speed.

Another Big East showdown is looming for coach Dave Wannstedt and his No. 20 Pitt Panthers.

South Florida will invade Heinz Field Saturday for a noon kickoff which will be televised as the Big East Game of the Week on the ESPN family of networks. The Bulls (5-1, 2-1 in conference) are fresh off a tough 34-17 loss to No. 5 Cincinnati while the Panthers come in to the contest on the heels of a hard-fought 24-17 win last Friday night at Rutgers.

Coach Jim Leavitt’s squad will present many challenges for the once-beaten Panthers. The main issue facing Pitt will be South Florida’s incredible team speed.

“When you look at this football team, the one word that describes them would be explosive,” said Wannstedt. “They are explosive, not just at the quarterback position, or receiver. I mean they are explosive at the defensive line. They are explosive at the running back position. They’ve got as good of talent man-for-man across the board as anyone in our conference.”

Wannstedt said he was so impressed with South Florida’s talent; he picked them to win the conference in the preseason.

Freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels has done a fine job taking over for injured senior quarterback Matt Grothe. Daniels burst onto the scene earlier this season when he led the Bulls to a 17-7 upset win at Florida State in front of his hometown crowd.

“I did a little bit of research on him,” Wannstedt said. “He’s from Tallahassee’s Lincoln High School. He had a lot of schools recruiting him as a receiver/defensive back. He didn’t have a ton of schools recruiting him as a quarterback, for whatever reason. South Florida did and that is how he ended up there.”

Daniels has completed 53 percent of his passes for 810 yards. He has seven touchdowns but has also tossed four interceptions.

The signal-caller is also a threat to run. He has 365 yards rushing and four scores, good for the top rushing spot on the team. Mo Plancher and Mike Ford, an Auburn transfer, are also threats out of the backfield as USF averages 187.7 yards rushing per game.

Daniels leading receiver is Carlton Mitchell, who has snagged 23 passes for 404 yards and three touchdowns.

Wannstedt said the Bulls speed and talent on offense will put pressure on Pitt’s defense.

“You’re going to end up in a lot of one-on-one situations,” said Wannstedt. “It comes down to athleticism against athleticism. That is what the spread offense is all about. So we have got to be very, very disciplined this week on defense. That will be the key.”

South Florida’s defense will also bring a copious amount of speed and athleticism to the table on Saturday. Defensive ends George Selvie and Jean Pierre-Paul have combined for six sacks, but each have numerous quarterback pressures and hurries. They will need to be accounted for by the Pitt offensive line.

The Bulls defense has nine interceptions on the year. Six different players have notched those picks. Defensive back Nate Allen leads the way with three. Allen also leads the squad in tackles with 36.

“They’re a talented football team, we know what to expect,” said Wannstedt. “This is always a fun game because we have players from Florida. It’s the one game where they get an opportunity to play against a lot of guys that they see once a year that they’ve grown up with. It’s a neat game that way. Our kids are excited.”

Last year, Pitt earned a 26-21 upset win over the then No. 10 South Florida in Tampa. Many feel that win kick-started the Panthers to their nine-win season.

For the past several years, Pitt fans have pleaded for the Panthers to bring in a top-flight quarterback that can become an impact player.

It appears those wishes are close to being realized.

Bethlehem Liberty (PA) senior signal caller Anthony Gonzalez has verbally committed to the Panthers. Programs such as Florida State, Maryland and Penn State were all in the running for Gonzalez.

The 6 foot 2, 195 pound senior is a dual threat at quarterback. As a junior, Gonzalez rushed for 1,697 yards and threw for 1,570 yards. He also scored 36 total touchdowns.

Gonzalez also engineered a 28-21 overtime win over Bethel Park in the PIAA Class AAAA title game last year in Hershey. In the contest, Gonzalez carried the ball 33 times for 205 yards and three scores. His performance propelled Liberty to their first ever state title.

“I just feel more comfortable,” Gonzalez told the Allentown Morning Call.  “The place is just like Liberty. The coaches care about you. I feel like I can play right away. That’s my biggest thing. I’m not used to sitting.”

Gonzalez will be joining Liberty alum and receiver Devin Street on the Panthers squad.