CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2003 Pittsburgh

8–⁠5 (5–⁠2 Big East), coached by Walt Harris.

Schedule and results

Pittsburgh in 2003, game by game: won vs. Kent State 43–3; won vs. Ball State 42–21; lost at Toledo 31–35; won at Texas A&M 37–26; lost vs. Notre Dame 14–20; won at Rutgers 42–32; won vs. Syracuse 34–14; won at Boston College 24–13; won vs. No. 5 Virginia Tech 31–28; lost at West Virginia 31–52; won at Temple 30–16; lost vs. No. 10 Miami 14–28; lost vs. Virginia 16–23+40−21Won 43–3 vs. Kent State+40Kent StateWon 42–21 vs. Ball State+21Ball StateLost 31–35 at Toledo-4ToledoWon 37–26 at Texas A&M+11Texas A&MLost 14–20 vs. Notre Dame-6Notre DameWon 42–32 at Rutgers+10RutgersWon 34–14 vs. Syracuse+20SyracuseWon 24–13 at Boston College+11Boston CollegeWon 31–28 vs. No. 5 Virginia Tech+3No. 5 Virginia TechLost 31–52 at West Virginia-21West VirginiaWon 30–16 at Temple+14TempleLost 14–28 vs. No. 10 Miami-14No. 10 MiamiLost 16–23 vs. Virginia-7Virginia
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 6vsKent StateW 43–⁠385%
Sep 13vsBall StateW 42–⁠2180%
Sep 20atToledoL 31–⁠3552%
Sep 27atTexas A&MW 37–⁠2653%
Oct 11vsNotre DameL 14–⁠2072%
Oct 18atRutgersW 42–⁠3275%
Oct 25vsSyracuseW 34–⁠1463%
Nov 1atBoston CollegeW 24–⁠1347%
Nov 8vs5Virginia TechW 31–⁠2853%
Nov 15atWest VirginiaL 31–⁠5252%
Nov 22atTempleW 30–⁠1682%
Nov 29vs10MiamiL 14–⁠2845%
Dec 27Bowls & playoffvsVirginiaContinental Tire BowlL 16–⁠2353%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Virginia 23–⁠16 in the Continental Tire Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 3rd in the Big East.

In program history: The 42nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 128 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 1: 10
  2. Wk 3: 10
  3. Wk 4: 11
  4. Wk 5: 9
  5. Wk 6: 17
  6. Wk 7: 15
  7. Wk 8: 15
  8. Wk 11: 25
  9. Wk 12: 25
  10. Wk 13: 16
  11. Wk 14: 21
  12. Wk 15: 20

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2003.

Heisman voteLarry Fitzgerald, second

Led the nationLarry Fitzgerald: receiving yards (1,672 yds), receiving touchdowns (22 TD)

Walter Camp AwardLarry Fitzgerald, WR; also the Biletnikoff

Consensus All-AmericanLarry Fitzgerald, WR

Record
8–⁠5
Conference
5–⁠2 3rd in Big East
AP final
Unranked peak No. 9
Points
389–⁠311
Coach
Walt Harris
Elo
1609 −1 this season
SP+ rating
11.0 No. 39 of 117; offense No. 29, defense No. 45
SRS
5.9 No. 39 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 47
Offensive coordinator
J.D. Brookhart
Defensive coordinator
Paul Rhoads
Offense
West Coast
Defense
Multiple 8-man front

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense0.0own 33— allowed
Defense-0.1own 29— caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2003 class

Kennard Cox ATH★★No. 1050
Greg Lee WR★★No. 1050
Neal Tracey OG★★No. 1050
Mike Hull FB★★No. 1050
Donald Brooks WR★★No. 1050

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2003 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Running backs12.00.767
Receivers22.00.767
Offensive line12.00.767
Linebackers12.00.767
Athletes and specialists12.00.767
Whole class62.00.767

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2004

The 2004 draft
Rd 1Larry Fitzgerald WRArizona Cardinals
Rd 2Shawntae Spencer DBSan Francisco 49ers
Rd 2Kris Wilson TEKansas City Chiefs
Rd 5Claude Harriott DEChicago Bears
Rd 6Andy Lee PSan Francisco 49ers
Rd 7Brandon Miree RBDenver Broncos

2003 Big East standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Miami6–⁠111–⁠25
West Virginia6–⁠18–⁠5
Pittsburgh5–⁠28–⁠5
Virginia Tech4–⁠38–⁠5
Boston College3–⁠48–⁠5
Syracuse2–⁠56–⁠6
Rutgers2–⁠55–⁠7
Temple0–⁠71–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.