1997 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

1997 Pittsburgh Panthers football
Liberty Bowl, L 7–41 vs. Southern Miss
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	6–6 (4–3 Big East)
Head coach	Walt Harris (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Steve Mooshagian (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Larry Coyer (1st season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–3
Home stadium	Pitt Stadium

1997 Big East Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 21 Syracuse $		6	–	1					9	–	4
No. 23 Virginia Tech		5	–	2					7	–	5
Pittsburgh		4	–	3					6	–	6
West Virginia		4	–	3					7	–	5
Miami (FL)		3	–	4					5	–	6
Temple		3	–	4					3	–	8
Boston College		3	–	4					4	–	7
Rutgers		0	–	7					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	3:30 p.m.	Southwestern Louisiana*	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 45–13	34,802
September 6	3:30 p.m.	at No. 2 Penn State*	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 17–34	97,115
September 13	3:00 p.m.	at Houston*	Robertson Stadium Houston, TX	FSN	W 35–24	17,611
September 18	8:00 p.m.	No. 21 Miami (FL)	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN	W 21–17	40,194
October 4	12:00 p.m.	at Temple	Veterans Stadium Philadelphia, PA	ESPN+	L 13–17	10,334
October 11	3:30 p.m.	Notre Dame*	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	CBS	L 21–45	47,306
October 25	12:00 p.m.	at Rutgers	Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ	ESPN+	W 55–48 2OT	16,581
November 1	12:00 p.m.	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA		L 21–22	34,796
November 15	12:00 p.m.	No. 19 Syracuse	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ESPN+	L 27–32	46,102
November 22	3:30 p.m.	No. 15 Virginia Tech	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA		W 30–23	30,144
November 28	2:30 p.m.	at West Virginia	Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV (Backyard Brawl)	CBS	W 41–38 3OT	48,044
December 31	3:30 p.m.	vs. Southern Miss*	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	ESPN	L 7–41	50,209
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Coaching staff

1997 Pittsburgh Panthers football staff
Coaching staff Walt Harris – Head coach Larry Coyer – Defensive coordinator Steve Mooshagian – Offensive coordinator/wide receivers J.D. Brookhart – Tight ends/special teams Assistant Curt Cignetti – Recruiting doordinator/quarterbacks Tom Freeman – Offensive line Bob Junko – Defensive tackles Bill McGovern – Defensive backs Vincent White – Running backs Brian Williams – Defensive ends/Special teams			Support staff Chris LaSala – Director of football operations Brian Callahan – Graduate assistant Jeff Jordan – Graduate assistant			Strength and conditioning staff Buddy Morris – Strength and conditioning Coach Mark Kostek – Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
No Players Selected