TANGERINE BOWL Pitt's Beinecke to start 35th consecutive game

The durable Liberty graduate will be joined in tonight's Tangerine Bowl by four area teammates.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- Regardless of the University of Pittsburgh's football outcome in tonight's Tangerine Bowl, Brian Beinecke and four other Youngstown-area players on the team can say they have been part of one of the Panthers' greatest comeback seasons.
Beinecke (Liberty High), Shawn Robinson (Warren Harding), Chris Curd (Ursuline), Scott McCurley (Mohawk) and Kevin Harris (Sharon) have helped the Panthers rebound from a 1-5 season start to a 6-5 record that earned them their third bowl game in five years under coach Walter Harris.
The resurgent Panthers will take on North Carolina State (7-4) at 7:30 p.m. in Orlando, Fla. (ESPN).
Last year, Pitt lost in the Insight.com Bowl to Iowa State, 37-29.
Durability: Beinecke (6-1, 220) is a senior weakside linebacker who has started 34 straight games for Pitt over three seasons, after being red-shirted as a freshman.
He said the Panthers began turning around their season by making fewer mistakes.
"On offense, we quit turning the ball away, and on defense [we quit] making mental mistakes with people not being where they should be on defense," Beinecke said. "When one person breaks down on defense, it can affect the whole team."
Beinecke's contribution this year has been 48 tackles -- seventh-best on the team -- including 32 solo stops; and he had his first career interception when he picked off quarterback Ken Dorsey against Miami.
Beinecke credits his durability to working out with weights, which has helped him recover quickly from two injuries to keep his streak of starting games intact.
He separated his shoulder during his second year in 1999, "but I still was able to play every game. Painful, but yes [I played]."
This year, "[I] sprained my MCL in my knee in the first week of preseason camp," Beinecke said. "I didn't miss much. My coach said I didn't have time to be injured because we only had one experienced linebacker left.
"My durability has helped me to stay virtually big-injury free," he said.
Dad played at Pitt: Beinecke's father, William, also played football for Pitt.
"He comes to every game," said Brian of his father, who was a three-year letterman at offensive tackle for the Panthers from 1968-70.
Beinecke also has two older brothers who played collegiate football -- Bill at Gannon and Bob at Miami of Ohio -- while sister Lisa played basketball for Slippery Rock University. Only mother Barbara, a nurse, wasn't a collegiate athlete.
Beinecke is not real big (6-1, 220), but compensates for that with intelligence, quickness and aggressiveness.
"What I lack in size and ability, I make up for in my head, and that allows me a lot to step in and continue to play," Beinecke said.
Reads offenses: "A lot of my quickness comes from being able to read the key players on offense quickly and react quickly, to make up for a lack of speed in general," Beinecke said.
"I'm not the most athletic and the strongest guy in the world, but I know where I'm supposed to be on the field, and I don't make too many mistakes; and that has allowed me to compensate for not being as strong.
"My coach always tells me I am a real physical player. I don't shy away from contact."
Academically, Beinecke has a 3.23 grade-point average as a major in exercise science, and graduated last Friday in only 31/2 years.
"I planned to go to physical therapy school in the summer, hopefully here [at Pitt]," he said.
Other players: The four other area players have seen action in backup roles.
Robinson, a fourth-year junior, plays a lot at cornerback and has 17 tackles and six pass breakups.
Curd, a red-shirt sophomore, earned his second straight letter as a special teams play. He also is listed as a tight end.
McCurley, a fourth-year junior, plays special teams and has six tackles, in addition to being a linebacker.
Harris is a freshman defensive end who is being red-shirted this season.
Meanwhile, McCurley's brother, Jeff McCurley, who was Pitt's starting center last year before graduating, has returned to the team as a student assistant coach while rehabilitating an injured knee.
He suffered a knee injury playing in an all-star game after last season, which hampered his tryout with the San Francisco 49ers. He is hoping for another NFL tryout next season.