CONTINENTAL TIRE BOWL Pitt's Fitzgerald focusing on today's game, not on NFL draft

The Heisman Trophy runner-up hasn't said if he will seek early entry to the NFL.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A week with his teammates in balmy Charlotte preparing for the Continental Tire Bowl might have been just what Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald needed.
So what if it weren't the sun and fun of Florida and the intense spotlight of a major bowl game? By preparing to play Virginia (7-5) in the second-tier bowl game, Fitzgerald got to spend a low-key week reflecting on what it's like to be a college kid.
The Heisman Trophy runner-up can petition the NFL for early entry into the draft anytime after today's game.
But Fitzgerald is the only one who knows if this final week in Charlotte will mark the end of his career with the Panthers (8-4). And he isn't saying.
"I have had no contact with the NFL and I don't know what the rumors are that are flying around," he said Friday. "But I am not really too concerned with it. I have an obligation to my teammates to be focused on what we have to do and that's come out and beat Virginia."
Fitzgerald's status
Before arriving in Charlotte, Pitt coach Walt Harris seemed resigned to losing Fitzgerald after just two seasons. After watching his star receiver hang out with his teammates all week, Harris suddenly didn't sound so sure.
"He's a fun young man and he likes to have a good time," Harris said. "I've been around the NFL and that is a hot pressure environment and right now Larry is still a fun-loving kid.
"He's going to be playing in the NFL a long, long time and he doesn't have a long time to be a college student."
Fitzgerald insists he spent little time this week thinking about his future, or the disappointment Pitt initially felt over missing out on an Orange Bowl bid by losing two of its final three games.
Instead, he spent the week enjoying all the bowl activities -- like riding in a replica NASCAR-style stock car at 165 mph around Lowe's Motor Speedway.
"That was an experience I couldn't pass up," he said. "I was a little hesitant at first, but I am definitely glad I got in there. There was so much more to it than getting into the end zone."
No indication yet
Fitzgerald has yet to indicate if he will petition the NFL to be included in the April draft. The NFL currently bars players from applying for the draft until three years after their high school graduation.
Fitzgerald graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy in 2002, but only after he transferred from his Minneapolis high school during the second semester of his senior year in 2001, while on pace to graduate. Fitzgerald made the move to improve his grades before college.
Even though Harris agrees with the NFL rule that could prevent Fitzgerald from going pro, he thinks his sophomore receiver is ready.
"Is he good enough? You're darn right he is. Can he get better? You're darn right he can," Harris said. "But he needs to improve his speed. He doesn't run as fast as his coach, I am a little faster than him. But other than that, there are very few holes in his game."
Groh supports rule
Count Virginia coach Al Groh among those also in support of the current NFL rule. As the former coach of the New York Jets, Groh is adamant players just two years out of high school are not physically ready to contribute to a pro team.
But Fitzgerald is the exception, he said.
"When I put the tape on, if I didn't know better, he looks like an NFL receiver," Groh said. "That's what our problem is. We are going to try to play against a guy who plays like an NFL receiver with college defensive backs."
Meanwhile, Virginia is looking for its second consecutive victory in the two-year-old bowl game. The Cavaliers beat West Virginia in sold-out Ericsson Stadium in last year's inaugural game and quarterback Matt Schaub is looking to cap his Virginia career with a victory.
"The only thing I have allowed myself to think about is getting a win in this final game," Schaub said. "My dream scenario is just to end with a win. That's all I want to happen."