PITTSBURGH QB woes cause Harris headache

Rod Rutherford is expected to play at some point but won't start tonight's opener.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris knew he'd spend the first week of the season worrying about a quarterback. He just didn't know it would be his own quarterback.
As the No. 10 Panthers start what arguably is their most anticipated season since Dan Marino's senior year in 1982, Harris figured to be busy designing ways to shut down elusive Kent State quarterback Joshua Cribbs.
Instead, Harris spent considerable time dealing with an entirely different problem, star quarterback Rod Rutherford's run-in with a 19-year-old woman at a nightspot last weekend.
The incident
Rutherford was charged Friday with indecent assault, simple assault and criminal mischief. Rutherford has disputed the woman's account, saying she threw a glass at him.
Harris showed his displeasure with Rutherford by cutting his playing time. Rutherford, coming off one of the best seasons ever by a Pitt quarterback, is expected to play at some point but won't start tonight's opener at Heinz Field.
It has raised questions how focused the Panthers will be against a decided underdog: Kent State has won only 13 of its last 57 games.
"Every football coach is concerned about his team playing like we know we can play," Harris said. "That's the most important thing. I know our players care. I know we have some good talent. ... But I always worry if we've prepared them well enough."
With Rutherford temporarily benched, redshirt freshman Luke Getsy is expected to make his Pitt debut as the starter. Harris hasn't said how many series Getsy will play before Rutherford comes on.
Getsy was expected to be the No. 3 quarterback, but Pitt apparently wants to redshirt Tyler Palko so he will have three full seasons of eligibility remaining. Palko backed up Rutherford last season.
Kent worries Harris
Pitt is 6-0 in season openers under Harris and is 19-0 against Mid-American Conference schools, but Kent State worries Harris because it already has played and won.
Also, MAC teams have made a habit of upsetting highly regarded teams, including Northern Illinois' win over Maryland last week.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Cribbs would be a concern no matter where he played. He is being hyped as a MAC version of Antwaan Randle El, the Steelers receiver who was a two-way threat at Indiana as a runner and thrower.
Cribbs has thrown and rushed for 1,000 yards each of the last two seasons, and led the Golden Flashes to a 41-38 victory over Akron last week by passing for 340 yards and running for 57.
Asked if he planned to assign a defender to shadow Cribbs, Harris said, "We'd like to find five, six, seven or eight guys to shadow him."
Of course, Kent State has plenty of matchup problems against Pittsburgh, too.
Larry Fitzgerald made 12 touchdown catches as a freshman last season and, at 6-3, is three inches taller than any Kent State secondary starter. Also, Kent State's defensive line is outweighed by about 50 pounds per man.
How will Pitt handle its first Top 10 ranking in Harris' seven seasons as coach?
"We're proud of being an elite team," Harris said. "Those who have been here the whole time probably doubted that we could be in that situation. ... The goal is to keep it and rise higher. The preseason respect is great, but we've got to go out and make it happen."