Everything Coming Together for Pittsburgh’s Priestley

It was a difficult time for Pittsburgh quarterback David Priestley.

Priestley, a sophomore who played at Brethren Christian High, had won the starting job in preseason practice. But he completed only one of his first five passes in the season opener against Bowling Green and was replaced by junior John Turman early in the second quarter.

Turman led Pitt to a 30-10 victory, and Priestley was relegated to limited backup duty the next three games.

It was happiness to disappointment in almost one fell swoop.

“It was frustrating,� Priestley said. “Nobody wants to go through something like that. For about three or four weeks, life was pretty bad.�

But the situation was reversed in Pitt’s fifth game against Syracuse. Turman struggled in the first half, and Pitt fell behind, 21-0. Priestley took over at the start of the second half, and sparked a dramatic rally, though it fell short in a 24-17 loss. Priestley finished with nine completions in 20 passes for 133 yards.

It turned out to be a boost to Priestley’s confidence and started him on the road to regaining the No. 1 job.

Priestley didn’t start the next week against Boston College, but he took over in the second quarter and drove the Panthers to touchdowns on consecutive possessions. He finished with 20 completions in 30 attempts for 291 yards in a 20-16 loss.

He returned to the starting lineup a week ago against Rutgers, and this time made the most of the opportunity.

Priestley completed 25 of 36 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns in Pitt’s 38-15 victory. It gave him 45 completions in 66 passes (68.1%) for 666 yards and five touchdowns during the two-game stretch.

“I was getting great reads on the defenses, and it’s an exciting game for a quarterback when that happens,� Priestley said.

Priestley had another outstanding performance Saturday in Pitt’s 30-17 loss to third-ranked Virginia Tech. He passed for 407 yards, completing 28 of 46 passes before leaving the game with a sore leg with 3 1/2 minutes left.

Priestley said he thinks his teammates’ confidence in him began building after the Syracuse game. “I think it showed the guys on the team what I’m capable of,� he said. “I feel like I’m more mentally in tune with the offense now that I’ve been getting more work in practice.�

Priestley said a good relationship with Coach Walt Harris has helped him this season.

“He’s the main reason I’m at Pittsburgh, and the main reason I went to Ohio State to start with,� said Priestley.

Harris, a former quarterback coach for the New York Jets, was the quarterback coach for the Buckeyes when he recruited Priestley, but Harris left not long afterward for the head coaching job at Pitt.

Priestley was redshirted as a freshman at Ohio State, but then followed Harris to Pittsburgh. He had to sit out last season under the transfer rule.

“Coach Harris deserves a lot of credit for bringing out what I’ve done,� Priestley said. “I didn’t really know what it took to be a college quarterback until he started working with me. The coach who replaced him at Ohio State is a good coach, but we just didn’t jell, and I was awfully raw as a freshman. Coach Harris is a real teacher of the game. We talk a lot, and it helps me.�

. . . AND COUNTING

It was just another night for Long Beach State women’s volleyball player Kristy Kierulff (Esperanza High). In a little less than an hour Thursday, the 49ers dispatched UC Irvine in three games for their 56th consecutive home victory. It is just two short of the second-longest streak in NCAA history. Florida won 58 in a row from 1990 to 1994.

“We don’t really think about the streak,� said Kierulff, a senior outside hitter. “We just think about winning every game. So, I guess we do think about it.�

Catching Florida won’t be easy. The next home game for the sixth-ranked 49ers is Nov. 13 against Pacific. Long Beach lost to the fifth-ranked Tigers in three games in Stockton on Sept. 25. The two teams are tied for first in the Big West Conference’s Western Division.

Of course, breaking the top home winning streak will be more difficult, especially since it keeps getting longer. Penn State extended it to 72 by beating Northwestern Saturday.

Not that any of that matters to Kierulff, who is second on the team in digs. Her goal is simple.

“I just want to win another national championship,� said Kierulff, who was on the 49ers’ title team last season.

NOTEWORTHY

The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo team that won the Big West women’s soccer title includes five players from Orange County. Senior Jill Nelsen of Newport Harbor leads the team in assists (seven) and is tied for second in goals (six). Junior starter Eryn Gerhard of Dana Hills has two goals and two assists. Junior Jen Brick of Trabuco Hills, freshman Megan Schlegal of Trabuco Hills and freshman Shannon Moore of Esperanza are reserves. The Mustangs also won the Big West’s automatic berth for the NCAA playoffs. Their first-round game is Nov. 10 against an opponent to be determined.

Nevada’s Trevor Insley (San Clemente), who leads the nation in receiving, caught 14 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-28 victory over North Texas Saturday. Insley has 99 catches for 1,461 yards this season.

Kari DeSoto, who played at Esperanza High, is having a standout season with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo women’s volleyball team. A senior middle blocker, DeSoto ranks among the national leaders in hitting percentage with a .422 average. She hit .800 recently in a match against Utah State, tying the best single-match effort of the season in the Big West.

Katie Keating, a freshman from Marina High, is a starting outside hitter for the Missouri Kansas City women’s volleyball team. She ranks third on the team in kills, averaging 2.31 per game.

Staff writer Chris Foster contributed to this story.