The Pittsburgh quarterback is reminding some of Dan Marino.

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Larry Fitzgerald has made so many exceptional catches, changed the course of so many games, confounded so many defensive coordinators, it’s easy to forget about the man who throws him the ball.

That’s nothing new for Pittsburgh quarterback Rod Rutherford, one of the most talented athletes in school history yet one who sometimes felt overlooked and underused on his own team.

Since the national attention focuses on Fitzgerald, the electrifying wide receiver who some consider the Heisman Trophy frontrunner, Rutherford’s swift progression into perhaps the second best quarterback in Pitt history to Dan Marino has escaped the attention of many casual fans.

Only 14 months after being booed in his own stadium for throwing three interceptions and completing only nine passes against Ohio U. in his first career start, Rutherford has developed into an extremely accurate passer and reliable playmaker who rarely makes poor decisions.

This season, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior has thrown 25 touchdown passes and only five interceptions while completing 153 of 257 passes for 2,358 yards.

He leads the Big East and is ninth nationally in total offense and is third nationally in points produced at 19.5 per game. In 12 games dating to last season, Rutherford has thrown 32 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

This is the guy who, coming out of Pittsburgh’s oft-maligned City League as a high school senior, was seen as a wide receiver or defensive back by some colleges?

“A lot of people did not believe Rod could play quarterback,” Pitt coach Walt Harris said. “We did. We’re real proud of that.”

Still, it required considerable persistence and patience for Rutherford to become the player the Panthers thought he could be when they outrecruited Penn State to land him in 1998.

Because the City League’s quality of play does not approach that of the WPIAL, the suburban Pittsburgh conference that has turned out a long line of NFL stars, Rutherford was behind when he got to Pitt. He barely got off the bench for three years, a rarity for a player enjoying his current level of success.

He admittedly became so discouraged backing up former starters John Turman and David Priestley, he suggested moving to another position. Harris wouldn’t let him.

Beginning with Saturday night’s game against No. 5 Virginia Tech (7-1), which lost to Pitt the last two years. The game provides a national spotlight not just for Fitzgerald, who hopes to boost his Heisman chances with a big night, but for the quarterback Fitzgerald largely credits for his own success.

“Rod has been leading us all year,” Fitzgerald said. “He always says things at the right time and we all look to follow his lead.”

Rutherford’s improvement has been so rapid and so dramatic, pro scouts said he is almost certain of being a relatively high draft pick next spring.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it (the NFL),” said Rutherford, who has thrown for 5,403 yards in less than two full seasons as a starter.

However, Rutherford’s senior season hasn’t gone entirely how he would have planned it.

He was “humbled … embarrassed” after being charged with three criminal counts for a Labor Day run-in with a 19-year-old woman at a Pittsburgh nightspot. Shortly after that, he couldn’t rally Pitt past Toledo or Notre Dame in upset losses that caused the No. 25 Panthers (6-2) to be labeled as underachievers.

Even if underachieving is a term that can’t be applied to Rutherford, who grew up in one of the working class neighborhoods that ring Heinz Field on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

“One thing my mom used to say is you’re going to get out of here,” said Rutherford, who has led Pitt to a 15-6 record the last two seasons. “You’re going to do something with your life.”

According to Harris, he already has.

“Rod has really accomplished quite a bit,” said Harris, a former NFL quarterbacks coach. “He sat on the bench and had people tell him he was no good and get booed. And he’s coached by a guy who harps on all the little things and maybe doesn’t say good enough things about him. … But he persevered, and he’s probably exceeded everybody’s expectations.”

AP-ES-11-05-03 1609EST