Wannstedt won't coach Pitt in bowl game

Pitt no longer has its new coach or its old coach.

Dave Wannstedt, ousted as Pittsburgh's football coach last month, announced Monday he won't be on the sideline for the Compass Bowl against Kentucky on Saturday.

Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, the former SMU head coach, will serve as the interim coach for a program that soon will have its third coach in two months.

Wannstedt was forced to resign Dec. 7, after the Panthers went 7-5 in a season they were picked to win the Big East. Wannstedt, a former Pitt player and the head coach for six seasons, was given the option of coaching in the bowl.

While Wannstedt and his staff conducted practices and put together the game plan, Wannstedt said it would distract attention from his players if he accompanied the team to Birmingham, Ala.

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