Pat Narduzzi meets the media every Monday at noon, greeting them on his way to the stand in front of the podium in the team meeting room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, and this Monday was no different.
There may have been an air of expectation on Monday, after Narduzzi’s postgame comments following the blowout loss to Notre Dame exploded nationally, and he certainly responded to these comments and how it handled them internallybut he touched on a few topics before a week of preparation for No. 4 Florida State.
So, let’s dive in.
Don’t worry about a bowling game
Pitt must beat Florida State, Syracuse, Boston College and Duke to get back to 6-6 and be bowl eligible this season.
Narduzzi has won fewer than six games just once during his tenure with Pitt (2017), and this is the only season in which Pitt did not appear in a late-season bowl game – at l The exception of the 2020 COVID-19 season where the Panthers refused any. bowl opportunities.
But when it comes to considering possible bowl games, Narduzzi is solely focused on going 1-0 each week.
“You know, we played a great team last week,” Narduzzi said. “We are playing against a bigger team this week. We’re focused on Florida State. We collect them at home. I hope it’s 32 degrees outside and on the field. I think we’ll let the grass grow because they’re a fast football team. And you know, we play one by one. And I’m not worried about bowl eligibility. I want to win a football match. And I care about coaching our football team and getting them ready to play this game physically, mentally and emotionally.
I wouldn’t expect Pitt to beat the Seminoles, and I certainly wouldn’t expect a drastic turnaround in the final month of the season. Although it’s also not exactly the toughest stretch after Florida State.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – NOVEMBER 7: Quarterback Jordan Travis #13 of the Florida State Seminoles on a passing play during the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on November 7, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Character Lines)
What does Narduzzi see at Florida State?
State of Florida recorded at No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff poll of the 2023 seasoncurrently occupying that final playoff spot in the final season of a four-team system.
If the Seminoles win, they enter. So, Pitt has the chance – potentially – to once again play a spoiler role against an ACC foe. And, oddly enough, the last time this happened was during the 2017 non-bowl season.
“We probably have the best team we’re going to face all year,” Narduzzi said. “I think they’re ranked fourth in the country. In my USA Today coaches poll, I’ve had them at 2 for a long time. And I watched them earlier in the year. I had the opportunity to observe them. Mike Norvell did an outstanding job during his time there. And he’s a great coach. He is also the offensive coordinator. I think Jordan Travis plays at as high a level as any quarterback in the country. We have a great football team (to play) and that’s kind of where our focus is, right on them. We focused on this last night after our team meeting.
The Seminoles have been nearly unstoppable this season, leading the ACC in offense on the back of star quarterback Jordan Travis – completing 164 of 207 pass attempts (79.2%) for 2,109 yards with 18 touchdowns and two interceptions and adding 57. carries for 205 yards and six more scores.
Florida State is 8-0, and it has been fueled by a high-flying offense (41.5 points per game) that features elite playmakers in wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson and running back Trey Benson.
But a stifling defense (18.3 points per game) features one of college football’s most impactful rushers in the form of Jared Verse.
True to a fault, perhaps?
I don’t think anyone needs to rehash Notre Dame’s postgame comments at this point. Narduzzi opened Sunday’s team meeting with an apology, and it all appears to be water under the bridge.
But I thought Narduzzi said something interesting about how his body of work should be more than just a soundbite.
“I think, again, you’re graded on what you’ve done for nine years, okay?” Narduzzi said. “And you can go back to Phil Jurkovec for five weeks or whatever week it is about loyalty. I have always been loyal to our football team, period. And you can watch that, and then watch a six-second clip, and which one are you going to choose? So it’s up to you.
Jurkovec started, when healthy, until the bye week, and suffice to say it was an unsuccessful campaign for the new tight end, not officially, but sort of official. That loyalty to Jurkovec may have cost Pitt a few games.
And also, Narduzzi said that it was Cignetti who ultimately made the decision to replace Jurkovec with Veilleux. SO.
Better coaching is needed
Narduzzi made a point of pointing out that Veilleux will be starting just his fourth game this season against Florida State, which matches the number of games Kenny Pickett played in his freshman season in 2017 – plenty of callbacks to 2017 here.
“We have to be patient as coaches,” Narduzzi said. “And that’s just one position I’m talking about. But every position is the same. I have to do a better job of making sure they are ready to go. Our coaches need to do a better job of making sure we get there, whether it’s keeping things simpler and cutting back on offense and defense just to make sure we execute better. Because it’s a question of execution. And if they don’t comply, it’s half on us and half on them. It’s a team win and loss every time we’re here. So we need to do a better job. And, again, the main thing is that you learn from them and hope you don’t make the same mistakes twice.
I don’t really have anything to complain about defensively. The defense, while it has its issues, is certainly not the reason Pitt has lost six games this season. In fact, this is a unit that has been more than enough to win games.
It’s the offensive calls, personnel decisions and general lack of offensive identity that have really held Pitt back this season – and I think it would have been even more egregious without a home run hitter in the backfield last season.
Pittsburgh Panthers running back Israel Abanikanda (2) November 19, 2022 David Hague/PSN
Where are the Splash games?
Jurkovec hit Bub Means for a 75-yard touchdown pass against Virginia Tech, his first real hitting play in his last start, and Veilleux had a few deep touchdowns.
Pitt needs more. If the passing attack is inconsistent, trending toward greater success with Veilleux’s continued comfort, the running game can’t be nonexistent.
Israel Abanikanda threatened to break off a touchdown every time he touched the ball last season, and Pitt relied — heavily — on him to close out wins over Rhode Island, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Duke.
Rodney Hammond Jr. and C’Bo Flemister failed to successfully break off big runs. Hammond wasn’t even able to get consistent touches down the field.
“I just have to hit them,” Narduzzi said. “I have to see them, I have to hit them, I have to protect him. Again, it’s a team game. It takes 11 guys, whether it’s pressure one time or not seeing a cross route, whatever it is, or the receiver not running across the field fast enough to get into the vision of the quarterback. There are small details.
“They try to stay in the holes sometimes and, you know, it depends on the media coverage – but we have to get in front of the quarterback. We have to make throws. And we have to make catches. And we must protect. It’s 11 guys. We as coaches have to put them in a better position to make plays. All the time, not just from time to time.
It’s no surprise that Pitt is running one of the worst offenses in college football this season.
