Before I get into all that you should listen to Chris Peaks’ podcast of this morning.  Here is the link:

https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/news/podcast-what-s-next-for-pitt-after-losing-to-unc-

Here is the telling points Chris makes about Pat Narduzzi’s won / loss records (Ike, you may want to avert your eyes at this point).

Since he’s been the Pitt head coach Narduzzi’s W/L record is now 23-19.

Against FBS teams it is 19-19

Against Power 5 teams it is 16-18. In 2017 it was 3-7. So far this year it is 1-2.

Narduzzi has won a total of five of his last 15 Power 5 matches for a winning percentage in that time period of 33.33%.

He’s 0-2 in bowls game and didn’t get selected his third season.  OK Ike, you can start reading again. 

Forgive me if I am not shocked by this but as much as I liked those wins over Penn State, Clemson and Miami, especially the PSU win, it’s his losses that tell the story of his time here

So, Pitt’s loss to North Carolina opened up some eyes among both the local and national media.  here’s some different takes on what happened and what might be in store.

The Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko hits the nail on the head with this:

Wondering about Pitt’s weekly preparation and whether the players are focused enough to be disciplined for a full game seems to be fair, at this point, and the biggest question is how much of that falls on coach Pat Narduzzi. Coaches coach and players play, of course, but after taking 14 penalties in that prime-time rout Sept. 8, Pitt was much cleaner in the Georgia Tech win, with just four. The Panthers were sailing smoothly again Saturday, going flag-free until midway through the second quarter when a personal foul on defense gifted a first down to the Tar Heels, who scored on the next play.

Narduzzi himself is feeling like the inevitable is going to happen Saturday when the Panthers go up against the UCF Knights. Here another Batko P-G piece:

“These guys, they limit you to really doing much, pressure-wise, because you don’t have time to even communicate. … You’re kind of handcuffed as far as what you can do,” Narduzzi said. “You do too much, you’re going to get whacked and get hit for a big play, so you have to keep your base, and you’re playing pretty much the same defense every down.”

So then, perhaps Narduzzi can use more defensive backs more often than just third down …

“You start going into some of that on first and second down, you won’t have to worry about third down,” Narduzzi said. “They’ll hit their head on the goalpost running it down your throat … so switching personnel really isn’t an option.”

That might be the first bit of honesty we’ve heard from him all year.

P-G’s Craig Meyer did a “Pitt’s worst losses to NC” article before the game was played. Maybe he should have waited two days for that.

PSN’s Mike Vukovcan weighs in with a timely and serious statement – It’s time to start wondering about Pat Narduzzi.  Actually i think he’s two years too late with this but whatever.

PSN’s Alan Saunders’ bit about the game is good reading.  Especially the part where Pat Narduzzi declared what happened ‘Same Old, same Old”... which is ironic because I have been reading diehard Pitt fans declare that “Same Old Pitt (SOP) was dead and buried.  Guess not.

Here – see for yourself. I especially like the fact that he recorded all the plays that sucked in his little notebook.:

Linked on that page is an article written back in October 2017 where PN talks about his not playing 4* recruit Paris Ford… Wow, Deja’ Vu…  Remember – this is from Oct 2017…

On Thursday, in his final media briefing before Pitt visited Syracuse, Narduzzi gave a detailed and fairly passionate reasoning for his decision not to play true freshman safety Paris Ford, one of the most highly rated recruits in his 2017 class.

“If I get to use him, I want to use him all the time,” Narduzzi said at the time. “He could be a punt returner right now. But, you want to seem him play one time a game and then he doesn’t know what he’s doing the other time? I want to get him out there. It’s not good for the kid. I’d be selfish if I did that, I think. If it was my son, you don’t want to waste a kid’s redshirt for a few plays a game.”

“If I get to use him I want to use him all the time”.  Sorry, hard to type when I’m laughing so hard.  Oh, Pat. Keep em’ coming.

Here is a puff piece from the Pitt News with “Three Takeaways from Pitt’s Ugly UNC Loss”

Funny how hardly anyone is talking about Kenny Pickett having to run for his life because the offensive line can’t pass block.  Oh well, beating a dead horse with that.  Here’s something to wet your whistle when you are wondering how we stack up against our next opponent.  These stats are from Teamrankings.com.

Pitt v UCF Stats 1

Pitt v UCF Stats 2

Michaelangelo holds a degree in Travel Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a former staff writer for InPittsburgh Newsweekly, and currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a Pitt fan since 1997 after he witnessed Pitt upset #22 Miami on Thursday night at Pitt Stadium.

176 thoughts on “A Deep Look at Stats and What Others Are Saying…”

  1. I’m ready to see us kick some tail by dominating time of possession and edging them out in less yards per penalty.

    The other 47 categories are theirs, but I’m sayin’ I think we have a chance.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. You cannot win if you don’t look ahead and put your next step forward…… complaining is for defeatist. You gotta play the game to win….

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    1. Reed,
      Thanks for the panther-lair podcast. I also clicked on to his podcast:”The drive home from UNC”. That one he shares how frustrated he is driving away from the stadium. You see just he really thinks “unmasked”.

      Like

  4. One good thing is they don’t seem to sack anyone.

    One bad thing is they have a qb who can throw the ball.

    Call it even? 😀

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  7. As “Greg” said in a post after the UNC debacle, Narduzzi’s time at Pitt is coming to an end and he probably knows it. All the stats you mentioned in the article point to this. I, along with a majority of Pitt fans, have tuned him out. From this point forward no matter what happens, he is just taking up space until the inevitable happens. I thought it would take until the end of next year for this to happen but now I think it will be this year. He has lost the players. Hamlin posted on Twitter he should have taken his mother’s advice. This post, of course, was later deleted.

    On the bright side, even though it is irrelevant to most who read this blog, Pitt is ranked #8 in women’s volleyball. That is one spot higher than that team from Happy Valley, who is ranked #9. I doubt that have ever happened before.

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  8. I have a feeling Pitt wins this week. Yup, it’s just what we do. Then get crushed by the Cuse the following week. I’m serious, this is exactly the type of game we win. Makes zero sense, but like I said, that feeling is creeping in. Wouldn’t that light up this board?

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      1. avg star of 2.6 over the past few years. Pitt’s has been around 3.0

        Comes down to scheme and coaching

        Their D stinks but their O is no huddle and spread

        They will put up 60 against us

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  9. Totally agree regarding the offensive line and Picket running for his life on every pass play. And this is usually just the d lineman overpowering the guards as opposed to blitzes. It’s tough to criticize Picket and say he should step up in the pocket because there is no pocket!

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  10. Pulled this from Chris Peake today – many have commented on how our LB play was poor at Tarhole Stadium

    “The most curious development from a personnel perspective at North Carolina on Saturday was the absences of Chase Pine and Phil Campbell; both are listed as backups – Pine as an “OR” backup with Elias Reynolds – but neither played in the game.

    Reserve Star linebacker Anthony McKee also did not play on Saturday; he did not travel with the team to Chapel Hill.”

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  12. I have picked 3 of 4 Pitt games correctly, both winner and spread.

    Book it this weekend:

    UCF -15

    This is a BAD team. What a bummer?! Anybody think I’ll see Pitt win 10+ games again in my lifetime?

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    1. I’m betting UPitts house, his mother in law and his cigar collection on UCF.
      If it was legal, I’d bet one of his kidneys.
      No liver tho…that’s shot.

      Like

  13. Reynolds was lost.
    Pine couldn’t help but do better.
    A cardboard cutout of Danny Devito couldn’t help but do better.

    And are there any ads in the Pitt News for a punter?
    I sure hope so.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah, let’s get someone from New Zealand who can kick it 36 yards in the air….with a quick release so coverage can’t get there either.

      That is embarrassing.

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      1. Funny…. I was thinking, are there no American punters from a 6A football school that can kick it 45 yards? You can find 5 within 20 miles of my house here in Texas. What did they see from his workouts that warranted a scholarship?

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  14. Stop blaming the OL. This is a great OL, a cording to Watson.. Didn’t someone post that on here? LMFAO

    And Wirginis is the best LB Narduzzi ever coached. I read that on the POV, too.

    Nuggets like that are why I get all my Pitt intel from the “POV Rainbow Coalition.”

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  18. I get it, what others are saying now makes sense? Last week the same people didn’t know what they were talking about………………………??

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  20. But going to get a little REAL here. When Narduzzi gets HUMBLE… he starts to WIN me over… just a bit.

    Kind of like a STRAY DOG that ends up on your porch and acts MEAN. But then you throw him a bone and realize he was just really hungry.

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  21. “I get it, what others are saying now makes sense? Last week the same people didn’t know what they were talking about………………………??”

    Huh?

    The people who have been saying the offense is terrible, and particularly the OL, have known what they were talking about all year.

    Pitt mustering 24 points against a BAD GT defense (both USF & Clemson hung 49 points on the ‘Jackets) didn’t change a thing. If anybody felt “vindicated” by that output, they were delusional.

    We are currently ranked 76th in the S&P+ index (though the games of 9/22) the leading statistical evaluator of NCAA football teams. I encourage all of you to check it out.

    But hey, what do they know?

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    1. When Rhode Island scores 49 thru 3 quarters and their QB throws for 319 and 4 TD’s thru 3 Q’s and we throw for half of that, it doesn’t take much looking to see our passing game is #118 of 128 or so

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  23. PoD, next year’s OL will be a Pitt o’ Nightmare! Other than WB and DL, this team will be decimated next year.

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  25. “Decimated”? Why?

    I read on here that Pitt is recruiting just fine to compete in the ACC and on on par with similar programs.

    In Duzz We Trust.

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  30. Wow an epic meltdown in the making …..and on National TV…..Tomlin would be wise to keep his distance from our program

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  35. Pitt’s defense is only giving up 205 passing yards per game and 386 total yards per game.

    That’s good enough for 8th place and 23rd place in the nfl, and their total yards given up is better than the steelers!

    Definately got an defensive guru on our hands no doubt.

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    1. It was almost 500 against the worst team on the schedule sans the D2 horrid team.

      Guru in the BigJoke doesn’t translate to the ACC. And have we found out that folly.
      Although you were being sarcastic no doubt.

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  37. JC ( the Erie Express) stood tall for the Stillers in the 4 Q.

    His continued excellence should help with local recruiting. Regardless.

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  39. I would have liked have seen Conner fed the ball more in the second half, but maybe 20 total touches for him is best to keep him fresh. Hopefully Bell is traded today. With James starting I like this Steelers team way more until the defense is on the field and special teams are called for a penalty every time it is on the field.

    Disgusting how undisciplined this team is and it won’t get fixed.

    Liked by 1 person

  40. I know our defense is poor, but our passing offense is pathetic. We are 117 out 128 FBS schools in passing yards per game (without about 4 schools that run the option below us). Obviously some of the blame falls on Pickett, Watson, the O-line, and the receivers, but that flat up isn’t anywhere near good enough to win in this day and age. I’m all for being physical and running the ball, but you got to have more balance. It’s too easy for a defense to make an adjustment to shut down the run (like PSU did in the second half against us).

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    1. Pitt apparently isn’t aware that offense is the Name of the Game ( Center Ave) and if you have 2nd rate talent , the Great Equalizer is The Spread. Where ever if you have a crappy O-Line, you get the ball out so fast, it doesnt matter. See Texas Tech and 2 dozen, 3 dozen other schools.

      You get the ball out to a Skill guy who only has to beat 1 player(a missed tackle) and he has a large gain or a TD.

      This isn’t Rocket Science. Although it appears to be to Watson.

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  42. Pitt was 6-3 in 1948 after a 10 year terrible stretch the Muckety Muck’s so deemed.

    Walt Milligan was coach and he had back to back 6-3 years which wasn’t bad considering.
    But he was less than enthused and he said ‘bye-bye’ after the 2nd 6-3 year in 1949.

    The highlight of 1948 was, beating the #6 cucks of Psux

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  43. It may get ugly this weekend as I believe UCF is actually better than the Pedo’s but then again I wouldn’t be shocked at a Pitt win which would follow the MO of this program.

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    1. Yeah but you don’t always have to inject your alt right wing talking points into the conversation. This is supposed to be a politics free zone. It may be subtle but you always cross the line. cuck, mazie? I don’t see anyone else on this site using those terms.

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  47. If we are going to have an upset win let’s please do it against an ACC opponent.

    To give some credit where due the OL is run blocking well. But again you have to question the wisdom of making Hall the featured back last year.

    Our pass defense stats are misleading in a sense, factually we are 55th nationallygiving up 205 ypg but GTs throwing just 15 times, completing 6 for only 66 yards skews that a bit. I expect that to skyrocket after the UCF & SYR games the next two weeks.

    I think we’ll see more of those busted coverage plays where the other team has wide open receivers behind our DBs. It would be great if our LBs didn’t bite on every little fake WRs throw at them. I was screaming for Wirginis to keep his shoulders squared against NC.

    He’s been a disappointment this year I think, makes a big flashy play one minute then falls down while the guy with the ball waltzes past him the next.

    But really, statistically this Panther team looks better on paper than last season’s. In reality though it seems to be worse by their actual play on the field.

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    1. Wirginis seems to be making the same mistakes that kept him on the bench for most of his career.

      To me the poor defensive performances are pretty much the last straw with Narduzzi. He had the excuse of Chryst’s poor defensive recruiting, that is over and done, there are no more excuses.

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  49. Duzz was right about one thing in that presser..”eliminate just one of those mistake and we win.” Problem is it’s the Same Old Pat.

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  50. Gc, I truly think the telling point is that in year 4 of PN’s tenure the starting lineup against NC had only 4 players on offense and 3 players on defense who actually committed to Pat Narduzzi to play ball at Pitt.

    7 of 22 starters were “his recruits”

    11 of 22 starters were recruited strictly by PC. The others transfers into Pitt under PN.

    And the thing is those holdover Chryst recruits aren’t very good save for Bookser, Idowu and Ollison.

    Narduzzi is a very poor recruiter in my opinion and it is really showing up this season.

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    1. You are speaking to the choir. The poor recruiting plus the poor coaching results in giving up 38 points to a weak team. It has been said before, there are very few impact players on this team.

      Mack is a great example of exceptionally poor recruiting. A transfer is our best wide out. FFrench is the only actual recruit making a play, out of all the receivers recruited by Narduzzi.

      Morrisey the only starting o-lineman recruited by Narduzzi.

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  51. Every recruit football player visiting us should meet Conner. He is our best recruiter. And I say this not because of last nights game.

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  52. We have talk about it Reed and I just do not understand why you don’t count players like Mack, Millen, and Hendrix as Narduzzi recruits. That skews your stats about how many are or are not Narduzzi recruits. I will say there are still plenty of Chryst recruits starting right now but I like that. 5th year seniors is the way to go with some younger star type players sprinkled in.

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  54. You want to see how many Narduzzi players played last Saturday? Watch the game. Again, I wish I could find the snaps played log and take a peek at it. I saw Narduzzi recruits all over the field all day..

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  56. Reed, in addition to not being a very good recruiter, I believe his biggest shortcoming in that overall area is as a talent evaluator. Now, it could be that these are the only kids he can get, but it sure seems like he puts a lot of effort into kids that just aren’t that good. They may have a rep, but when you see them in person inHS, well, I just wonder what they see.

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  57. Transfers are a sign of poor recruiting. Sure one here or there to offset a weakness is great, Three starting transfer QB’s in a row, no matter how good says you can’t recruit a QB. Finally we got a good one. But lines require a solid pipeline of recruits, year after year. Our O-line is makeshift at best and the D-line is struggling after a horrendous performance.

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  58. I came away from listening to Narduzzi’s presser wondering if he has any answers at all to fix this debacle. If so, he sure didn’t convey any confidence that he knew what to do. It reminded me of Foge just before he was fired. Seemingly filled with excuses like “we just didn’t get it done today”. I really don’t think that Narduzzi has any answers, since he has not recruited well, and at the same time can’t blame his failures on the players.

    His schemes have been in place for 4 years now, so that excuse is gone. He has replaced and hand selected his OC and DC, and can’t blame them (although he slammed his old DC on the way out the door). The number of busted coverages and LBs out of place is incredible. And if the back ups are not even playing, well what does that tell us- No talent, no understanding of the schemes, or discipline issues? Not a pretty picture…

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    1. VOR I said the same yesterday after watching the 22 minutes. He doesn’t have answers, hasn’t had defensive answers since he got here. His system does not work in the ACC.

      Putting your corners on a island when you have weak safeties, a weak DL is stupid. It does not make logical sense.

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  59. OJ Simpson was a transfer. Yes he isn’t a nice person but he ran the football pretty well. BTW, why was the transfer ruling changed? My guess, because it’s the latest trend in college football? It’s not just Narduzzi.

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  60. My friend VOR, the backups are all over the field, I’ll bet PITT played 22 different players on defense Saturday?

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  61. Ike.

    I too saw Narduzzi recruits all over the field Saturday.. they were chasing UNC players into the end zone..

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  64. Watched the Steelers game last night, eh. When PITT loses it takes the wind right out of my sails for a couple days. Yes PITT losing bothers me. But anyways. James Conner will make you proud to be a PITT fan. They all keep talking about him as a player and how he has beaten cancer so far.. (I always knock on wood with a statement like that). What bothers me most is they never mention he had to recover and comeback from a severe knee injury at the same time. This young man has earned my admiration big time…. Way to go JC!

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  65. ike, I was referring to the LB corp, and some back up DBs not playing. Ford seems totally lost out there. And what happened to Sibley at RB? As Reed has frequently mentioned, there are no stars out there that Narduzzi has recruited except for Pickett and Weaver.

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      1. I did not look at a participation chart, but i saw Sibley out there on special teams once. So, I am guessing he is recovered from injury.

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  66. Thanks, Rocky. I must have been thinking of A. J. Davis. One of them has played briefly but has since dropped off the map.

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    1. Davis dropped off the map because he can’t block worth a dam to protect Pickett. And with our OL Pickett needs all the help he can get just to stay upright.

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  67. couple things or three:

    I keep hearing and reading PITT can’t get the 4* players. Actually they do get some and these are the players having trouble seeing the field. So when they do get in they look average. Does this make Narduzzi a lousy recruiter or a lousy coach or both? The other day a young man spurned an offer from PITT and committed to East Carolina. The cries soon followed. Imagined if an unrated player had chosen PITT? The cries would have soon followed as well. >>

    Something for you all to ponder…. When you really do not like a particular individual, whether it be personal or someone on TV. I find that you don’t like anything about that person much. Everything is overly critique to nausea. You and I just do not like anything the person does or says. I consider it a character flaw in myself and work at it…

    Well you all know I do not like to talk about my personal life much on the POV 🙂 I’ll make an exception today. I think I let it slip out that we are all expecting our 7ht grand-child in the near future… That’s exciting news. Recently which was suppose to be a secret, the cat was left out of the bag and it was kind of announced…. It’s a BOY! << (no longer an it) The ike name keeps getting stronger…. whoo hoo!

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  69. So, y is he a poor recruiter?
    Can’t relate to kids?
    To parents?
    To high school coaches?
    Can’t identify talent.
    Can’t get in the door?
    Terrible administrative staff that drops the ball?
    Has current players bad mouthing the program?

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  71. What a difference a year makes. Something is really wrong here. Even a decent team doesn’t give up that kind of scoring to such a bad team. UCF game may be a significant beat down and Narduzzi will find wins hard to find. Why wait. After PSU beat down, I had to face the facts. It is clear he is unable to build a program that is smart and attractive. He will leave the AD no choice like Stalling to end this and hire a coach who brings a completely different program to Pitt. Narduzzi may be many things, but he is not a head coach.

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  72. Tyler Boyd update… 15 receptions for 249 yards and 2 TDs in three games. Averaging 16 yards per reception.

    He appears to be an integral part of the Cincinnati passing game.

    My buddy Mark might have missed the boat on this one.

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  74. Ike – we have discussed this forever.

    Recruiting HS kids is most important because the lifeblood of a successful football program is indeed HS recruiting. Look no farther than Happy Valley to see that.

    Getting a transfer with one or two school options to go to is a world away from getting good recruits with 10-15 solid offers coming out of HS.

    Because he’s a crap recruiter he is forced to still get transfers at this late date. As stated above getting a few to plug holes until your own HS recruits is one thing. Getting them in Year 4 because your own kids aren’t making the grade out on the field is a whole different thing.

    You seem to refuse to see this. That the more of his own recruits he’s playing the worse our team is and pretty drastically. He himself is a poor judge of talent and his recruiting staff, those who haven’t left the sinking ship already, are doing a bad job of convincing kids of worth to come to Pitt.

    Regardless of whether I like or dislike Narduzzi Ike – everything I have ever written about him and his abilities… other Pitt fans have either written themselves or agreed with what I said. Not all but some – my are not a lot of original thoughts.

    Pitt fans have minds of their own and form their own opinions.

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  75. Not sure if this has been posted before. For your reading pleasure.

    ESPN says ACC worst P5 conference and how we rate in ACC..

    North Carolina Tar Heels (1-2)

    In UNC’s past 15 games versus Power 5 foes, it is 2-13. Both wins are against Pitt. So …

    Pittsburgh Panthers (2-2)

    Pitt might not be the second-worst team in the ACC, but when you lose to UNC, this is where you end up.

    Louisville Cardinals (2-2)

    This is the worst offense Bobby Petrino has ever had through four games, and it’s really not close. Louisville tried a QB change, but that didn’t help. There might not be any other answers.

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    1. Pretty crappy in the 2nd half – we go from 6.75 ypc and 9 TDs to 3.55 ypc and zero (0) TDs in the 2nd half.

      I think it is two things – the OL looks tired in the 2nd half so conditioning and Watson can’t make halftime adjustments to save his life.

      And look at those 3rd quarter stats – 2.85 ypc on 33 3rd quarter attempts.

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  77. Thanks. I didn’t know the numbers, but knew there was a pretty BIG drop off.

    Maybe it is a matter of conditioning? Maybe half-time adjustments by Opposing Defenses? Maybe a little of both?

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  78. Reed, I know we’ve talked about it but I never bought the argument. If they are not Narduzzi’s recruits who’s are they? You slant the stats and make it look like they were PC’s recruits which they certainly are not.

    Doesn’t matter anyway. This game went a long way in busting my bubble. Thought I was over the hump yesterday but it is still sticking in my gut. That along with a lot of other crap on my mind. Plus I’m not thinking good things coming this next Saturday. Not good thoughts at all…. ike

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    1. Again – I and a ton of other writers about college football believe that the HC the player(s) COMMIT to to play at Pitt is the guy who actually recruited them. I’m not alone in pointing this out.

      It is a secondary measure of how good a college HC is at actually recruiting and convincing the HS players, their parents and their coaches that Pitt is where they should be.

      Just because a new HC is in place on LOI Day doesn’t make those recruits ‘his’ because he never had to do the hard work to get them.

      As far as transfers go – just look at George, JR. He had no other offers but to come to Pitt. Do you equate that with having to work a HS kid for 12-18 months to get him to commit to your program? Of course not.

      All these transfers who have come to Pitt have had one or maybe two schools who offered to take them… nothing at all liker HS recruiting.

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  80. Here’s a thought while I make some more ham and bean soup. (sorry B, your ham is all gone and it was delicious)

    If you were a billionaire would you get into a rocket ship and fly around the moon a couple times? Who does that? My feet would never leave the ground, I would buy a tank and drive that where-ever i wanted to go.

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  81. Speaking of the Strength and Conditioning Coach Dave Andrews… What is his current OFFICIAL job title? The way he acts on the sidelines next to Narduzzi you would think he was the Ass’t Head Coach.

    I know his background as a Player. But don’t think I’ve seen this before. A bit STRANGE.

    Seems to just add to the chaos when things get TENSE which, with Narduzzi, happens a lot!

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  82. I get it Reed but…. someone convinced them to come and join their team and in George jr’s case, it was his father…. Michigan wanted him…..

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  83. Don’t worry Reed, I’ll pick you up and our east coast gang in my tank and swing down south and pick up Upitt. One problem, it will be a non smoking tank, Mark won’t like that. He will have to ride up top.

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  85. Total Defense Rankings
    2014: Mich St (8); Pitt (34)
    2015: Mich St (26); Pitt (37)
    2016: Mich St (32); Pitt (100)
    2017: Mich St (7); Pitt (69)

    Michigan St slipped a bit once Narduzzi left but they quickly rebounded

    Pitt has fallen off a cliff since the arrival of Narduzzi

    Liked by 1 person

    1. In 2013 we were 33rd in Total defense; in 2014 we were 34th.

      Pitt fans joke about Matt house but I would have had him over Josh Conklin any time.

      Now in 2018 we sit at 86th… With the defensive guru.

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    1. Reed, with a nuclear session test, they give you a dye with a medication to speed up your heart and use imaging to see how your heart responds. This way no Treadmill or actual physical exercise is required.

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    1. Now that, my friend, is an accomplishment!! Keep up the good work Reed. You may not think it at times, but you are doing yourself a great service.

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  88. I’m wondering where that TE transfer disappeared to. Does he even play or was it a wasted scholarship? Narduzzi spoke profusely about him at the time of signing. BTW, I think that while lack of conditioning may be an issue, more probably the drop off is because there is no depth and they are afraid to put the back ups in. ike, a double shot of bourbon whiskey will take care of that gut. The other issues, not so much. Just focus on that new grandchild!

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  89. Reed, some kinds of surgery are especially hard on the heart, and they will often run some tests to make sure your ticker can withstand the challenge. Not to worry if you haven’t had any previous heart issues, but blocked arteries could be a problem if you have them. Also, GET RID OF THOSE SMOKES!!

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  90. Reed, have had multiple ones following my heart attack. Basically involves shooting you with dye while on treadmill, doing several minutes on treadmill at increasing speed and incline until heart rate gets high enough, then placing you on table and taking pics of heart. Give me a call if you want and I’ll go into detail. Like I said, I had 7-8 of these, I’ve lost track!

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    1. They can’t do the treadmill thing because of my bad back and numb leg. So they inject you with dye and then medicine that raises your heart rate all while you are in a MRI tube – I think. Either way I have to do it.

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  93. Yep, my Dad has had a few. Will definitively show heart damage and compromise.

    QUIT the cigarettes for sure!!!!

    On a generally lighter note, got my MRI results and both full thickness rotator cuff tear and multiple tendon tears and so will see ortho on Thursday. Frisbee may be limited(I can still finger flip) and bow hunting probably out for the year. I was able to get a round of golf in last week though, and broke 95 which for me is good as I only get out a few times a year.

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  94. Narduzzi needs to play the 4 stars to get future 4 stars. That would be the first thought on how to endear yourself to the local coaches. Playing Coleman is helpful, locally. Playing Briggs is not, unless it is special teams. How are we doing with the Aliquippa pipeline?

    Sorry guys, but I play AJDavis and Paris Ford until they fall over or learn…. Do we have any other 4 stars in the fold?

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    1. Davis can’t block worth a dam for Pickett and Ford looks more lost than the others playing before him. Narduzzi has already floundered picking up 5 star transfers that played like 1 and half stars when on the field.

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      1. So by the looks of things, it isn’t just Davis that misses blocks or pickett wouldn’t be tucking the ball early, which I pointed out in game 1 and you all mocked me. It was just a trend in game one and went into full trend in the following games. Please don’t read one persons comment that Davis missed a block and therefore he isn’t playing. If narduzzi benched everyone who has missed a block…..we would have noone left.

        Same with Ford. He can’t be any worse at playing defense than our current stock of db’s. My very brief point was that the more that our coach alienates the 4 stars by not playing them, the more they will pollute other recruits from coming to pitt. We can say shame on the player that does that, but that is how things are done in the new social media era.

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  95. The aging process is a bitch, my wife is OK, still needs the Gall Bladder removed.
    I am putting off Knee replacement as long as I can stand it.

    Sounds like we all need a POV supplemental Medicare Plan.

    I know a lot of folks in the Carolinas are really suffering so I feel a little bad for complaining,
    but this weather really sucks, it is like living in a rain forest. No wonder so many have moved to the Southwest, although 100+ with drought conditions doesn’t sound that appealing either.

    If I didn’t have Pitt Football to cheer me up…..oh well

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I thought I needed one too. Still have some cartilage though. Have you tried the knee shots yet? They work pretty good and are painless to get.

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  96. A nuclear stress test is when the patient can’t do the treadmill. I thought about that the last time I had a stress test. The nurse told me to walk the treadmill it takes twice as log when you get the injection but it really isn’t anything to sweat. You lay there and get hot. So maybe you do sweat? Reed There was a 91 year old man who went before me last time (I’ve had plenty) who had to lay because he couldn’t do the tread mill. We walked out together like nothing ever happened.

    Good news? My heart was fine and they found the cancer. Totally unrelated but the other testing found it. Embrace your adventure and hopefully your new found pain free life will begin soon after. Keep up the smoke free zone and if you need me to come down there and get you in game shape for the surgery, I can get your mind ready…. There is not much I can do for that body of yours though…. 🙂

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  97. LOL gc, I gotta tell you something… Had a total knee the old fashion way 18 years ago and after walking in pain for a good portion of my life, the pain was vanquished and it was gone, best thing I ever did. On the other hand, I have needed the other one done for years and I will never ever do it. Surgery is no longer an option for me come hell or high water, life or death…..

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  98. Serious question..

    Does anyone know how to out recruit penn state, notre dame, and ohio state?

    Without cheating, or hosting hoedown parties for recruits, I can’t think of any way to get the majority of PA and Ohio recruits. Would love to hear how Pitt can do it.

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  99. It was nice to see Whitehead starting for Tampa Bay last night and he and Conner, sharing a laugh at the end of the game.

    I find it dumbfounding that our linebackers and d-backs can’t seem to stick to any receiver, they run wild on us. The floater on third and long was the worst example. Cover somebody!

    Again, how much is individual talent vs poor scheme and coaching? The point made that our grads are in the NFL is pretty damning to the coaching.

    Dane Jackson had his man covered well and it was just a great catch by their best player, but most of the time guys are wide open.

    Conversely, our receivers don’t get much separation, again is it the player, or the routes being run?

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  100. Maybe we should take it easy on P Ford? He’s never started a game and I believe has only played a few plays in two college football games.

    Another point… somehow Narduzzi does bring in a one those football team changing four star recruits and now he’s to blame for the kid not being ready? I thought that was impossible?

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  101. No Ike, that’s not correct. You can walk the treadmill and be injected, OR, if you cannot walk the treadmill they inject you with a drug that accelerates your heart rate and simulates the treadmill. Neuclear has to do with the drug and isotope they inject you with to get the pictures of your heart, not weather you can walk on the treadmill. Trust me on this one as I have had both types multiple times. I could power a small city between 7-8 nueclear stress tests and 7 heart Caths, plus multiple scans for other unpleasant problems.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Joe… good info.

      I’m not to worried. I, for all intents and purposes, quite drinking years ago (only when I go to PGH for games and even then not all that much) and my cholesterol levels have been great for years. I do take meds for high blood pressure though and that works fine.

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  102. It is amazing that more research hasn’t been done on the criteria used by recruits for making a decision on their choice of school. I think that the head coach comes first. Kids and their parents want to know who will be watching over them for the next 4-5 years. I think second is the school itself. The reputation of the school and the facilities are really important. Good academics and winning tradition are included in reputation. Getting smoked on national TV doesn’t help in this area. While we talk a good bit about the yellow seats, I suspect that most 17 year olds aren’t that astute to think much about it, but there is also a strong correlation between the school’s reputation and the crowd size.

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  103. Gragg, the transfer TE has been playing every once in a while. No catches as yet – only Sear (with 10 and Medure (with 1) have caught passes out of the TE position.

    Watson has had to keep the TEs in as the 6th OL to pass protect.

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  104. So if Paris is not ready to play extensively at CB, why is he not returning kicks or being put on offense for a play or two? Shocky seems to have the potential to be a difference maker, but only touched the ball one time against UNC. I’ve seen enough of Hendrix at DE. I’d have Jones and Weaver starting. Jones has made some mistakes with penalties, but he does make some big plays, which Hendrix just can’t do. As much as we bitch about the DB’s, I say it is more of the scheme than the talent. I don’t think any of these guys are buying the system HCPN is selling and that will be a much bigger problem as they continue to struggle. He fits the definition of insanity, by doing the same thing over and over and waiting for a different result. Spoiler Alert Pat, your defense isn’t working.

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  105. I have a question for you resident gurus. We want consistency in a head coach and stop the revolving door. Do you think very good assistants can make up for a mediocre HC? Should the administration throw more money at getting better assistants and keep HCPN?
    Lastly, should I change my handle to Urban Knew?

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    1. its too late for better assistants unless you want Narduzzi around another 2-3 years
      because those assistants bring their own schemes and playbooks
      you then need to recruit the kids for it and they need to learn the new playbook

      fire Narduzzi this year
      bring in a Majors like coach and surround him with great assistants who know how to develop players and recruit elite talent and talent for the schemes

      and yes, i’d go with a spread on O and fast hybrid guys on D

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      1. your head coach is 90% management and only 10% x’s and o’s
        the new coach needs to think of himself as the CEO
        your assistants should actually run the operations
        but getting your identity and schemes right is the CEO’s responsibility
        provide a strategic vision and have the assistants execute the tactical plan

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  106. Hey Joe, are you talking about the injection that they give you that feels like ice water in your arm but makes you get a little warm. That’s nothing. My source gave me bad info. (my wife) shh..

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  107. Ike, ya, pretty much. That one is fine, cold, then warm and fuzzy.
    Ohio, I would answer you this way. I did not think Johnny Majors was a great head coach, even the first go around. He was the PR guy. The face of the program, the guy who could raise the money. Even more than that, his genius was putting together that coaching staff. Not only could they coach, they could recruit. So I’d say hire a guy like JM I. Young, dynamic, energetic, pride and enthusiasm guy who can organize, but is secure enough to hire top flight coordinators and young, hungry coaches who know what they are doing and can seriously recruit. You don’t want a paranoid control freak who can’t change and feels threatened.

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  108. Reed, just think of the nuclear stress test as Viagra for the ticker.. you do nothing and the med will rev you up…

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  109. ODU 2nd string QB LaRussawho lit up VT is a 5’10” 185 lb Jr walk-in.. National player of the week… hoots believe in miracles

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  113. In law, I bet you and Upitt have some great discussions around the Thanksgiving table!
    At this stage, it appears that Narduzzi is married to his schemes and changing assistants won’t work. His only chance is to coach up the players he has. He can’t change his personality, and as for building local relationships that ship has sailed. I don’t really see any way out of the box he’s put himself in.

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  114. Since no one has mentioned this, the stats Reed provided are only against FBS opponents,. It does not include stats from FCS opponents.

    Thought it was strange that UCF qb hadn’t thrown any interceptions & vaguely remembered that UCF had thrown three against FCS opponent South Carolina State in a 38 – 0 victory over the Bulldogs.

    UCF has played three game SC State. UConn & FAU.

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    1. Not much to see there with those opponents. Watch Narduzzi pull a rabbit out of his hat this weekend – nicknamed Houdini. That kid showed flashes of speed and talent in just 3 plays from scrimmage vs unc.

      I was extremely disappointed in all facets of Pitt FB this past weekend. This game vs UCF may surprise many – not a prediction, but we did witness some crazy wins under Duzz, Lyke clemscum and miami (with basically the same team this year that beat miami).

      Started my work day at 4 this morning and just shut down an hour ago. Catching up on a few comments on the POV before catching some important z’s so I can get back at it bright and early tomorrow.

      H2P! (That’s Pitt, not Pat)

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  116. Tex, with all due respect and I can’t keep myself from saying this as I’m a never give-up type person. It hasn’t been after 4 years just yet. We will talk at he end of December….

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  117. Folks, we have some comments onherethat if not crossing the line are dancing right around it.

    Again, I’ll remind us all that political nd racism comments, even if just inferred, are not welcome on here. Nor is crude language.

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  119. Reed – your boring. At least PSN Saunders backs up what he says w/ film and break-down of plays. You just ramble and babble. I’m done here.

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  120. I’ve been away since last weekend, have not commented since the NC debacle or read any comments to date. So I’m chiming in a little late and uninformed, but here is my general sentiment… This may seem extreme, but I’m afraid losing to a fairly poor Hole team may be Narduzzi’s undoing. I said before the season that I thought the critical point would be the GT-NC back-to-back games, and by that I meant I thought that given its PN’s 4th year, both games were critical for the conference and very winnable, that we should win both if we were to have a decent year. One out of two is not good enough, again, against a very mediocre TarHole team.

    And again, sorry if this is redundant, but it looks like we have a ‘half time adjustment’ problem, which does not reflect well on the coaching staff.

    Is this all Narduzzi’s fault? Certainly much of it is. How good is Watson? Again, our offense reminds me a lot of the Chaney days, not good.

    And finally, I hope I’m wrong and the boys turn the ship around. I’ll be pulling for them. I truly do hope I’m wrong.

    Well, at least thank goodness I don’t have a hoops season with Stallings at the helm staring me in the face…

    Hail to Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

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