Here is a thought-provoking piece by POV reader and commenter “6&34”.  

I have written three articles for the POV all concerned with the question:  Does Narduzzi know what he is doing?  I am once again asking that question and it may be the last time I ever ask it. So, does he?

Case in point, a week or so ago I heard a podcast that said  since Watson has been replaced as OC the offense is on Pat Narduzzi.   Well, with all due respect to the podcaster, the Watson hire is on Narduzzi so to say that this year’s offense is really on Narduzzi seems like a rather weak point.

If the offense is weak this year, will the offense really, really be on Narduzzi next year? No, the weak 2018 offense falls squarely on Narduzzi because regardless of the reason.  And there are a lot of potential reasons:  Watson was doing his friend a solid, Narduzzi though Watson actually knew what he was doing, Narduzzi was incapable of fixing Watson’s observable inadequacy mid-season, Narduzzi believed that Pitt’s smash mouth running offense was incapable of being stopped, or whatever.

Offense aside, we’ve had four full seasons of Pat Narduzzi and arguably four full seasons of his recruiting though this present recruiting class is not yet over (we could get some additional good players or we could lose some as we did last year).  POVers stand divided on the question and its no wonder:  Pitt has been mediocre during Narduzzi’s reign which has been characterized by amazing highs and lows. Seriously, the lows have been humiliating (the defensive backs getting repeatedly torched) and the highs, what can you say about the Clemson and Miami wins (please Negativos, don’t mention that in 2017 Miami lost its next two games because I’ll just mention that in 2016 Clemson went on to win the National Championship). 

That last sentence pretty much highlights what I see as the problem with what essentially is the polemic nature of our POV commentary. It’s too often black and white.

A feature of each of my “Does Pat Narduzzi know what he’s doing?” submissions has been that when I wrote each one (including this one) I really did not have a solid opinion whether he did or didn’t. I still don’t though I do think some things are clearer now than before.

In my humble opinion the one thing that is clearer now than ever before is that western PA (thought of by me as west of Johnstown) football talent is not rich enough to be the primary source of talent for Pitt. A factor in this opinion is that the Dairy School is back as a second level first tier team and at least until now outcompetes Pitt for the better fewer and fewer players).

Related to this is that in my humble opinion the one thing that Narduzzi deserves tremendous credit for is his recognition that Pitt needed to look out of PA and especially to the south to get better players. This is no small thing.

So let me make this point:  It is just plain wrong to criticize Narduzzi for his to the moment mediocre recruiting without recognizing what is stated above. And by above I mean what is stated in both of the preceding two paragraphs. Let me state this differently:  Dude, getting good players who live far away to come to Pitt isn’t easy. Its not impossible (after all Swinney has done it with Clemson).  You could also say that Franklin has done it with the Dairy School and in doing so also say that his challenge was tougher than Narduzzi’s. I wouldn’t want to debate that but in my heart I just think that Narduzzi’s situation was a lot tougher than Franklin’s for any number of reasons including game attendance, Pitt’s OCS situation and lets face it, Franklin had done something that at least appeared to have been great at Vanderbilt.   And for the record, I just don’t think that Narduzzi brought to Pitt the same excitement that Franklin brought to the Dairy School.

It also needs to be acknowledged that Narduzzi, because he had never been a head coach, had some serious limitations when he arrived at Pitt that many POVers including me chose to think weren’t critical. Irrespective of how deficient you may feel Paul Chryst’s defensive recruiting had been, Narduzzi’s insistence that those Chryst defensive players could effectively play Narduzzi’s Michigan State defense was a terrible mistake (I can still see Mason Rudolph laughing as he destroyed Pitt in 2017).  And let’s all admit that his limitations didn’t stop there because he sure hasn’t been a strong game-time coach either which is statistically demonstrated by Pitt’s poor second half performances.

So here we are with a week to go until the Virginia game and what I see is that once again we don’t have a sense of whether this Pitt football team can be a very good team or not. I do believe that Pitt can not only be good but can be very good. I also think that Pitt can be decidedly mediocre. One reason for this is, of course, the OOCS, but on the other hand, the in conference (meaning ACC) schedule is not tough at all.  A good Pitt football team should do well with this 2019 schedule.

The bottom line for me is that a good football team wins games that it should win. That is why when Pitt lost to NC last year I thought the floor had collapsed. Then it went on to do what good teams do: win the games it was capable of winning (which is a bit fundamentally different than winning games that it should win). At the end of the day that is what Pitt needs to do in 2019 and that starts with the Virginia game.

Certainly, luck is a big factor in winning games that a team is capable of winning. But anyone watching sports over a lifetime knows that superior game coaching and the team’s ability (independent of game coaching) to rise to the occasion is real.

Nevertheless, both of these factors are mostly the responsibility of the Head Coach and, therefore, Pat Narduzzi is responsible for whether or not this Pitt football team wins the games it is capable of winning.  Last year, Pitt was capable of beating Notre Dame. I may not have thought that before the game began but by the fourth quarter though I may have thought that Notre Dame was going to win the game Pitt was in position to win especially if Lady Luck had favored Pitt during that short amount of time.

Of course, all of the foregoing exists in a context in which the teams football capabilities are, well, sufficiently capable to compete with the opponent of the day. There are POVers who think this 2019 team’s capabilities are much lower than other POVers think are the capabilities.  IMHO the 2019 Pitt Panthers are capable of winning almost every game. The problem is that they are also capable of losing every game (except perhaps Delaware).

Someone may say “that is almost always the case” at the beginning of a collegiate football season.  Yeah, that’s true. And that’s the point. Pitt is capable of winning almost every game at least I believe that because I am a POVer who thinks the team is a capable team.  I don’t believe the offensive line will be as bad at pass protection as it was last year. I don’t believe our QB will be as hapless as he was last year because I believe that Watson was primarily responsible for what we witnessed last year. I believe the defense will be much better than it was last year. I believe OC Whipple will focus on getting the ball to playmakers. I could go on and on with what I think are the positives of this 2019 team compared with last years team. I suspect most POVers will agree with most of what is written in this paragraph even if many of them evaluate the capabilities of the team below how I evaluate the capabilities.

Is the team capable of winning most of its games? I think this question is the same question as “Does Pat Narduzzi know what he’s doing?” I have already stated that I believe the quality of the football players on this team is capable of winning almost every game. That answer reflects my belief that given the hand that PN must play with he has done a good job putting together a team that has the most depth and team wide ability of any Pitt team in the past 8 years of so (this is not to say that the team is great or even very good – it means the team is at least good).

Does the team have the ability to rise to the occasion? I don’t know. They sure showed it in the home stretch of the games it won as they drove to win the Coastal division. But they didn’t against Stanford or North Carolina last year. They sure did not show it against Notre Dame in the 4th quarter or against Miami.

Will Pitt’s game coaching be better than it was last year?  I think Narduzzi’s game coaching is below average. Going for a first down on your own 13 yard line (or so) early in a game is hairbrained and if he does something similar count on an ass-bite. The bottom line is that over the course of the season Pitt’s game performances were for the most part worse in the second half than it was in the first half.  One can explain that discrepancy by rationalizing that the team got tired by the end of the second quarter (which I have no problem blaming Narduzzi for) or “gave up” (which I also blame Narduzzi for).

So does Pat Narduzzi know what he is doing? There are so many factors that go into answering that question but being that for me at this moment in time  wins and losses are the only metric that determines whether he does or does not, whether Narduzzi has congregated players whom he has imbued with sufficient grit and desire to beat teams that are nearly as good or better than Pitt on paper by rising to the occasion will be readily observable on August 31st.  It’s a home game. It’s a game that really (and I mean really) matters. But what about game day coaching? I’m really scared of the answer to that question not only because I believe game coaching will determine if Pitt beats Virginia, but it will also answer the now age old question:  Does Pat Narduzzi know what he’s doing? Because if a Head Coach can’t game coach, your team will always be at a major disadvantage.
Editor’s Note:   I added the graph below because I think it’s relevant to the point 6&34 is making.  S&P+ is a tempo-and-opponent-adjusted measure of what college football teams can most consistently do to win football games.  Teams with higher S&P’s tend to win more.  As you can see our best seasons came when our S&P was above 90.  You can also see that Pitt’s S&P+ has for the most part bounced between 60% and 80% since the Walt Harris era, and it actually dipped to it’s lowest point since Johnny Majors II last season.  This kind of proves 6&34’s point that Narduzzi  might know what he’s going, but then again he might not.  It certainly adds fuel to the fires of those who think Narduzzi may not be the guy who can get Pitt to turn the corner.  We’ll have our first chance to evaluate in less than a week.  Hail to Pitt.

Pitt S&P History

 

 

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.

101 thoughts on “Does Narduzzi Know What He’s Doing? Part IV”

  3. Thanks for the article 6&34, great work. I’ll reread when a get a free minute later.

    and Michaelangelo Monteleone, thanks for the great graph. Trying to read that I felt like I almost was going to go into a seizure. 🙂

    Some people like Narduzzi and some do not. They don’t like his coaching or his personality. Some people call me Maurice and the Space Cowboy. It’s all good.

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  4. all due respect 68&34, I disagree with the following:

    1) Clemson is surrounded by talent Georgia, Alabama and Florida are all within 2 hours
    2) even during the sanction years, PSU was winning 8 games thanks to the OOC and bottom half of theB1G. Plus, Franklin now goes to HS recruit games via helicopters! Franklin is a real good recruiter but most people can recruit at the Dairy School.
    3) Yes, Watson was a friend but it also took 2 months to hire him. I don’t think he was PN’s 1st, 2nd or 3rd choice. He was simply the fallback guy. (Whipple was hired less than 2 weeks after Watson was axed)
    4) Yes ND was beatable last year as Pitt lost by only 5 AT South Bend. But did you also know that everyone’s favorite, the God Almighty 2018 Syracuse Orange that won 10 games, lost to ND on a neutral field by the close score of 36-3?

    5) Did you also know that the ND team was one of 3 teams that Pitt faced last year that finished their regular unbeaten las year? THREE!!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Syracuse beat West Virginia by 16 and lost to Clemson by only 4. So there’s that. But yes their 2018 schedule was filled with cream puffs and its #15 ranking was ridiculous.

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      1. in both cases, they played against back-up QBs with little experience. Everything aligned for them last year … who knows, maybe one of these years, it will align for us?

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  5. Yes, he does. Kids are put into position to make plays and at times they just do not make them.

    Examples: Aston and Orndoff with easy TDs versus Northwestern and did not finish.

    Weah just needs to run and he scores versus VTech. He looks back and got caught.

    Q fumbling at the 1-yard line just before the half versus Carolina. Cost Pitt a 24-14 lead.

    Coaching is important but guys need to make plays, too. Kids cannot make them all the time, but Pitt guys miss on those opportunities a lot.

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  6. When there are team wide errors to the point one expects them one can conclude its fate or however you want to describe the cause of metaphysical explanations or one can look at those who are responsible for such system wide repeated causations. The players sure but when it’s your players that make those mistakes in statistically greater occurrences well maybe you had something to do with the mistakes being made. Or one could say the occurrences were not statistical aberrations but just occurrences that well occur. If the latter, other teams have those same occurrences which means the occurrences will result in other teams having the same kind of losses Pitt has had, i.e. the bad breaks show up in other teams won lost records.

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  7. Again for the umpteenth time. What gc posted last article, what wwb posted above and what Nate is saying I think……. Two things here. Lots of people are judging Narduzzi after 5 years as being the head coach at PITT. Well…. the truth it’s only been four years. This just in, this season hasn’t started up yet.

    Secondly, for the life of me I can’t understand how it is that most people get that the OOC schedule has not been kind or fair to PITT the past couple years yet still complain about the won/lost record. Do we know what Narduzzi and PITT recruits would have finished last year with Syracuse’s schedule. No we do not but we do know one thing, PITT beat Syracuse who wound up with 10 wins and a top twenty finish in the polls. Folks, these things go hand in hand when you are a team like Syracuse and/or PITT!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Ike, you are dead right about the difference between Pitt’s and Syracuse’s 2018 schedules. And the difference is significant … for 2018. What matters now is August 31st.

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      1. He knows, for the most part.

        The revolving coaching carousel set us back ten years. Just now normalizing to a more stable posture.

        I like him.

        This year should be interesting.

        We are due to exercise the ghost of Tino at some point. We need a dang QB to step up. Coach will look like a genius of we can throw the ball.

        Liked by 4 people

  8. Now see, I’ll also agree with that 6&34. The time has come to see what Narduzzi can and will do. Ohio is a tough game and a little bad luck that they are supposed to be good this year with a very good QB but PITT has to take care of business with a team from a non P-5 football school. UCF is a little different but lost their top two QB’s from last year (I think). PITT needs to keep the psu game close at least and beat the teams that they should. BOOM! 8-4.

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  9. Pitt is at a severe disadvantage in recruiting. I just don’t get how or why some fans can’t see that.

    I think Coach Duzz knows what he’s doing – within the stubborn capabilities he has. I’m actually encouraged by what we’re seeing develop, with the coaching staff and even with the modest uptick in recruiting.

    Can we keep the progress moving forward, though slower than we’d like to see, that is the question. We will have the answer after about 5 games, I think…

    What troubles me is that Pitt has not had the combination of confidence, swagger and talent to “rise to the occasion” since Sherill left. In just about every big game since that time, we have tanked.

    Did any of the coaches since Sherill know what they were doing?

    As for me — fingers crossed!

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 5 people

  10. It’s harder to recruit for PITT than our competition regardless of who is coaching. Good recruiting coaches are hard to find, plus we are a rust belt city. I love Pittsburgh, but not sure recruits know enough about the area to spend time in. Academics don’t enter into it, because Pitt will take anybody who can play and wants be at PITT just like any other school that wants to be a bigtime football power.

    We need to either play dirty or help change the rules and allow unlimited recruiting as in the old days. Maybe a system of different recruiting rules for teams with problems recruiting. Ivy league did it with Columbia years ago. After all, it is the TV money. People would like to see different teams winning the National championships from year to year

    I’m just being honest on what it will take.

    Liked by 3 people

  11. Nice post, but one nit I have to pick: Was the team really worse in the second half of games last year? I think the defense got worn out a few times, being on the field too much (Clemson, Miami, PSU) when the offense was stymied, but I also recall some strong second half performances against Wake, Va Tech, and Duke.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. no question …. when an offense continues to go 3 and out, it wears both physically and mentally. The halftime score with PSU was 14-6; 10-0 at the half and 10-3 late in the 3rd quarter vs Miami, and 28-10 vs Clemson for the entire 3rd quarter (would have been 21-10 if Pitt offense doesn’t give up the ball on its own ten in the final minute before half.

      And even vs ND … the only score Pitt could muster in 2nd half was Ffrench’s KO return to begin the end half. Pitt was leading the game until 5:43 left in the game

      Liked by 1 person

    2. That win against Duke last season showed me something. For Pitt to continue to come back and stay in the game when Duke’s offense was playing a great game (led by their high NFL draft-pick QB…) really impressed me. Like I couldn’t believe my eyes impressed me.

      Sure, it was only Duke, but that seemed like kind of a turning point game to me.

      Go Pitt.

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  12. Just heard from BigB…he’s in for testing overnight. Resting now. Asked me to pass this along. He hopes to golf Friday and attend the game Saturday!!
    First time in the hospital since tonsils removed when he was 5.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. Thanks for the update Fran. Sending some good vibes his way

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  15. News for the older Pitt guys – former Pitt point guard Cleveland “Cleve” EDwards has died. He was 71.

    Played PG for Pitt from 1969-1972. Later was assistant men’s basketball coach on UNLV’s national championship team and briefly served as the program’s interim head coach in the 90s.

    My memory of him at Pitt was he always had one thigh wrapped when he played…

    RIP, Cleve.

    Liked by 2 people

  16. The results this year will be a good indicator for an answer to the question. We hired a defensive coordinator to be our head coach. He had no head coaching experience so it has been all on the job training for the last four years. His first defensive coordinator did not work out and his last offensive coordinator did not work out. I believe for the first time he has two capable coordinators. He has his defensive system in place with his recruits. I predicted that Pitt will go 6-6 this year. If they do that, then no Narduzzi does not know how to be a head coach. If they go 8-4 or better I will think differently.

    If Pitt holds on to the existing verbal candidates in this year’s recruiting class, it appears to be an upgrade over his previous classes. This seems to indicate that he is learning lead a better recruiting program.

    If Pitt does go 6-6 this year (and does not win the Coastal Division with that record) then I would say that next year Narduzzi’s seat should start to get very warm. Pitt should be able to consistently go 7-5 or better and that has not been the case so far with Narduzzi.

    Off topic but related to my prediction is that I do not believe Pickett is a viable D1 quarterback and that is going to be a big part of a problem this year. He is Voytik II.

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    1. I agree with everything you said except the last two John.

      “Consistently 7-5”. First of all I agree that should be the minimum acceptable standard. Pat has met or cleared that bar in three out of four seasons and exceeded it in two of those three. So in my mind it has been the case so far.
      I think you are wrong about Pickett. He’s going to be a pleasant surprise

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I’ll be shocked if KP is Voytik 2.0. KP has shown in some games that he can do this stuff. And that was with an OC (and a WR Coach) who didn’t seem to be at all QB-friendly…

        There certainly are a lot of Pitt fans who don’t think KP can handle the job.

        Time will tell which camp is correct…

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Cleve was the best dribbler I’ve ever seen. Even with the thigh wrapped. He could reverse direction like no one I ever saw.

    By the way, not sure this means anything but Florida had 6 players held out for disciplinary reasons against Miami.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I looked it up. In 41 games played for Pitt, Cleve averaged 5.7 points per game and 5.4 assists per game…

      He was listed as 5’10”.

      I remember the quickness and hustle ( in spite of the thigh-wrap!)

      Go Pitt.

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  18. I’d like to think differently about KP but other than Wake, why? I really don’t think he is horrible, but as bad as his line may have been, he never seemed to get through progressions and often was inaccurate and late with throws. A fear and run mentality that showed often enough to make me think it was him rather than just a poor pass blocking front. I hope I am wrong because he really plays hard and is easy to like in every other way.

    What are you seeing MM that I and most are not?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Well phyisicslky Pickett has much better arm strength than Voytik. And when he’s given time he’s pretty dog gone accurate.

      And as far as the rest of it two things.

      He’s just got a more confident vibe. He knows he played under his potential last season and he didn’t let that get to him. He worked and came back stronger. That resilience will pay off.
      It’s cliche but the Whipple effect will go a long way to unlocking whatever potential Pickett possesses. And until we see the final product on the field it’s going to be impossible to quantify that effect. So yea call it hope as a strategy or whatever, but whip has been around for a long time and he knows QB’s. He seems ready to ride to KP and that’s good enough for me (at least until it isn’t…)

      Liked by 3 people

  19. You all know the saying, champagne taste on a beer budget.

    We all have Clemson taste on a Pitt budget.

    Dabo couldn’t win 9 games consistently with Pitt’s budget.

    PN has done just fine. This year tells us if he is the coach to keep or not.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Don’t think he is coaching this year. He went for the big bucks and screwed himself career wise. He had a good thing going at Pitt. That being said, his bank account is just fine.

      Liked by 2 people

  21. Canada turned down the O Coordinator job at Indiana. Has not been seen since. If only he’d of stayed at Pitt.

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  22. If Canada stayed at Pitt he would probably have less money in the bank than he does now. I also don’t think he’d have any difficulty finding a power 5 OC job if his current salary requirements were adjusted down to a more reasonable level.—As for the Narduzzi question, I think he knows much more about what he is doing today than what he did over the preceding 4 years.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. John, regarding the nurses hugging Biggie…I bet he dated half of them back in the day.
    Fond memories of Cleve Edwards…fun to watch.

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  25. As for addressing the question of “Does Narduzzi know what he’s doing?”… What answer would be complete without consideration of the “Fake Punter/Fake Jersey 4th Down Fiasco” at Notre Dame?”

    A true All-Time Pitt Football Classic!

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  27. I thought Matt Canada did a good job as the interim HC at Maryland last year and was surprised that he didn’t get the HC gig. Perhaps more evidence of Maryland’s administrative ineptitude as Reed has previously pointed out.

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  28. It’s my understanding that Canada was passed over for multiple HC gigs at lower levels than Maryland too. Pretty sure Temple was one of them. Apparently not as coveted as some Pitt fans want to believe.

    As for if only he’d stayed… He’d have left at the soonest opportunity. So if not two years ago, this past season.

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  29. We’ll find out if he knows what he is doing pretty fast this season. Beating the Hoos in a week, tells me Narduzzi is learning how to get this team focused early. Motivation, preparation & performance all will be on display in week one.

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  30. I’m going to wait for the season to play out. Beating UVa is meaningless if they don’t follow through with a string season.

    Losing to UVa is meaningless if they bounce back and still have a strong season.

    Early season CFL is goofy. That’s why there are generally more upsets early in the season rather than later.

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  31. We will never know how Canada would have done in the 5-7 season, without a decent QB and a lot of his other talent gone. Could he have kept the 8 win streak alive?

    Hard to believe that this is the first year without Chryst recruited players dominating the offense. So we shall see how his recruits fare.

    Hate to point to next year but with a more reasonable OOC and more experienced offense at most positions should be a strong chance for the 10 win season. That is provided we don’t have our 5th O-coordinator in 6 years.

    I do think the instability at the position has been a problem for Narduzzi and cost a game or two in every season. While I think that Narduzzi’s recruiting has not been stellar there are plenty of reasons for that, that are beyond his control. Don’t point to Wanny who was one of a kind, with pro head coaching experience SuperBowl and NCAA Championship rings and could tell a kid he knew how to get him to the NFL. He came here for well under his going rate. Name a coach who would come to Pitt today and guarantee a majority of 4 and 5 star players, with the current production of the WPIAL.

    Narduzzi is far from a perfect coach, but he has had more big wins than any other since Sherrill and a Division Trophy which is more than most have done.

    This year he plays a schedule with only one guaranteed win, again the underdog in more than half the games, and with the usual difficult start to the season facing the Coastal favorite out of the box and two ranked OOC opponents. I didn’t realize until wbb mentioned it that he faced three undefeated teams last year., plus PSU.

    He also plays in front of a half filled Heinz most of the time, so tell me what big time coach or up and comer can’t wait to coach at Pitt and take this plum job that you feel Narduzzi is doing so poorly?

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Supposedly will be released today. Duzz has his normal Monday press interview at noon…

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    2. From what I read on Facebook the cheapest stub hub tix are $40 for the opener. Considering they are usually about half of that it’s probably a good sign for attendance

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  33. BigB checking in from Chesapeake General…didn’t want to go “ crickets” like FRANKCAN and Emel… tests today echo, CT and stress test which I could pass on- isn’t every PITT game a stress test ?

    Keep posting- gives me something to do besides lying here scratching my….

    Need UPITT, Jay and Jim on here…. need the back and forth.. and what’s our lady Annie thinking???

    Liked by 2 people

    1. “Isn’t every Pitt game a stress test”

      Spoken as a true fan. Should have some more fodder when the two deep is published which will hopefully be today

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  35. So you’re going for a little jog today BigB, love those stress tests. There you are laying in a hospital and you just told me last week I needed to get in game shape. Isn’t life a box of chocolates and a kick in the pants? Hang in there buddy, we are all praying for you.

    Michaelangelo, hope the two deep is released today but more importantly, I hope Bernie is released today as well!

    Liked by 2 people

  36. FWIW, Pickett is a competent QB. Whether he takes the next step will be a big factor in how successful this year will be. Yes, he looked bad vs Clemson but playing from behind against a team with three No. 1 picks on the DL is a losing proposition. (look it up if you don’t believe me).

    But he looked better than either of those 2 QBs I saw in the Miami – UF game. Funny, how below average QBs look under constant pressure.

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  37. The double edged sword of these last minute position battles is that the fact that no one has taken command of the position is not offset by having good depth.

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    1. Yea there are two possible situations

      Both guys are really good and the coaching staff just can’t decide
      The opposite

      If I had to guess…star linebacker is probably #2. We’ll be fine at Money. I also think we’ll be okay at running back. Andre Powell is a good coach and he’s got enough to work with .

      Now the offensive line….well let’s just hope Borbley isn’t blowing some smoke during those interviews

      Liked by 1 person

  38. That’s a good point gc but I also think it speaks to Narduzzi and his secret service/gestapo mentality. I believe the coaches actually have known who was going to be in the two deep for awhile now but wanted to keep the competition going strong during the entire fall camp?

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  39. My hot take. Stop the excuses with recruiting.

    Pitt might never recruit like Miami but Pitt can and should keep up with every other Coastal team.

    Look at the percentage of your class that is rated 5.7 stars and above on Rivals. Elite teams have this percentage at 70 percent or more. If Pitt is recruiting well, this percentage is at least 40 percent. It’s close with this years class but other Coastal schools like NC and Ga Tech are doing better. And historically Va Tech is just right behind Miami in recruiting talent.

    What do schools besides Miami have that Pitt doesn’t? Besides an OCS. Seriously people Pitt has a lot going for it. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy when you think Pitt cannot recruit because of constraints. I’ve yet to hear a legitimate one.

    Oh yes I’ve heard the empty yellow seats and lack of wpial talent. Weak excuses.

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    2. So not having any recruiting footprint isn’t a problem. Getting kids to come to a northern city school isn’t difficult. Nor is a half empty stadium. You are living in LaLa land.

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      1. Plenty of Florida kids come and don’t have a problem. Good pipeline since the Walt days. And weren’t Hugh green and Ricky Jackson from the South.

        Pitt does have a recruiting footprint. Far better than many schools. Whisky. Indiana. Illinois. Minnesota. Iowa. Nebraska. They go outside their state. Plenty of talent in surrounding states like Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. All within close driving distance for parents. And similar weather.

        Empty seats? Win more. Or tarp them.

        Excuses

        Keep em coming.

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        1. This year’s class is Florida and Georgia heavy. Lots of speed and athleticism. Pitt slowly but surely turning the corner.

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    3. UNC has a whole state with growing population to recruit from and GT gets Georgia’s leftovers.
      Whose leftovers does Pitt get.
      Not to mention that most of the best WPIAL kids are going to elite schools every year.

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      1. And Pitt gets penn state leftovers.

        Woe is Pitt because nobody wants to live in WPA and population is not growing.

        Pittsburgh has been declining in population since the early 80’s. You telling me that Pitt has seen this for 40 years and hasn’t adapted or changed it’s ways recruiting.

        To narduzzis credit he is reaching outside the state. If the well is dry, you find another location and drill. Why is that hard to understand.

        Narduzzi just needs to do better. You make too many excuses for him.

        Pitt has much to sell. Even Jackie couldn’t get some kids because some softies didn’t want concrete under their feet. They wanted to run barefoot through the tulips. Not Pitt material. Move on.

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  40. Thoughts and prayers for you, BigB.

    Much more than just the games act as stress-tests for Pitt fans. I felt sick all day when the Weaver news came out. Obviously that’s not healthy!!

    Lookin’ like good weather for POV golf on Friday and whatever you might have planned in the Burgh for Saturday evening…😊

    For a positive thought, I’m remembering BigB rolling in about a 20-foot eagle putt in our scramble event a couple weeks ago…👍

    Go Pitt.

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  42. OT but too good to not share. Jim Harbaugh quote from a new book. His thoughts regarding college recruiting: “It’s hard to beat the cheaters.”

    Agree with that, but from Harbaugh??

    Liked by 1 person

  43. ^^Tx, problem with your question is…. PITT and Narduzzi have gone 20-12 the past four years. I’m not seeing where PITT isn’t competing with the teams you say they are not??

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    1. My expectation is higher than yours. Are you really ok with a 7 win avg coach whose ceiling so far is 8 wins. And hasn’t won a bowl game or got the team ranked? If the breakout doesn’t happen come year 6, he should be fired.

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  44. I definitely want more like everyone else here but Narduzzi has had the team at the midway point or later in the season three of the past four seasons. However, Pitt never finished ranked. And, the ranking didn’t last long. But, it’s untrue that they haven’t been ranked under his tenure.

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    1. A final ranking is all that really counts. But during the season Pitt hasn’t been ranked for more than three weeks in four years. Kids do notice in season rankings. As well as bowl wins and the final rank. Rankings mean winning. Kids want to win. And more than participation trophies given to the best team in the weakest P5 division. It was a title trophy. Not some championship.

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    2. He knows how to get blown out by quality teams. Knows how to lose bowl games. Knows how to be a .500 division title winner. Knows how to average 7 wins over four seasons. Knows how to recruit in a sub par way. Knows how to hire poor coordinators. I can go on.

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        1. How many schools in the history of schools won their division with a 500 record. Really it was 7-5. Then they lost two more games on top. It’s like the Houston Texans winning their division with. 9-7 record. Compare that against most division winners who go 14-2 or 12-4. There is a reason why Pitt gets no respect by the national media.

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          1. Tx you’re entitled to your opinion but I don’t get where PITT had a 500 record. They were 6-2 in their division/ conference. Yes I know what their overall record was as well but that has zero to do with a division title. Would it make you feel better if PITT didn’t win the coastal and not lost to the eventual national champs and finish up at 7-6? You know the team PITT beat two years before in their famous Death Valley home stadium when Clemson won the first of two national championships in 3 years.

            Didn’t Seattle win the Super Bowl with a 500 record?

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      2. The Pitt bubble

        Pitt winning the Coastal is only a big deal among Pitt fans. The national media does not think its a big deal considering a. 500 record, complete 2nd half ineptitude VS. Penn State and ending season with 3 straight losses. That’s why no one is predicting better than 7-5 with the majority thinking 6-6. If you love inconsistency then Narduzzi is great.

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  47. I sort of been saying this all along. We here at PittPOV actually agree on more than we think. It’s the expectations that differ.

    Liked by 1 person

  48. and for your golf entertainment… MajorMajors dropped one in the cup.. beautiful wedge shot from 45 yards… the team that beat us had one player who has competed on ESPN LONG DRIVE contests proving Harbaugh correct “ It’s hard to beat cheaters!”

    Liked by 3 people

  49. You got your sign from above yesterday BigB, get out of the rat race and sit back and enjoy all the hard work you have put into your success.

    Liked by 1 person

  50. according to Chris Peak podcast, Petrishen is joining the team as a walk-on. He is a grad transfer with 2 years eligibility left. Not sure how he already has his 6th year of eligibility but that’s the advantage of playing like a school like PSU. My guess is that if he is healthy, he will be getting a schollie for next year but not sure he’ll get a lot of PT this year.

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  52. Well Fran, I can tell you right here, Angie and I are listed as probable as of now. We don’t eat or drink much but we do enjoy the company of friends at the tailgate.

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  53. Does Duzz know what he is doing??? The way BigB sees it approximately 50% will coach losers and 50 % will lead winners…lead being the key word IMO…. I have heard from parents their kids love playing for him. He seems to fit as a personality as a WPA but also seems like a misfit especially with his ability to communicate- this has obviously improved- I bet management took note and is coaching him in speaking public ally. He has expanded our recruiting base out of necessity. Game day coaching is a mixed bag but his in conference record is third best… but how many games 7 pts or less have we lost and how many times have low Heels beaten us in very close last minute score games??? Those are time when the BIG game day coach shows up ad conquers- he hasn’t.
    I think he has not made good hires in the past with his coordinators… maybe he is a tough guy to work under… maybe he is respected and being seen as a leader from the perspective of his coaches… no doubt in my mind he loves PITT and wants to produce a championship contending team… no doubt he busts his tail. I for one hope it all falls in place… I give him 2 years… He’s on the clock.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. The only people who will be surprised by this report are the happy valley sheep who will completely ignore it (unless franklin has a terrible season)

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  58. It is one of your best posts. Great analysis but leads us always to the same thing. We don’t know and this season will again be an adventure. What would help all around would be to win our home games and avoid being outclassed. If we’re competitive or appear to be then recruits will come. I think we need to continue to roll with PD for at least the near term so we can show stability which has also been a problem for us.

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