in Pitt Football 727 Words

Monday Morning QB: W. Michigan Fiasco

Well, no one wanted to send in a MMQB article this week – too disappointed I guess so I’ll just throw out some discussion fodder for the comments thread.

First off to recap the game we held the lead against the Western Michigan Broncos (WMB) for the 4:26 minutes in the first quarter. That was it; afterward we were either tied or trailing for the rest of the game. When the final buzzard sounded the scoreboard read WMB – 44 Pitt – 41.

Folks – what happened yesterday was the first time Pitt played a supposed inferior opponent (non-P5 or FBS) and got beat under Pat Narduzzi. It has happen every few years and with each of our last few coaches. However, Narduzzi lost to a MAC team when most expectations were high. Some expectations anyway, I figured it would be a regular Pitt season.

The spit in the eye though is how WMU pretty much controlled every important part of the game most notably the Time of Possession (TOP) by a full 20:30 – 40.15 to 19.45. Well, most notably was the three points more they had than we had at the end, but you get what I mean.

We were outplayed in just about every aspect of the game save a big showing by the Pitt QB Kenny Pickett as he passed well as seen below. You may want to advert your eyes from the rushing stats on that graphic – we truly sucked yet again in that aspect of play.

Our four actual RBs who carried the ball yesterday had a yards per carry (YPC) average of 2.57. Pickett’s passing yardage and TDs couldn’t make up for that deficit. Why is the run game so important – in college the target YPC is 5.0 yards because if you can get around that number on the majority of carries you will be getting 1st down via the ground game – which moves the flag and keep your offense in control of the ball and the clock in TOP.

Remember the old saying “When you pass the ball two out of three things that can happen are bad.”? Well, when faced with a short distance like one to three yards on 3rd down you want to feel confident you can run the ball for success if needed.

In all the short yardage 3rd and 4th down tries Pitt faced yesterday we called a total of one (1) designed running play. That was how little confidence the HC and OC had in our running backs. Thus we were 2 for 11 on those type of plays as the passing didn’t work there either. You could see the WMU linebackers drop back pre-snap on those plays because they knew we’d try a pass no matter how short the yards-to-go was.

We had a back and forth in the last comments thread regarding TOP. So – did my homework and saw that in 12 of the 13 wins we had over the 2019 and 2020 season we held the TOP. You want to win games – win TOP.

But truly, the onus is on the coaching staff for any preparations prior to the game being played. Obviously that was a failure in many ways. In his pregame week show Pat Bostick, jr. stated that WMU runs the Run/Pass Option (RPO) very well and we’d see that all game. Pat Narduzzi disagreed and said they were prepping for other offensive play.

Blew that pretty badly, didn’t he? WMU ran the RPO very well and put up 517 yards of offense against us. I won’t go into the attitudinal issues Narduzzi had during his post-loss press conference but two things did jump out – he obviously either doesn’t watch the game when the offense is on the field or he does but doesn’t understand what he is seeing – hence the quote “We’ll have to look at the tape” that we heard so often.

He also blamed the refs for being…well, refs. The fact that they were MAC referees seemed to be a real problem for him. Guess he hadn’t heard that the refs threw the flag more times for WMU than for us. Here is a quick box score:

Well, there is always next week! New Hampshire might not be as good as opponent as WMU was – but I ain’t betting on Pitt this soon after a loss like that.

Hail to Pitt!

89 thoughts on “Monday Morning QB: W. Michigan Fiasco”

    1. Only if she could find $10 million for the buyout. And then who would she be trusted to find.

      The position is attractive. High paying. P5 conference. Chance to win the division each year. Very good facilities. Decent recruiting talent within 500 miles.

      And there is no pressure to win big. Local media never throws hard punches. And the AD pretty much leaves you alone and you don’t need to answer to big time boosters.

      It’s really a great stepping stone job for any coach from G-5. Or a OC from a P5 school although I’d argue against hiring anyone without HC experience.

      You know what you have with Narduzzi. A 6-8 win coach. An occasional big win. High character kids. Clean program. A solid mediocre program.

      But if you want ranked seasons. A chance for big time bowls. Four star recruits. Fans in the stands. And excitement and hope for the future. You really need to think about making a change at HC. Starting this year. Pitt can find the money. It did for Stallings.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. I’m almost as stubborn as Duzz as a former Basketball Coach. I am a huge believer in “man to man” defense

    My first 4 years of coaching I refused to play zone defense. But, all of a sudden I realized we were losing games to teams with equal or more athletic quick players. I put in a match up zone and suddenly we were beating teams with equal or better talent.

    For every argument Duzz can give for playing “man”, I can give him two for playing zone. That alone, is killing Pitt! In football, it doesn’t have to be zone across the board. You can play a combination but for God sakes, stop with the same look on D game in and game out for 7 years!!! It’s not rocket science!

    Liked by 2 people

  3. dog on a bone(not sure if that is more applicable to you or me Reed)

    TOP is one of those lame stats that you can look at AFTER a game and try to connect to success or failure

    exactly similar to teams that get behind early and abandon the run to try to catch up

    similarly to teams that have tons of pass attempts in losses doing the same attempting to catch up(what Pitt did all day Saturday with Whip’s usual play calling, a poor run game and a mostly good pass game)

    no team/coach is consistently trying to win TOP, not NEVER but not relevant to Pitt and winning football overall, just NOT

    if it were a high priority then the run part of the game would take higher precedence and quick strike scoring would be avoided,,,, it isn’t and CAN’T be for Pitt with their RB’s and poor run game scheme and poor run blocking O-line
    .
    .

    I guess our poor TOP is what tired out #31, #12, #14, etc. so they needed to take plays off to recover, except they took them off DURING PLAYS while they needed to cover the quick slants in which no matter how many guys you blitz, happen quick enough that no one is getting to the QB in time

    I don’t know the adjustment PN needed to make but is wasn’t the offense that was the problem
    and that said, while KP was good Saturday, his mistakes were costly including especially the botched handoff, the interception, and the fumble after diving well after he made 1st down yardage on nice run

    One more thing, Patti looked good on the handful of plays he got in. Not sure we wouldn’t have won with him in there or lost similarly,,,, maybe HE would’ve made up some TOP deficit taking us to victory 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  4. I wonder how Pitt could ever make halftime adjustments if Narduzzi needs to look at the tape first. In his case, it may be true because he has never made halftime adjustments!

    If Pitt ends up averaging 30 or more points per game this year, which is entirely possible even with 7 wins, I’m not sure that blame for the season can be placed on Whipple. It might feel good to fire him, but the failures of this season will most likely fall on Narduzzi and the defense.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Also, I despise Narduzzi as a person and a coach. I think he’s done irreparable harm to Pitt and Alums!
    If Heather fired him in now I’d be ecstatic but then we’d have some assistant coaching the team and in Pitt tradition, we’d keep him on instead of taking a long look at a vibrant new HC!

    Because of my feelings toward Duzz, I will no longer be commenting on Pitt Football!

    See you all for basketball season!

    Like

    1. Yea…..basketball season should be a hoot as well. With our 1 to 2 star transfers.

      Will miss your good tidings of Duzz.

      Like

  6. High and mighty Pitt football lost to a MAC team, what a disgrace! Seems like WMU was a pretty solid team with a very accurate qb.Many db’s were used and the “film” will show who needs playing time and who needs to sit.

    Maybe Whip was working on his passing offense before the meaningful ACC games start. The run game was basically ignored and might be worked on this week against UNH, it would be surprising if it is not. Goncalves, minor, kradel, zubi and huoy might be the best lineup to get the run game clicking.

    This week’s game will be another tune up before GT gets the focus of our vaunted coaching staff.

    HTP

    Liked by 3 people

    2. I thought I knew what “vaunted” meant 🙂

      haunted? daunted? maybe,
      raunched?(not really but sounds kinda right)
      flaunted? definitely not

      routed? counted out? mounted, as in ridden? (like beotches) YES
      wanted? NO

      help me out, what could grizz1 have meant 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Pitt just got $20M they can apply to a buy out should they choose to. It doesn’t have to be $10M anyway.

    Buyouts are contractual and they diminish the closer it gets to the end-of-contract date.

    If we fire PN after this season we pay a buyout for the 2022 to 2024 seasons…that isn’t three years of contract salary but three years of whatever the contractual buyout that was agreed on.

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    1. Then you have to spend to get a smart coach, which Pitt doesn’t want to do.

      It will be a prove-it contract to another up-and-comer who has to learn on the job and likely comes with warts he’ll never rid of. Every coach Pitt has had since Walt has been that way, and stubborn.

      Like

  10. First of all, I’m as disgusted as the rest of you.

    Second of all, Wanny lost to Bowling Green in 2008 and still won 9 regular season games.

    If the Duzz somehow manages to win 9 this year (I don’t think he will but walk with me hare), will all be forgiven?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Mike, he also had LeSean McCoy running for 1500 yards and 21 TDs…

      Along with Hynoski, Baldwin, Romeus, McKillop, Dickerson, Sheard, etc…

      Way more talent than this year’s version of the Panthers (except for QB).

      Liked by 1 person

    3. not all forgiven,

      and there will need to be 7 additional HC heads examined for neural activity

      are there 7 brain dead HC’s on our schedule?

      Liked by 1 person

    5. That means we probably win the Coastal Division in embarrassing style, again.

      Remember that 7-7 season?

      Like

  11. Third, laying any level of blame for this loss at the feet of the QB that threw 6 TD passes is a head scratcher…TOP means nothing when you score 6 TD’s. The defense is 100% responsible for this loss.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Agree…..Pitt ran for tons of yardage in 2018(two(2) 1000 yard Rushers), and usually won the TOP and finished 7-7.

      Want more:

      In the 2017 debacle against Oklahoma State, that Pitt was routed in 59-21, hey Pitt won the TOP.
      Big deal.

      Want more:

      In the 2016 loss to Ok State, Pitt had the ball 37 minutes & 50 seconds,
      Ok State had the ball only 22 minutes & 10 seconds.

      TOP these days means squat.

      When you score 41 points against a MAC team you should win. Unless the defense and it’s scheme
      is outdated and lacking talent.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. This is how I see the season playing out

    New Hampshire – Win
    Georgia Tech – Win
    Virginia Tech – tie but lose in OT
    Clemson – loss
    Miami – Win
    Duke – Win
    NC – loss
    Virginia – Win
    Syracuse – loss.

    I think the probability of Pitt winning nine in the regular season at this point is under five percent.

    And even if Narduzzi got lucky and bucked the odds, it may not result in a ranked season if Pitt loses their bowl game. I doubt Kenny even suits up for it.

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    1. Guess you haven’t seen the stats of the UVA QB. He’s got a 188 Rating, 11 TD’s & 2 picks
      72% completion ratio. He’s passed for 1300 yards in 3 games.

      Just threw for 554 yards & 4 TD’s vs the Tarholes.

      If he plays he will shred the Nodoze/Bates Get Burned on an Island Defense.

      Like

    2. I think this is the year the Yellow Jackets get us. And the Hoos (again). No way we lose to Syracuse (famous last words…) 6-7 wins as per usual…

      Does it get Narduzzi fired? Probably not…

      Like

      1. Cause its due. It’s last game. In the dome. Cuse will have a bowl bid on the line. Pitt blows a chance at a decent bowl. Welcome back to Detroit.

        Like

    3. Pitt won’t lose to Syracuse, so 8-4 keeps him safe but the bowl game would determine an extension or not. Win the bowl game and Narduzzi makes staff changes he lands a small extension, but since it is apparent he is stubborn he won’t and will be fired after 2022.

      Then the new coach has to be sold on taking the job staring at three losses in September versus Cincy, WVU and ND. More idiotic scheduling by Pitt leaders.

      Like

  13. Does anyone want Heather being in charge, if a new head Football Coach search is needed ?

    Cause we’ve seen how well the other Big Sport choice of hers has gone down.

    Capel with 3 last place or close to last place finishes. And another one looming this year.

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    1. BC took the coach we should have hired if Heather would have not extended Duzz. Jeff Hafley coached here and liked it. He is an excellent recruiter.
      I golf last year with 2 prominent POVers and we all agreed BC is a better job. Heather screwed up and now we are in a really bad situation.

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      1. I still think pitt is the better job. Pitt plays in the easier division. Has access to better recruits. Has the larger budget. If I gain work freedom this evening, I’ll begin drafting my magnificent seven for coaching candidates.

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    2. Hell Tex, I’d take Tim Lester (WMU) if he promised to watch the tape if all his opponents like he did against Pitt. And he’d be cheap too:

      “WMU athletics will cut “over $6 million” from its $38 million budget. That includes a 25% voluntary salary reduction for football head coach Tim Lester.”

      I don’t think Lester was out coached Saturday?

      Like

      1. Lester who makes $800k in salary, before his pay cut, outcoached a pretender who makes $5 million and just got a pay escalation in his extended contract.

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    3. Houston is a real Southern guy. Lived in Dixie for a long time and never heard of his college.
      Mars Hill University is really in the boonies. Makes App State look like UCLA.

      HS is in the middle of nowhere as well.

      He sounds like a great coach (reason #1 Pitt won’t hire him)
      And it would be a major culture clash, even moreso than Graham.

      Doubt he would want to come to Pitt, as his projection seems more to a Carolina school.

      Like

        1. What……… 40 to 50 years ago.

          Majors was HC at Iowa State before Pitt hired him. Sherrill came in the package.

          Graham was from the South…..how’d that go ? most on here said he sounded like a snake-oil
          salesman.

          Even though Majors/Sherrill did too ! But sports & sports media wasn’t 24/7/365 back then and over analyzed to the point of absurdity,

          Liked by 1 person

    1. Sounds like the writer reads this blog a little. 🙂

      Also kind of telling…after every Pitt football article I read on the Pitt News.

      THERE ARE ALWAYS ZERO COMMENTS ! (do any students care or can’t they write anymore)

      Like

  16. Pitt 6
    Pedo State 51

    Pitt Rushing Yardage 245
    Pedo State Rushing 211

    Pitt Time of Possession 34:22
    Pedo State TOP 25:38

    Again TOP means nothing

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That was the most embarrassing loss ever under Narduzzi or a damn close 2nd….Oh. then there was that Okie Sate game at home with free fantas (might need to chill a few this week-end just in case)…am I forgetting any

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  17. I salute all of you making predictions above. You cannot make predictions about this team. We could lose to New Hampshire and beat Clemson…wouldn’t surprise any of us at this point. There is no rhyme or reason to any of it. Remember when Potato Paul lost to Youngstown St. and then beat a fifteenth ranked Virginia Tech two weeks later? That’s why this journey of Pitt football is hysterical.

    There is one constant though that we can all count on…six and six or seven and five.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. He is a joke.
      He has lost 2 of the most prominent families in Pittsburgh in his little time at the helm. I have zero confidence in the man at all.
      An entitled government hack.

      Like

  19. You when you lose a game by three points…you don’t think being able to knock down the number of possessions the other team has available to score means anything?

    I disagree.

    Again, I bet Pitt would kill for a leading RB who averages 5.0+ ypc this season and be able to get us shorter conversion tries and more 1st downs on the ground.

    Also, agree with Gordon about the turnovers. RB Hammon’s fumble stopped a miniscule 7 second drive. Then Pickett’s fumble happened after we held the ball for only a short 37 second drive…then his INT stopped another 7 second drive.

    Three turnovers after using only a total of 51 seconds off the clock.

    Score but also keep the other team’s opportunities to score to a minimum.

    Still predicting 6 or 7 wins as we have some glaring weaknesses on this year’s team.

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  21. Read that Pitt News piece. Well done. However I really don’t get how they, and some others are saying “This secondary is the Achilles’ heel of a good defense…”.

    Our defense hasn’t been good at all giving up an average of 39 ppg, 298 passing yards and 148 rushing yards per game over the last two matches against a middling UT team and the MAC Broncos

    That sort of defense will really hinder us going forward.

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    1. Agree Reed. Don’t know how Narduzzi deserves the reputation as a defensive guru when his defenses give up so much yardage.

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  22. Remember too…..this isn’t the first MAC team to shred a Nodoze/Bates defense. And
    not even a top MAC team.

    Pitt barely squeezed out a win, with a late TD with 47 seconds left against the last place
    (6-7)East Division MAC team…..Eastern Michigan in the Pizza Bowl just in 2019.
    The mighty EMU Eagles shredded Pitt’s defense for almost 450 yards.

    So other than the anomaly covid year of last year……this D has really been shredded EVERY Year !
    And not just 1 MAC team. But 2 MAC teams. So no fluke.

    So we’ve now lost to Western Michigan & Eastern Michigan.

    Heather needs to schedule Central Michigan to complete the triumvirate of losses to
    2nd rate Michigan football schools.

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      1. Yea he was HC at Florida for a couple years before getting canned mid-season in Year 3.

        Even though he was much better than his predecessor Will Muschamp at Florida.

        So at one time…..McElwain was a hot item.

        Nobody will matter much without a change in attitude by the Pitt admins.
        In fact the word is out and has been for a long time…..Pitt is a coach/career killer.

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        1. It didn’t kill Paulys career.

          Wanny went on to better high paying and less stress things in the booth.

          Fraud effectively used pitt as a stepping stone.

          But this will be King Pats best job he will ever get. And he knows it. Look at how he’s aged.

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          1. Paulie was a total aberration/exception due to the surrounding circumstances.

            Mainly because Godfather Barry was heavily involved and Paulie was ‘on loan’ to Pitt.

            Wanny hasn’t coached since, but the booth is an easy gig.

            Fraud left Pitt as soon as ASU came calling. Or he got a visit from ? …….to get outta Dodge ! lol

            Gottfried never coached again either, Foge never got another HC slot, Hackett & Walt did squat after leaving Pitt. JM2 never coached again.

            King Pat….yep I agree.

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  23. Whoops…..we didn’t lose to EMU….but probably should have, Felt like a loss since it was a last place
    team in the MAC.

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  25. Time to take a break for some good Pitt Panther news!! Our Women’s Volleyball team remained undefeated and is now 10-0. They continue to be ranked # 4 in the nation!

    Here is their weekend in review. They visited The Murray State campus in Kentucky on Friday and Saturday. The first opponent was Marshall (4-7) out of Conference USA.

    As expected, the Panthers swept the Thundering Herd in three straight sets. The high point for Marshall was in the second set when they led 5-4. Except for the start of the second set Pitt totally dominated the match while using a lot of backup players. Marshall used one timeout in the first set at 14-4. After that they just wanted to get the match completed as quickly as possible. The time for the 3-set match was 66 minutes.

    Here are some things of note with respect to the players used in the Marshall match. #12 Emmy Klika started at libero in place of Browske. Cat Flood played OH during the match in sets 1 and 3. Sabrina Starks did not play the third set with Chiamaka Nwokolo replacing her in the middle for that set. Valeria Vazquez Gomez got this match as well as the Murray State match off. My take on that is that Coach Fisher wanted to get Leketor Member-Meneh a lot of game time experience in his system as well as improving her confidence. Vazquez Gomez worked out and played with the Puerto Rico National Team this summer so she does not need the reps. Rachel Fairbanks also played setter during some of the match.

    The stats for the match were as follows:
    Pitt hit 0.600 in set 1, 0.324 in set 2, 0.184 in set 3, and overall 0.324
    Marshall hit 0.000 set 1, 0.033 set 2, 0.023 set 3, and overall 0.021
    Kills Ndee-11, Member-Meneh-10, Gray -10, Starks–6

    The second opponent for the weekend was host Morehead State (4-6) out of the Ohio Valley Conference. The match was played on Saturday afternoon.

    Pitt again easily won the match while using various backup players in unique ways. Much to the credit of the Eagles coaching staff, they did try to make a match of it. They used all six of their timeouts, two per each of the three sets.

    In the match Anastasia Russ, our 4th middle blocker, got some game serving experience in the second set. In a 6-2 offense it is very helpful if the middle blockers can serve. That is a weakness using Nwokolo as the middle. Flood again got to play outside hitter, Fairbanks got to play setter, and Klika made an appearance as a defensive specialist. Starks got minimal playing time.

    The stats for the match were as follows:
    Pitt hit 0.500 in set 1, 0.314 set in 2, 0.317 in set 3, and 0.354 overall
    Morehead State hit in 0.138 set 1, 0.071 in set 2, 0.051 in set 3, and 0.83 overall
    Kills Member-Meheh-14 and hitting 0.542, Ndee-9, Lund-8 and hitting 0.533. Lockwood-7, Nwokolo-6 hitting 1.000

    In other matches this past weekend involving ACC teams, #5 Louisville defeats #8 Kentucky at Louisville and #6 Nebraska at Nebraska. I watched some of the Louisville matches and they are a formidable blocking team. Florida State defeated #14 Florida. Notre Dame lost to #1 Texas and twice to #3 Ohio State. The second match at Ohio State went to 5 sets. One has to give Notre Dame credit at least for scheduling a very tough OOC schedule.

    In the rankings for this week there are two other teams ranked in addition to Pitt. Louisville remains #5, to my surprise, and Georgia Tech remains #18. UNC is receiving votes. #5 is the highest ranking ever achieved by Louisville.

    Pitt plays on road this coming weekend starting ACC play. On Friday, Sept. 24 at 6 PM they are at UNC (11-0). The Tar Heels best win was over Michigan 3-2. On Sunday, Sept. 26 at 1 PM Pitt will be at NC State (6-5). I expect Pitt to win both matches. UNC is a bit of an unknown being undefeated but having played an easy OOC schedule. UNC may take one set in the match against Pitt. Pitt should sweep the match against NC State. Both matches are on the ACC Digital Network. The matches are also stored there for replay.

    Louisville plays host to Miami and Florida State over the weekend. Louisville should win both matches with Florida State having the best chance of winning one set.

    There is a significant rule change in conference play this year. Coach’s challenges are not lost if the challenges result in the call being overturned. This applies to the regular 2 challenges for the first 4 sets as well as the extra challenge in the fifth set. Previously even if the call was overturned, the challenge was lost. Several years ago, at Duke, Coach Fisher used his two challenges to have calls overturned. He then was out of challenges when the officials made several more blatantly bad calls in Duke’s favor. Coach Fisher even complained about losing the challenges in his post-match comments. Coach almost never complains about anything in these comments. This change in the rules is only temporary for now but it is one that needs to be made permanent. If you watched the Olympics, the challenges are handled in this manner in international competition.

    Liked by 2 people

  26. Pitt FB getting a lot of grief for losing to Western “frickin” Michigan –

    The words “not a good look” used to describe Narduzzi, the D and the school.

    KP8 is referenced as having a decent game but turned the ball over and produced several costly plays.

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  27. On the topic of penalties: I watched a bit of the PSU/Auburn game Saturday, and at one point early in the 4th quarter, I think, the announcer casually mentioned that there had been seven penalties in the game thus far, three against PSU, four against Auburn. I remember my exact thought when hearing that was “unbelievable. A Pat Narduzzi team is lucky to get through a quarter with only three penalties, much less 5/6ths of the game.” So, uh…quit complaining, Pat, because your teams seem to get flagged no matter what frickin’ conference the referees come from.

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  28. The first red flag was when you heard that the players love to play for Coach Pat. As a coach, you need to be feared and respected. Not loved or even liked. I’m not surprised by the lack of discipline and mental mistakes.

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    1. Those that are liked and/or loved.

      Are sometimes, maybe, not all the time…..are also taken advantage of.

      Shocking ikr 🙂

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  29. I figure 80% of the posters who are clamoring for Narduzzi to go are: Mostly the ones who picked PITT to lose to WMU and already wanted Narduzzi to be fired before the game.

    Wondering if TEX new head coach replacement list will include. Babers and all the other failures he told us that PITT missed? Or does he have a new list of losers?

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    1. No P5 coach is on my list but Babers will beat Narduzzi. I called both Tennessee and western Michigan over 12 months ago. I know a little about football and Pitt. I know more about soccer though. And this pitt team has too many soft euros. And no keeper. Don cherry not pleased.

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    2. Don’t worry, Ike, Heather won’t be making any changes. Not in her football DNA. She couldn’t be bothered to promote Pitt football all summer long – even Pederson did that – and there’s no reason to believe she cares what the majority of fans think. So rest assured mediocrity will endure.

      Liked by 1 person

  30. Pitt teams have always copped attitudes about how great they thought they were. Losses after a big win and sometimes terrible 2nd halfs after having the lead going into halftime.

    It’s almost like a calling card Pitt football has. What really kills me is when we are losing a game and our players jump up and down celebrating individual plays when we are getting our asses handed to us.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. That bothers me too Reed…big time. However, it is not only Pitt nor college players doing that. I remember about 6 years ago I flipped over to an NFL game that I knew should be almost over. The Washington defensive back just intercepted the ball and took it to the house. The entire defense sprinted into the end zone just so they could celebrate like they were taking a team photo. I remember thinking that the pick 6 must have sealed the game for them. Nope. The pick six pulled Washington to within 30 points with about a minute and a half left. I laughed at how stupid they looked. I don’t laugh when I see the team I root for doing that crap! Apparently in today’s sports, there is an ” I ” in “TEAM.”

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  31. So the arguments against TOP mattering have won me over except when your opposition doubles your TOP.
    I also agree that 6 TDs should win a game and it is mostly the defenses performance or lack thereof that caused the loss.

    However, when you have 3 turnovers and the oppo has zero you are probably going to lose 9 out 10 times.

    Also 3 and outs are a killer when your defense is as porous as ours was on Saturday. We started the game with a three and out. Our next series was three and an interception with WMU scoring drive to follow.

    We had a Hammond fumble on the 17 followed by a short field TD. We had KP of the bench needing 4 yds at the WMU 42, he through for two. You guessed it WMU touchdown.

    We had Pickett’s INT at the Pitt 43, followed by our D holding them for maybe their only three and out.

    We also started the game with a 3 and out.

    Also after a spirited half time pep talk and major adjustments ( in my dreams) we started the second half with two consecutive 3 and outs. Losing all potential momentum in the second half.

    The longer you let an underdog hang around the more confident they get. So while getting 6 TD passes is great, other than the first one the rest were thrown while playing catch-up, largely because the offense left the defense with many short fields to defend. They certainly were not up to that task.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Like the run and shoot.
      They used it at BU when we still had football.
      5,000 at Nickerson field.
      I am a glutton for punishment.
      Anyway, BU ran the run and shoot.
      They either scored in 2 minutes or went 3 in out and ran 50 seconds off the clock.
      The defense was always on the field and always wore down.
      Saturday’s game was like that.
      Throw in no stops from the D and you got problems.

      Like

  32. Regarding SOP…

    Why are fans surprised that other fans say that about this Narduzzi coached program after his first two 8 win seasons? Since then he is 28-26 with rosters filled with kids he got to commit. Since his kids have been here we play right around .500 ball with some huge losses and now a horrible MAC upset. Some real nice wins too but overall just SOP.

    He is just like every other Pitt HC whose tenures have been ripe with SOP since the mid-80s.

    I don’t think he’s a very good prep or gameday coach but then we can go back to Walt Harris and say the same about the other Pitt HCs…or as stated above… all our HCs since Sherrill left.

    I just wonder what makes the local media and the more optimistic fans think that in every August we are just sure to get 9, 10 or even 11 wins in the coming season? I look at the same things, read the same articles and every year I think the ceiling is 7 or less games we’ll win.

    I do have to say 2017 took me by surprise with only 5 wins though.

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  33. Kickoff Time for Oct. 2 Pitt-Georgia Tech Game Announced

    PITTSBURGH—The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today Pitt’s Oct. 2 game at Georgia Tech will kick off at noon and be televised by ACC Network.

    The Panthers’ remaining 2021 football schedule and announced kickoff times:

    Sept. 25: New Hampshire, Noon (ACCNX/ESPN+)

    Oct. 2: at Georgia Tech*, Noon (ACC Network)

    Oct. 16: at Virginia Tech*, TBA

    Oct. 23: Clemson*, TBA

    Oct. 30: Miami*, TBA

    Nov. 6: at Duke*, TBA

    Nov. 11 (Thurs.): North Carolina*, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

    Nov. 20: Virginia*, TBA

    Nov. 27: at Syracuse*, TBA

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  34. PITT vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE

    September 25, 2021 ∙ Noon (ET)

    Heinz Field (68,400/Natural Grass) ∙ Pittsburgh, Pa.

    ACCNX/ESPN+ ∙ Pitt Panthers Radio Network

    PittsburghPanthers.com ∙ @Pitt_FB

    LINK (PDF): Pitt Game Notes (vs. UNH)

    GAME STORYLINES

    √ Pitt concludes its non-conference slate by hosting FCS member New Hampshire. After facing the Wildcats, the Panthers play eight consecutive ACC contests to finish the regular season.

    √ The Panthers have played 19 prior games against FCS opponents and are 18-1 in those contests. This will be the eighth consecutive season that Pitt has played an FCS team dating back to 2014.

    √ Pitt has scored 40-plus points in three consecutive games to start a season for the first time ever. The Panthers are averaging 44.3 points per game to lead the ACC and rank ninth nationally.

    √ Dating back to the 2020 season, Pitt has now scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games, its longest streak since the 2016 team had a stretch of seven such contests.

    √ In three games this season, Kenny Pickett has already thrown 10 touchdown passes, the fourth-highest total in the country.

    √ Wide receiver Jordan Addison leads the ACC and ranks third nationally with five touchdown catches, while Lucas Krull leads the nation’s tight ends with four TD catches this season.

    √ With a 382-yard passing performance against Western Michigan, Pickett now ranks second all-time at Pitt with 8,923 passing yards. He trails career leader Alex Van Pelt (11,267 from 1989-92) by 2,344 yards.

    √ Pitt’s pass rush annually ranks among the nation’s best. Pitt has compiled 13 sacks this season, an average of 4.33 per game, which tops the ACC and ranks sixth nationally. Defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado has a team-high three sacks.

    BROADCAST INFORMATION

    Streaming ∙ ACC Network Extra/ESPN+

    Bill Roth (play-by-play)

    Eddie Royal (analyst)

    Abby Labar (reporter)

    Pitt Radio ∙ 93.7 The Fan & Pitt Panthers Radio Network

    Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play)

    Pat Bostick (analyst)

    Larry Richert (reporter)

    SiriusXM Satellite Radio

    Sirius Channel 103, XM Channel 194, SXM App Channel 956

    WPTS Radio (Pitt Student Station) ∙ 92.1 FM

    Online Audio

    937thefan.radio.com

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  35. I know Joe Moorhead is the hot name that some Pitt fans want as the next coach.

    In two years he delivered controversy at MSU that I’m sure would make the Pitt administration queasy about hiring. He did go bowling in each of his two seasons.

    “Moorhead led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 record in 2018, tied for the most wins for a first-year coach in school history. However, his second season got off to a rough start when it emerged that 10 players allowed a tutor to take tests and complete coursework for them. The players were all suspended for eight games, severely limiting the Bulldogs’ depth. Fans were also angered by a pedestrian offense and upsets by Kansas State and Tennessee. There was also concern that he didn’t really fit in with Mississippi State’s culture,[9] even though he’d taken the podium ringing a cowbell when he was formally introduced as head coach.[10]

    According to ESPN, Mississippi State officials intended to fire Moorhead if he didn’t defeat Ole Miss in the 2019 Egg Bowl.[11] However, the Bulldogs won that game 21-20 to become bowl-eligible, making Moorhead only the third Bulldog coach to win his first two Egg Bowls. At an emotional press conference the following day, Moorhead tried to knock down the rumors about his job security, saying, “This is my school, this is my team, this is my program,” and that anyone who thought otherwise could “pound sand and kick rocks.” He added, “You’ll have to drag my Yankee ass out of here.”[12][13]

    However, on January 3, 2020, Moorhead was fired after finishing 6–7 following a 38–28 loss to Louisville in the Music City Bowl. Besides the Bulldogs’ lackluster performance in that game, athletic director John Cohen and other school officials were angered when they learned quarterback Garrett Shrader had suffered an eye injury during a fight in practice. Shrader had missed the game with what Moorhead initially described as an “upper body injury.”

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    1. Sounds like MSU did the ole UNC/ Chapel Hill routine for Coach Moorhead.

      Declining Attendance will get Narduzzi fired but the white elephant in the room is “ free tuition” ( on the tax-payer dole)for Gallagher… tons of cash and the leadership could give a crap what you , I and Lt Cmdr Reed thinks… make’em earn their pay- checks… is Narduzzi worth $4-5 ,000,000 a year???? I don’t think so…. But that BigB’s opinion….

      I love Dave Wannstedt – still do but he was not going to get us to the next level… IMO it was time for him to go but PITT F’d that up so badly and that eventually lead to a “ desperate” hiring of Narduzzi… it’s time to make the right hire… get to work… Pat has run his course… he has had more than a fair chance… that’s unless coaching excellence doesn’t matter and everyone is cozy… Jim o Covert is comfortable with stability… is he right or is Jimbo Covert… time will tell….

      Liked by 1 person

  37. I believe that TOP is an important statistic, when used as a strategy before the game. Logically, the other team cannot score when you have the ball. That said, game conditions can quickly make this stat irrelevant. Turnovers can quickly change things, as when a fumble occurs in your own side of the field. Quite often this results in a quick score by the other side. If there is no running game, as with Pitt, the incompletions can stop the clock and lead to the other team having the possession advantage. It remains valid if you have a balanced attack, which we don’t.

    Liked by 2 people

  39. While listening to the ACC channel on Sirius this evening, the discussion surrounded the poor play of FSU and Miami, with the blame squarely placed on the HCs. The situations sounded very similar to Pitt’s.

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  40. Ole Pat is still a couple of steps ahead of Joe but both should be kept in Heathers bunker eating lunchaables and watching cartoons…

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