"Pat (Narduzzi) is one of my favorite guys in the business. A tough guy, a fair guy, a fun guy. That team plays exactly to his personality and I mean that in a good way."
"They really started playing well on defense near the end of the season, and you really saw what they could do in the Miami game. They’re going to be very good on defense this year. That front seven is filthy. They look a lot like those Michigan State defenses he had that were the foundation of that program becoming elite."
"Hindsight is 20/20, but I think if you ask Pat, he’ll tell you he should’ve played QB Kenny Pickett a lot sooner. He played really well the last two games of the season against Virginia Tech and Miami, and in difficult spots. You watch the tape of those two games, and he’s a difference maker. When you’re completing 60 percent in your first two starts, that’s a big deal."
"They’re just average on the offensive line, and that was part of the problem early on last year. They have to get better. They’re not nearly as physical as they were in Pat’s first year, and they don’t have the players at tailback like they did."
"As good as Pickett can be, they have to find some pieces around him both in the run game and on the outside. Darrin Hall is a serviceable guy at tailback, but he’s not the elite that they’ve had their in the past. They don’t have that pile pusher, that guy that can get those third and short gains to move the sticks. That puts a lot of pressure on a young quarterback to be perfect."
https://athlonsports.com/college-fo...lk-anonymously-about-conference-foes-2018?amp
"They really started playing well on defense near the end of the season, and you really saw what they could do in the Miami game. They’re going to be very good on defense this year. That front seven is filthy. They look a lot like those Michigan State defenses he had that were the foundation of that program becoming elite."
"Hindsight is 20/20, but I think if you ask Pat, he’ll tell you he should’ve played QB Kenny Pickett a lot sooner. He played really well the last two games of the season against Virginia Tech and Miami, and in difficult spots. You watch the tape of those two games, and he’s a difference maker. When you’re completing 60 percent in your first two starts, that’s a big deal."
"They’re just average on the offensive line, and that was part of the problem early on last year. They have to get better. They’re not nearly as physical as they were in Pat’s first year, and they don’t have the players at tailback like they did."
"As good as Pickett can be, they have to find some pieces around him both in the run game and on the outside. Darrin Hall is a serviceable guy at tailback, but he’s not the elite that they’ve had their in the past. They don’t have that pile pusher, that guy that can get those third and short gains to move the sticks. That puts a lot of pressure on a young quarterback to be perfect."
https://athlonsports.com/college-fo...lk-anonymously-about-conference-foes-2018?amp
