Pat Narduzzi and Louisville coach Bobby Petrino haven't matched wits for nearly a decade, but the games might have told the Pitt coach more than he wants to know.
“Whatever offense he touches is pretty darn good,” Narduzzi said.
Petrino is 3-1 against Narduzzi, who was defensive coordinator at Miami (Ohio) when it beat Louisville in the 2003 GMAC Bowl, 49-28.
A year later, Narduzzi was in the same position at Cincinnati, and Louisville defeated the Bearcats, 70-7. That season, Louisville finished 11-1 while scoring at least 41 points in nine games.
“When (Petrino) left Louisville, (former coach Steve) Kragthorpe came in, and you saw a huge dropoff,” Narduzzi said. “Not that (Kragthorpe) is not a good coach, but I have a lot of respect for what (Petrino) does offensively.”
The Cardinals went from 12-1 in 2006 to 6-6 the following year without Petrino. Narduzzi and Petrino get together as head coaches Saturday at Heinz Field, with Pitt (7-3, 5-1) looking to win an eighth regular-season game for the first time since 2009. Louisville (6-4, 5-2) has won four in a row, but the streak includes victories against ACC bottom-feeders Boston College, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Virginia. Still, the Cardinals have totaled 79 points during the past two weeks.
Narduzzi said Louisville's offense has shifted to more of a pro style, led by quarterback Kyle Bolin, who threw for 362 yards against Syracuse on Nov. 7, and running back Brandon Radcliff, who rushed for 146 against Virginia last week.
Former starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, the team's leading rusher with 529 yards, ran an offense with more spread tendencies. Narduzzi is expecting both looks.
“We practiced (for) both, and I think we will see both,” he said. “Depends on what we stop and what we don't.” On the other side of the ball, Pitt must solve a stingy Louisville defense (14th in yards allowed) that is directed by Todd Grantham, one of college football's top coordinators.
“He gets paid pretty good ($1.4 million per year, according to ESPN) to coach defense,” Narduzzi said. The game is important to both teams as they try to polish their records and earn a more prestigious bowl berth. Pitt has the fourth-best conference winning percentage (.833), beaten only by Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State, and is in line to earn a berth in one of the ACC's Tier One bowls (Belk, Sun, Pinstripe, Music City or Taxslayer).
CBS Sports college football analyst Jerry Palm and ESPN's David Hale predicted this week Pitt will play in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 26 in Yankee Stadium. USA Today projects Pitt to the Belk Bowl on Dec. 30 in Charlotte, N.C.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
“Whatever offense he touches is pretty darn good,” Narduzzi said.
Petrino is 3-1 against Narduzzi, who was defensive coordinator at Miami (Ohio) when it beat Louisville in the 2003 GMAC Bowl, 49-28.
A year later, Narduzzi was in the same position at Cincinnati, and Louisville defeated the Bearcats, 70-7. That season, Louisville finished 11-1 while scoring at least 41 points in nine games.
“When (Petrino) left Louisville, (former coach Steve) Kragthorpe came in, and you saw a huge dropoff,” Narduzzi said. “Not that (Kragthorpe) is not a good coach, but I have a lot of respect for what (Petrino) does offensively.”
The Cardinals went from 12-1 in 2006 to 6-6 the following year without Petrino. Narduzzi and Petrino get together as head coaches Saturday at Heinz Field, with Pitt (7-3, 5-1) looking to win an eighth regular-season game for the first time since 2009. Louisville (6-4, 5-2) has won four in a row, but the streak includes victories against ACC bottom-feeders Boston College, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Virginia. Still, the Cardinals have totaled 79 points during the past two weeks.
Narduzzi said Louisville's offense has shifted to more of a pro style, led by quarterback Kyle Bolin, who threw for 362 yards against Syracuse on Nov. 7, and running back Brandon Radcliff, who rushed for 146 against Virginia last week.
Former starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, the team's leading rusher with 529 yards, ran an offense with more spread tendencies. Narduzzi is expecting both looks.
“We practiced (for) both, and I think we will see both,” he said. “Depends on what we stop and what we don't.” On the other side of the ball, Pitt must solve a stingy Louisville defense (14th in yards allowed) that is directed by Todd Grantham, one of college football's top coordinators.
“He gets paid pretty good ($1.4 million per year, according to ESPN) to coach defense,” Narduzzi said. The game is important to both teams as they try to polish their records and earn a more prestigious bowl berth. Pitt has the fourth-best conference winning percentage (.833), beaten only by Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State, and is in line to earn a berth in one of the ACC's Tier One bowls (Belk, Sun, Pinstripe, Music City or Taxslayer).
CBS Sports college football analyst Jerry Palm and ESPN's David Hale predicted this week Pitt will play in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 26 in Yankee Stadium. USA Today projects Pitt to the Belk Bowl on Dec. 30 in Charlotte, N.C.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
