As I see it, the difference is clearly Wannstedt and Narduzzi both wanted to be the Head Coach of Pitt. While Harris, Haywood, Graham and Chryst only come to Pitt because few wanted the job and all wanted to step up become a Head Coach somewhere in a Power Conference. Steve Pederson only took the Pitt Athletic Director job to become the Athletic Director at Nebraska and for the money.
Article:
Months before Pat Narduzzi led Pitt into the top 25, he made an impression on those whose opinions and support matter more than almost anyone else.“I saw it in my own work with donors and alumni,” said Pitt director of development Pat Bostick, who watched Narduzzi mingle easily and shake the hands of dozens of fans this offseason. “If you didn't know Pat Narduzzi didn't go to Pitt, you wouldn't think he went anywhere else to school. “His energy and passion is authentic.”
The first 10 months of Narduzzi's time at Pitt have exceeded expectations of fans starving for success after decades of misery and mediocrity. (Pederson Poison!) Halfway through the regular season, Pitt (5-1, 3-0) leads the ACC Coastal Division and is 25th in the nation, ranked in the regular season for the first time since 2009.
Relevant at last.
Bostick, a former Pitt quarterback who watches the program closely from his perch as analyst on the team's radio broadcasts, played on that '09 team that started 9-1 before falling apart, leading to coach Dave Wannstedt's firing in 2010. Before that, however, Pitt had double-digit victories (10) for the first time since 1981. Similarities between this year's team and that of six years ago are partially coincidental, but they do point out what sets football teams apart from the pack.
Some are simple, such as a defense that gets after the quarterback. The '09 team recorded 47 sacks; Pitt is on pace for 44 this year. Also, first-year tailbacks Dion Lewis and Qadree Ollison replaced stars LeSean McCoy and James Conner. Recently hired offensive coordinators Frank Cignetti and Jim Chaney found immediate success with quarterbacks Bill Stull and Nate Peterman.
Recruiting classes built two and three years previously came of age. The '09 team featured future NFL players Jabaal Sheard, Henry Hynoski, Jason Pinkston and John Malecki. This year's team eventually will send Tyler Boyd and Conner into the NFL, with several others showing early pro potential. But the comparison goes deeper than personnel. Both teams recovered quickly from early-season defeats.
Former Pitt defensive tackle Chas Alecxih remembers the increased intensity at practice after the 38-31 loss to N.C. State. “Because we knew how good we could be,” he said. “We had to learn how to win.” That realization also lifted this year's team, which has won three games in a row by single-digit margins after a tough loss to Iowa.
The 2009 team was recently removed from one of the worst bowl losses in Pitt history (a 3-0 disaster against Oregon State in the 2008 Sun Bowl). Pitt's last game before Narduzzi arrived was a 35-34 loss to Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl, a game it led 31-6 in the fourth quarter.
Narduzzi may have arrived at a time Pitt needed him the most. “To have that kind of confidence and someone believe in them,” Bostick said. “It is coming at a really good time for them, coming off that bowl game in January, probably a low point for a lot of guys. “It was almost like this was kind of meant to happen. I hate to say it, but it's a good match. I think the kids see that.
“A coach once told me players rise to the level of your expectations. (Narduzzi) has very high expectations for the players, and he is very vocal about it.”
This year's team is not without weaknesses, which could be exposed in a closing stretch of games that includes North Carolina, Notre Dame, Duke, Louisville and Miami (composite record: 21-9). Pitt's offense is ranked 105th in the nation, 12th in the ACC.
“We need to play better,” Chaney said. “We need to play smarter. We are a long way from where we need to be.”Something the 2009 team found out the hard way.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
Article:
Months before Pat Narduzzi led Pitt into the top 25, he made an impression on those whose opinions and support matter more than almost anyone else.“I saw it in my own work with donors and alumni,” said Pitt director of development Pat Bostick, who watched Narduzzi mingle easily and shake the hands of dozens of fans this offseason. “If you didn't know Pat Narduzzi didn't go to Pitt, you wouldn't think he went anywhere else to school. “His energy and passion is authentic.”
The first 10 months of Narduzzi's time at Pitt have exceeded expectations of fans starving for success after decades of misery and mediocrity. (Pederson Poison!) Halfway through the regular season, Pitt (5-1, 3-0) leads the ACC Coastal Division and is 25th in the nation, ranked in the regular season for the first time since 2009.
Relevant at last.
Bostick, a former Pitt quarterback who watches the program closely from his perch as analyst on the team's radio broadcasts, played on that '09 team that started 9-1 before falling apart, leading to coach Dave Wannstedt's firing in 2010. Before that, however, Pitt had double-digit victories (10) for the first time since 1981. Similarities between this year's team and that of six years ago are partially coincidental, but they do point out what sets football teams apart from the pack.
Some are simple, such as a defense that gets after the quarterback. The '09 team recorded 47 sacks; Pitt is on pace for 44 this year. Also, first-year tailbacks Dion Lewis and Qadree Ollison replaced stars LeSean McCoy and James Conner. Recently hired offensive coordinators Frank Cignetti and Jim Chaney found immediate success with quarterbacks Bill Stull and Nate Peterman.
Recruiting classes built two and three years previously came of age. The '09 team featured future NFL players Jabaal Sheard, Henry Hynoski, Jason Pinkston and John Malecki. This year's team eventually will send Tyler Boyd and Conner into the NFL, with several others showing early pro potential. But the comparison goes deeper than personnel. Both teams recovered quickly from early-season defeats.
Former Pitt defensive tackle Chas Alecxih remembers the increased intensity at practice after the 38-31 loss to N.C. State. “Because we knew how good we could be,” he said. “We had to learn how to win.” That realization also lifted this year's team, which has won three games in a row by single-digit margins after a tough loss to Iowa.
The 2009 team was recently removed from one of the worst bowl losses in Pitt history (a 3-0 disaster against Oregon State in the 2008 Sun Bowl). Pitt's last game before Narduzzi arrived was a 35-34 loss to Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl, a game it led 31-6 in the fourth quarter.
Narduzzi may have arrived at a time Pitt needed him the most. “To have that kind of confidence and someone believe in them,” Bostick said. “It is coming at a really good time for them, coming off that bowl game in January, probably a low point for a lot of guys. “It was almost like this was kind of meant to happen. I hate to say it, but it's a good match. I think the kids see that.
“A coach once told me players rise to the level of your expectations. (Narduzzi) has very high expectations for the players, and he is very vocal about it.”
This year's team is not without weaknesses, which could be exposed in a closing stretch of games that includes North Carolina, Notre Dame, Duke, Louisville and Miami (composite record: 21-9). Pitt's offense is ranked 105th in the nation, 12th in the ACC.
“We need to play better,” Chaney said. “We need to play smarter. We are a long way from where we need to be.”Something the 2009 team found out the hard way.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
