Records of Pitt coaches in their first 44 games...
- Thread starter UPitt '89
- Start date
Come on man... the program was in a little different posture when each took over.
Well if we have to include Haywood, then we gotta include Sal Sunseri, Phil Bennett and the Rudolph guy, whatever his name. They actually coached a game!
Not even close, we had one of the best programs in the country when Foge took over. Narduzzi took over one of the worse programs in the nation, and a mumbles team that was .500
This shows me that since Walt brought Pitt out of the crapper, we’ve been average.
I don't recall any of those guys coaching 44 games. Hackett came the closest (34).
The way pitt fans acted towards, and insulted Chryst, are why the fanbase deserves a dud like narduzzi.
Give me Chryst any day over narduzzi.
Also, if you think narduzzi took over one of the worst programs in the country, you are clueless. If we were one of the worst then, what are we now exactly?
I think OP was trying to show that duzz is a game better than wanny, the sacred coach of some posters. And wanny’s record was in a weeker big east and playing Ohio univ, Toledo, bgsu in their non conference schedule.
I still don't get this.
Chryst's first year was by far the easiest schedule this decade if not the last 2. He goes .500. Next season, same results. The following season, yep same results .500 no big wins.
His next season set up to be a step backwards. Terrible recruiting, No QB and Connor didn't play.
Here's the answer to your question- Pitt is in the same position this season, they are a.500 team so far this year. The difference is they are playing an absurd schedule of which Chryst never had to face.
Plug PN into Wisconsin as head coach, the results will be about the same.
Chryst's first year was by far the easiest schedule this decade if not the last 2. He goes .500. Next season, same results. The following season, yep same results .500 no big wins.
His next season set up to be a step backwards. Terrible recruiting, No QB and Connor didn't play.
Here's the answer to your question- Pitt is in the same position this season, they are a.500 team so far this year. The difference is they are playing an absurd schedule of which Chryst never had to face.
Plug PN into Wisconsin as head coach, the results will be about the same.
1) Did he ever win 8 games here?
2) Did he lose to Youngstown State and Akron?
3) Was Recruiting getting better or worse? Keep in mind PS was getting sanctioned when PC was here.
4) How many Top 10 teams did PC beat?
Per Sports reference website you need to go all the way back to Majors II to find a strength of schedule that is higher than any of the last 4 years (including this year).
There you go stating facts on a message board.
Personally I didn't see Chryst lasting past his 4th year. Narduzzi has earned at least a 5th year.
Personally I didn't see Chryst lasting past his 4th year. Narduzzi has earned at least a 5th year.
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1. No, but he took over a dumpster fire. I thing he did way better than he gets credit for. Narduzzi also won 8 games with Chryst’s players mostly.
2. Yep, and duzz’s Losses to UNC the last two years are almost if not as bad, not to mention three absolutely embarrassing blowouts to OK st, PSU, and UCF.
3. Rankings wise worse, so is narduzzi. However, the players actually produced there is ZERO question who recruited more talent.
4. Great! He still is on a sharp downward trajectory.
5. Chryst is killing it at Wisconsin. Insult him all you want, but he is a good coach. Narduzzi should be canned if he doesn’t get 6 wins this year.
Why are we talking about recruiting rankings under Chryst? He brought in some damn good players, especially on the line, Whitehead, Conner, etc.
I never insulted Chryst. I am just presenting facts. There is no way you were glossing over the loss to Akron when it happened. They are a crap MAC school. You are the one bashing Narduzzi and trying minimize his results.
Quite frankly, I think Chryst and Narduzzi would end up getting similar end results here.
Then why did Narduzzi go 5-7 last year and likely 5 wins at best this year? Why were his two best years with offenses built around Chryst players? Why is our offense so bland and boring, and why do we have really no good skill position players.
I was worried about Narduzzi in year 2, even with the PSU and Clemson wins because the defense, his speciality, took a giant step back. If the defense was average pitt actually had a chance at the CFP.
You could at that point say it was because he didn’t have his players, and chryst’s Defensive players stank. However, a lot of those guys ended up on nfl rosters or practice squads so they werent that bad. The offense was absolutely loaded.
How can people defend a coach that clearly has the program going backwards?
Btw, if they end up 7-5 I’ll be the first to eat my words, but I just have a tough time seeing this team even making a bowl, and I see next year being even worse.
Idt too much should’ve been expected out of Chryst in year 1, just 1 class under graham was enough to royally screw things up here. But part of what made that schedule in 2012 so easy... pitt had the luxury of playing 2 FCS teams.
If I’m not mistaken, I believe the rule was (and may still be) only 1 one of those wins could count towards bowl eligibility but you still get a W on your record both times. That is..... if you win both games. A 1-1 record vs. FCS teams in any season is a failure.
Not knocking chryst, he inherited an absolute mess. But cmon now, you’re gift wrapped 2 victories in your first year as a head coach and you give one away right off the bat.
How can you say we are clearly goin backwards when we have won 3 of our last 4 conference games? Yes, we have 2 blowout losses to top 10 teams with future NFL qb’s. Next year should be better as we won’t be starting a QB with only 1 start under his belt.
Hail to Pitt!
Dave
QUOTE="H2P 2003, post: 2447859, member: 57630"]Then why did Narduzzi go 5-7 last year and likely 5 wins at best this year? Why were his two best years with offenses built around Chryst players? Why is our offense so bland and boring, and why do we have really no good skill position players.
I was worried about Narduzzi in year 2, even with the PSU and Clemson wins because the defense, his speciality, took a giant step back. If the defense was average pitt actually had a chance at the CFP.
You could at that point say it was because he didn’t have his players, and chryst’s Defensive players stank. However, a lot of those guys ended up on nfl rosters or practice squads so they werent that bad. The offense was absolutely loaded.
How can people defend a coach that clearly has the program going backwards?
Btw, if they end up 7-5 I’ll be the first to eat my words, but I just have a tough time seeing this team even making a bowl, and I see next year being even worse.[/QUOTE]
Hail to Pitt!
Dave
QUOTE="H2P 2003, post: 2447859, member: 57630"]Then why did Narduzzi go 5-7 last year and likely 5 wins at best this year? Why were his two best years with offenses built around Chryst players? Why is our offense so bland and boring, and why do we have really no good skill position players.
I was worried about Narduzzi in year 2, even with the PSU and Clemson wins because the defense, his speciality, took a giant step back. If the defense was average pitt actually had a chance at the CFP.
You could at that point say it was because he didn’t have his players, and chryst’s Defensive players stank. However, a lot of those guys ended up on nfl rosters or practice squads so they werent that bad. The offense was absolutely loaded.
How can people defend a coach that clearly has the program going backwards?
Btw, if they end up 7-5 I’ll be the first to eat my words, but I just have a tough time seeing this team even making a bowl, and I see next year being even worse.[/QUOTE]
Is he? That home loss to BYU this year was BAD. Basically isnt Wisky playing in a weak Big Ten subdivision like Pitt is (ACC)?
But only needed two....of the Pitt Ath Dept specials
The Killer Bs and ClownShow Smiley to lead the way
Mumbles, a purported QB guru, couldn't even recruit a QB....Pitt hit the lotto when Wisconsin paid Pitt to allow him to exit!
The head coach is just the head, or perhaps more accurately the tail, of the serpent. As Chryst himself shows in Wisconsin, the HC may even be close to superfluous, if the rest of the support structure is in place and all parts buy in to the objective and priority of winning.
Take Christ's maligned first game. A direct result of a ton of suspensions on the day of the game. Who was behind that? Doubting it was Chryst. And doubt Wisconsin imposes the same thing if situations were reversed. And Wisconsin is angelic compared to the filth we see (can only imagine what isn't seen) at many other schools around us.
That's just one of countless examples at Pitt through the years where the priorities of winning are not shared among all the parts of the whole. Hence, closer to national laughingstock than national power.
Take Christ's maligned first game. A direct result of a ton of suspensions on the day of the game. Who was behind that? Doubting it was Chryst. And doubt Wisconsin imposes the same thing if situations were reversed. And Wisconsin is angelic compared to the filth we see (can only imagine what isn't seen) at many other schools around us.
That's just one of countless examples at Pitt through the years where the priorities of winning are not shared among all the parts of the whole. Hence, closer to national laughingstock than national power.
Very good point.....the interaction between Pitt athletics and the rest of the Pitt admin. has been as smooth as "grinding" gears!
Experience would suggest that generally after 44 games you pretty much know if a HC is going to succeed or not.....Foge and Harris are sort of outliers because of the situations they inherited.
Chryst is playing in the weakest P5 division along with the easiest P5 OOC schedule.
S&P+ ranking of OOC teams:
New Mexico is #78 (biggest jump up this week)
BYU is #86 (loss)
WKU is #106
They are in the middle of a 5 year period of not playing a P5 team out of conference.
In conference they have the following:
Nebraska is #71
Illinois is #101
Rutgers is #119
Northwestern is #58
Minnesota is #57
Purdue is #48
That leaves 3 competitive games on their schedule:
PedSt, Michigan and Iowa. That's it.
With that schedule they could lose every competitive game and still have 10 wins- like they did 2 years ago.
Based on who they have already beaten, this Pitt team probably wins 8 or 9 games playing UW schedule.
Have UW play Pitt's schedule, they probably win no more than 8 or 9 games.
S&P+ ranking of OOC teams:
New Mexico is #78 (biggest jump up this week)
BYU is #86 (loss)
WKU is #106
They are in the middle of a 5 year period of not playing a P5 team out of conference.
In conference they have the following:
Nebraska is #71
Illinois is #101
Rutgers is #119
Northwestern is #58
Minnesota is #57
Purdue is #48
That leaves 3 competitive games on their schedule:
PedSt, Michigan and Iowa. That's it.
With that schedule they could lose every competitive game and still have 10 wins- like they did 2 years ago.
Based on who they have already beaten, this Pitt team probably wins 8 or 9 games playing UW schedule.
Have UW play Pitt's schedule, they probably win no more than 8 or 9 games.
People forget Biz committed to Fraud Graham and never considered going elsewhere. DOJO isn't at Pitt without the tickle monster.
If you give him Biz, DOJO and Bookser that's 3 quality linemen in 3 years. The rest haven't been very good.
If you consider Biz a Chryst recruit then you need to consider Whitehead a Narduzzi recruit for the same reason.
If you give him Biz, DOJO and Bookser that's 3 quality linemen in 3 years. The rest haven't been very good.
If you consider Biz a Chryst recruit then you need to consider Whitehead a Narduzzi recruit for the same reason.
If that's the case, UW pretty much dominates the Coastal and is playing in the ACC championship this year.
The YouTube Marshall Goldberg provided of the 87 Pitt ND game was fun to skim through but burned me up more than anything. There had been mistakes made years prior to that which had squandered Pitt's status among the elite, but this video showed that Gottfried and the boosters were still kind of clicking as far as getting really good talent. He wasno Sherrill but clearly between him and the boosters he was pretty good, also considering that the facilities were going to hell by then as well.
As MG alludes in that thread, the administration and the boosters did not align well with Gottfried to say the least, instead of getting together and correcting the gaps, they forced him out. And ultimately yet another debacle resulted, the whole Hackett and J. Dennis and Oaf Jaynes soap opera.
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Good post. Having said all that, where is Wisconsin ranked? As far as recruiting rankings are concerned, where is Wisconsin ranked in comparison to Pitt?
Scheduling is just as important as any other aspect of a football program. It's about perception. I totally agree that until perception of the program changes, we need to get fat on the pastry schedule of cupcakes & cream puffs...
Wisconsin recruits slightly behind Pitt. Their ranking (like most teams) is an outcome of their schedule.
Paul Chryst's wins in Wisconsin aren't all cupcakes. They include the following ranked teams:
2015:
#25 USC
2016:
#5 LSU
#6 Michigan State
#7 Nebraska
#12 Western Michigan
2017:
#25 Iowa
#19 Michigan
#6 Miami
3-0 in bowls against ranked opponents in 3 years.
I know his Pitt tenure wasn't nearly as good. But it was't just schedule:
1. He was learning how to be a head coach. His offensive and defensive coordinators had their first coordinator jobs. We've been sort of cheap on assistants for a while now.
2. Wisconsin has significantly better home field advantage.
2015:
#25 USC
2016:
#5 LSU
#6 Michigan State
#7 Nebraska
#12 Western Michigan
2017:
#25 Iowa
#19 Michigan
#6 Miami
3-0 in bowls against ranked opponents in 3 years.
I know his Pitt tenure wasn't nearly as good. But it was't just schedule:
1. He was learning how to be a head coach. His offensive and defensive coordinators had their first coordinator jobs. We've been sort of cheap on assistants for a while now.
2. Wisconsin has significantly better home field advantage.
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