Pat Narduzzi is off to a better start than his predecessor, even if the bar was set so low it had to be excavated from several thousand feet under Heinz Field before the game.
Whereas Paul Chryst lost to Youngstown State by two touchdowns in his debut, Narduzzi escaped with a 45-37 victory Saturday over the same small-college opponent despite a monumentally sloppy performance that left more questions than answers.
Primary among them: How is James Conner, and what should we make of Pitt's quarterback situation?
Conner, the Panthers' stud running back, left in the second quarter with what appeared to be a knee issue. Narduzzi said Conner is “fine” and that keeping him out was “just being cautious.”
That might indicate Pitt's situation wasn't desperate, though it sure looked that way with the Panthers clinging to a one-score lead with less than three minutes to go against, well, Youngstown State.
I wondered whether Narduzzi was surprised or disappointed that, as his defense dug in late, the stadium had nearly emptied. He came from Michigan State, after all, where crowds generally stick around in close games.
“I didn't even notice it, to be honest with you,” he said. “Players play the game on the field. We hope (the fans) stay for four quarters. If they don't, they don't. We're still going to play the game. But no, I don't look up there. It doesn't matter.”
It did matter that third-string tailback Qadree Ollison turned in a stunning performance (207 yards on 16 carries). But if Pitt is going to get anywhere this season, it will need Conner and star receiver Tyler Boyd, who was suspended for the game but will return Saturday at Akron.
Narduzzi acknowledged that parts of the game were enough to “pull your hair out.” I'm assuming he meant delay-of-game penalties before punts and field goals and Pitt's minus-three turnover ratio, not to mention allowing touchdowns of 77 and 75 yards in the fourth quarter.
He also might have killed some hair follicles watching his quarterbacks.
It was part of the plan to inject backup Nate Peterman, a Tennessee transfer, into the game for two early series. It probably wasn't part of the plan to see Peterman look great on a touchdown drive and then watch starter Chad Voytik struggle badly for much of the afternoon.
I wondered whether Peterman might be “in the mix” for more playing time if this keeps up.
“We'll continue to evaluate,” Narduzzi said.
Peterman signed with Tennessee when Jim Chaney, now Pitt's offensive coordinator, was on staff there. He delivered Pitt's prettiest pass of the day — a 42-yard strike that settled nicely onto Dontez Ford's fingertips and set up a touchdown.
On his next pass, however, Peterman (2 of 4, 61 yards) threw an interception. He did not take another snap.
Voytik rarely threw the ball downfield. After three quarters, he had completed seven passes for just 13 yards and had an interception returned 41 yards for a touchdown.
Three other YSU points were set up on a Voytik fumble at the Pitt 9. He also badly missed Scott Orndoff on what should have been a 24-yard touchdown but later hit Orndoff on a crazy, 55-yard scoring pass.
The pass was intended for Elijah Zeise and appeared to be underthrown, but Orndoff crashed the scene like a young Mike Ditka and put Pitt ahead 38-23 with 12:21 left.
Voytik called it the luckiest touchdown pass of his life. He finished 9 of 14 for 72 yards. To be fair, he was operating behind a reshuffled line and did not have his best receiver. Maybe it was just a bad day and, like last season, Voytik will get better.
Narduzzi's first words at his postgame presser were the truest in all of sports: “A win is a win is a win.”
And yet, plenty of questions remain.
Joe Starkey co-hosts a show 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on 93.7 FM. Reach him at jraystarkey@gmail.com.
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/joestarkey/9030259-74/pitt-game-narduzzi#ixzz3kzGbiI2t
Whereas Paul Chryst lost to Youngstown State by two touchdowns in his debut, Narduzzi escaped with a 45-37 victory Saturday over the same small-college opponent despite a monumentally sloppy performance that left more questions than answers.
Primary among them: How is James Conner, and what should we make of Pitt's quarterback situation?
Conner, the Panthers' stud running back, left in the second quarter with what appeared to be a knee issue. Narduzzi said Conner is “fine” and that keeping him out was “just being cautious.”
That might indicate Pitt's situation wasn't desperate, though it sure looked that way with the Panthers clinging to a one-score lead with less than three minutes to go against, well, Youngstown State.
I wondered whether Narduzzi was surprised or disappointed that, as his defense dug in late, the stadium had nearly emptied. He came from Michigan State, after all, where crowds generally stick around in close games.
“I didn't even notice it, to be honest with you,” he said. “Players play the game on the field. We hope (the fans) stay for four quarters. If they don't, they don't. We're still going to play the game. But no, I don't look up there. It doesn't matter.”
It did matter that third-string tailback Qadree Ollison turned in a stunning performance (207 yards on 16 carries). But if Pitt is going to get anywhere this season, it will need Conner and star receiver Tyler Boyd, who was suspended for the game but will return Saturday at Akron.
Narduzzi acknowledged that parts of the game were enough to “pull your hair out.” I'm assuming he meant delay-of-game penalties before punts and field goals and Pitt's minus-three turnover ratio, not to mention allowing touchdowns of 77 and 75 yards in the fourth quarter.
He also might have killed some hair follicles watching his quarterbacks.
It was part of the plan to inject backup Nate Peterman, a Tennessee transfer, into the game for two early series. It probably wasn't part of the plan to see Peterman look great on a touchdown drive and then watch starter Chad Voytik struggle badly for much of the afternoon.
I wondered whether Peterman might be “in the mix” for more playing time if this keeps up.
“We'll continue to evaluate,” Narduzzi said.
Peterman signed with Tennessee when Jim Chaney, now Pitt's offensive coordinator, was on staff there. He delivered Pitt's prettiest pass of the day — a 42-yard strike that settled nicely onto Dontez Ford's fingertips and set up a touchdown.
On his next pass, however, Peterman (2 of 4, 61 yards) threw an interception. He did not take another snap.
Voytik rarely threw the ball downfield. After three quarters, he had completed seven passes for just 13 yards and had an interception returned 41 yards for a touchdown.
Three other YSU points were set up on a Voytik fumble at the Pitt 9. He also badly missed Scott Orndoff on what should have been a 24-yard touchdown but later hit Orndoff on a crazy, 55-yard scoring pass.
The pass was intended for Elijah Zeise and appeared to be underthrown, but Orndoff crashed the scene like a young Mike Ditka and put Pitt ahead 38-23 with 12:21 left.
Voytik called it the luckiest touchdown pass of his life. He finished 9 of 14 for 72 yards. To be fair, he was operating behind a reshuffled line and did not have his best receiver. Maybe it was just a bad day and, like last season, Voytik will get better.
Narduzzi's first words at his postgame presser were the truest in all of sports: “A win is a win is a win.”
And yet, plenty of questions remain.
Joe Starkey co-hosts a show 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on 93.7 FM. Reach him at jraystarkey@gmail.com.
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/joestarkey/9030259-74/pitt-game-narduzzi#ixzz3kzGbiI2t
