Looks like Coach Pat loves Ben DiNucci this is another time he has commented on Ben in glowing terms.
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Freshman Ben DiNucci said he grew as a quarterback while running the scout-team offense for Pitt's defense this season. Coach Pat Narduzzi won't argue with that assessment, but he also knows this: “He's gotten tougher,” Narduzzi said.
The reasons were on display Friday at the end of practice when Narduzzi conducted a brief scrimmage for young players and those who redshirted. Defensive ends Dewayne Hendrix and Allen Edwards, who didn't play this season after transferring, showed off their pass-rushing skills, sometimes at the expense of young quarterbacks DiNucci and Adam Bertke.
“It's tough with guys like Dewayne (Hendrix) and Allen (Edwards) coming off the edge,” DiNucci said. “The hits are tough, but you have to get up from them and keep playing.” DiNucci, a Pine-Richland graduate, won a WPIAL championship at the league's highest level (Class AAAA). Still, adjusting to college football presented a significant transition.
“Coming here, it's a whole different breed of athlete,” he said. Narduzzi liked what he saw from all three players. “There are only two quarterbacks in my last 15 years that have come in as a rookie and done what (DiNucci) has done, and that other guy is Kirk Cousins (formerly of Michigan State and now the Washington Redskins starting quarterback). “We toughened him up, (too),” Narduzzi said of Cousins.
Hendrix, 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, was forced to sit out the season after transferring from Tennessee. He said the Pitt defense suits his skill set because it allows him to line up wider, go one-on-one with a blocker and get a better run at the quarterback. “It's just you and the tackle,” said Hendrix, who has three years of eligibility remaining.
Edwards, 6-4, 240, said he came to Pitt at 229 pounds as a junior-college transfer from Dean (Mass.) College. His goal is to reach 250 next season. Edwards redshirted this season even though he had hopes of playing. He has two years of eligibility remaining. “There was a lot to take in at first,” he said. “It will be better for me in the future.”
Narduzzi said both players worked hard in practice, even without the prize of a game at the end of the week. “They haven't whined,” Narduzzi said. “Sometimes, you worry about transfers coming in and having to sit out a year who've played in years past. How are they going to react? They have gotten better.”
If Ejuan Price returns for a sixth season, Pitt will have five ends with either experience or good potential, including Hendrix, Edwards, Rori Blair and Shakir Soto. “Something that has been a weakness becomes a strength,” Narduzzi said.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
Article Link Below:
Freshman Ben DiNucci said he grew as a quarterback while running the scout-team offense for Pitt's defense this season. Coach Pat Narduzzi won't argue with that assessment, but he also knows this: “He's gotten tougher,” Narduzzi said.
The reasons were on display Friday at the end of practice when Narduzzi conducted a brief scrimmage for young players and those who redshirted. Defensive ends Dewayne Hendrix and Allen Edwards, who didn't play this season after transferring, showed off their pass-rushing skills, sometimes at the expense of young quarterbacks DiNucci and Adam Bertke.
“It's tough with guys like Dewayne (Hendrix) and Allen (Edwards) coming off the edge,” DiNucci said. “The hits are tough, but you have to get up from them and keep playing.” DiNucci, a Pine-Richland graduate, won a WPIAL championship at the league's highest level (Class AAAA). Still, adjusting to college football presented a significant transition.
“Coming here, it's a whole different breed of athlete,” he said. Narduzzi liked what he saw from all three players. “There are only two quarterbacks in my last 15 years that have come in as a rookie and done what (DiNucci) has done, and that other guy is Kirk Cousins (formerly of Michigan State and now the Washington Redskins starting quarterback). “We toughened him up, (too),” Narduzzi said of Cousins.
Hendrix, 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, was forced to sit out the season after transferring from Tennessee. He said the Pitt defense suits his skill set because it allows him to line up wider, go one-on-one with a blocker and get a better run at the quarterback. “It's just you and the tackle,” said Hendrix, who has three years of eligibility remaining.
Edwards, 6-4, 240, said he came to Pitt at 229 pounds as a junior-college transfer from Dean (Mass.) College. His goal is to reach 250 next season. Edwards redshirted this season even though he had hopes of playing. He has two years of eligibility remaining. “There was a lot to take in at first,” he said. “It will be better for me in the future.”
Narduzzi said both players worked hard in practice, even without the prize of a game at the end of the week. “They haven't whined,” Narduzzi said. “Sometimes, you worry about transfers coming in and having to sit out a year who've played in years past. How are they going to react? They have gotten better.”
If Ejuan Price returns for a sixth season, Pitt will have five ends with either experience or good potential, including Hendrix, Edwards, Rori Blair and Shakir Soto. “Something that has been a weakness becomes a strength,” Narduzzi said.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
