Narduzzi defends goal line decision
MORE FROM PITT'S LOSS AT PENN STATE - Video: Narduzzi's postgame press conference | Narduzzi on the goal line, the loss and more | Video: Twyman on the defense | Video: Pickett and Mack after the game
UNIVERSITY PARK - Pitt’s 17-10 loss at Penn State at Beaver Stadium could be defined by a number of factors, from the best performance of Kenny Pickett’s career to a strong showing from the Panthers’ defense and the final game before the historic series goes on hiatus.
Instead, the Panthers’ second defeat of the 2019 season and third consecutive loss to the Nittany Lions will likely be remembered for a decision Pat Narduzzi made late in the game.
Trailing 17-10 with less than five minutes to play in the game, Pitt’s offense drove deep into Penn State territory. So deep, in fact, that the Panthers were on the doorstep after Taysir Mack’s 29-yard reception set up first-and-goal from the 1.
On first down, Pickett threw the ball away. On second down, he pulled on an option run and was tackled for no gain. And on third down, the protection broke down and Pickett overthrew an open receiver in the end zone.
That’s when the decision came in, as Narduzzi opted to not try again on fourth-and-goal from the 1; instead, he sent Alex Kessman out to attempt a 19-yard field goal. The kick bounced off the left upright, but decision, rather than the result, came under considerable scrutiny almost immediately.
Not surprisingly, Narduzzi was asked about the decision after the game.
“I wanted to play to win the football game, and it’s a two-possession game as far as - we’ve got to score twice to win the football game,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t question that decision at all, really.”
Pitt did need two scores to win the game, but the Panthers were unlikely to find themselves that close to the goal line again. They had scored just one touchdown in the game, and while Pickett threw for 372 yards, only three of the team’s possessions to that point had reached the red zone.
The chances of mounting another length-of-the-field drive seemed slim, but Narduzzi seemed to bank on the offense producing another such possession.
That said, Pitt forced Penn State to punt on the drive after the missed field goal and got the ball back with 1:56 on the clock. The Panthers managed to pick up 58 yards on 10 plays over that span, and when time ran out, they were sitting on the PSU 26 - well within Kessman’s range.
None of that mattered, of course, as Pitt’s players and coaches boarded the buses to head back to Pittsburgh. The Panthers sit at 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the ACC ahead of next week’s home game against UCF. Narduzzi said that the decision for the field goal, which loomed large in the outcome of the team’s final game against Penn State, isn’t going to eat away at him.
“It won’t linger. It won’t linger long at all. It is what it is. It’s tough. Tough call. But again, you get a field goal there, then you get a drive mustered up, you go down and score a touchdown and you win by three. That’s what we expect to score. You have to score more than 10 points to win a football game, period.”