Here’s the rundown of what Pat Narduzzi had to say after Pitt’s 35-17 loss to N.C. State on Saturday.
Narduzzi: Another game. You know, our kids did a lot of good things out there today, made some mistakes, obviously, against a good football team, a top-20 football team. Give them credit. They finished the game. We played 30 minutes really, really good, I thought, in the first half. We gave them a big run. Hines is a good football player; I think I told you guys on Thursday he was a good football player. He popped one on us; we weren’t exactly lined up perfectly with some of our inside guys. That needs to be done. Then they popped a return on us for a touchdown, which gives them 14 points in two plays in the first half.
I thought DiNucci played really good in the first half. We stayed on our plan with him and Pickett, as far as just, we really wanted to get Pickett in the first half but Ben was doing a nice job. We scored two touchdowns on offense and they had scored one. But we wanted to get Kenny in the game. We decided to get him in the game in the second half, and I think he did some positive things. We need to continue to progress at the quarterback spot.
And then the second half we just didn’t make plays when we needed to. There were, like I said, some good things, and they’re a good football team and they ran the ball and they rushed the ball. We didn’t rush the ball and they did, and usually when you can’t stop the run and they can run it, you’re going to struggle.
On the fourth-and-10 when Kenny pitched to Darrin and Darrin couldn’t pull it in, what was supposed to happen?
Narduzzi: Supposed to get a first down, okay? I’m sitting there the same as you, but they had an all-out max blitz and our check all week - not necessarily in a two-minute - was to get to run to the option. It was a max blitz so it was either try to check to the option or get the quarterback splattered in the backfield, really. Anybody that’s done it this year has tried to throw the ball and it hasn’t worked out real well. I think they waited until that end - I think that was the first time they attempted to do it, so that was, you know, it was fourth-and-10, I don’t think it was the ball game. That’s for sure.
What was the rationale with the quarterbacks in the second half, going with Pickett?
Narduzzi: We decided to play him and I think Kenny’s going to be a good football player, and we’re going to need him somewhere. I don’t want his first action coming when it has to be - when he has to go in there. We’ve got a lot of confidence in both of those guys. You know, we had a lot of confidence in Kenny back in camp, and you can see, he did some nice things out there, made some nice throws, had a couple of nice scrambles and he’s only going to get better.
And like I said, it wasn’t a, ‘Taking Ben out because he wasn’t getting the job done.’ I think Ben had four series in the second half and Kenny had three, and we just wanted to work it.
The timing, though - the game was still close, Ben had done some good things - how do you engender confidence in either quarterback when they’re really not sure when they’re going to stay in and when they’re going to come out?
Narduzzi: Again, we had talked with them prior to the game, so there was communication prior to the game on what we were going to do and what the plans were. So the communication was done prior to the game.
And I know it doesn’t make anybody happy either. I’m sure Ben would have liked to have had those three series back, too, and you can look back and forth, but that’s what we decided to do.
Another game with second-half troubles this year; it’s kind of been a common theme. Has there been a common thread when it comes to defensive breakdowns and the offense stalling in the second half?
Narduzzi: I don’t know what the theme is, I don’t know why the theme is, but again, give them some credit for hanging in there. They’re a good football team and they’ve won a few games this year. So their belief that they’re going to pull it out in the fourth quarter and the third quarter and maybe our lack of belief that we’re going to get it done - I don’t know what it is. But it comes down to making plays, and we’ve got a few dropped balls out there, we’ve got some tackles that are missed and even on that last play, we give up seven - I mean, we’ve got enough guys there to make a play. And that’s about all I’ll say about that play.
Have you seen a common theme in the problems with the running game?
Narduzzi: I think it started off pretty good and then I think they started to gang up on them. Whitehead was getting some yards, Darrin Hall had some nice runs. When I watch the tape, I’ll look at it, but like I said, it’s not just one group. It’s not a tailback, it’s not an O-line, it’s a combination of everything. There’s 11 guys. We win together, lose together and I would say, until I look at the tape - you know, everybody’s got a piece of it.
As far as Jordan’s workload, was that pretty much what you expected or wanted going in? Or did you have to tweak things?
Narduzzi: That’s about what we wanted. We wanted to get him in the ball game. We wanted to get him involved. I think he was good early and then I think they got a bead on what we were doing. The first thing he went out there, I think we threw the ball, just so they wouldn’t know that. But he’s continuing to learn.
Why a field goal attempt with eight minutes left?
Narduzzi: Why a field goal attempt? Because, you know, number one, the charts tell you. I think you get down there - we were going to need one eventually. I think it was an 11-point game at that point.
No. When it was a two-touchdown game with eight minutes left.
Narduzzi: Yeah. You have to take the points. You have to take the points. It was third down and 8 or 9 or 7, 7-plus, and we’ll kind of go by what our chart tells us to do. I don’t question that decision at all. Not at all.
Did you have a conversation with Ian Troost about kneeling for the anthem?
Narduzzi: I personally haven’t had a conversation with him. Our guys have the First Amendment rights and freedom of speech, and I’m never going to tell a guy he can’t do something. What we’ve talked about is, if you have - if you’re going to do that, you’re trying to make a statement, we’re going to stick together. I think someone had their hand on his shoulder, just saying, ‘Hey, we’re with you.’ Everybody’s got their deal. I know I’m going to stand and put my hand over my heart and I’m going to give everybody their option of what they want to do.
