Pat Narduzzi talked to the media one last time on Thursday afternoon ahead of Pitt's season opener against Virginia on Saturday night. See what the Panthers' head coach had to say on a number of topics.
Narduzzi: We’re getting closer, the countdown is on. As I told the kids, the hay is in the barn. Looking forward to it, we got to go out today, beautiful weather, but we had another good practice. We’re prepared, we’re as prepared as we’re going to be. I think the kids are anxious, I think the coaches are anxious. We had our last staff meeting here in the Duratz and tomorrow night we’ll get together and get to the hotel. Looking forward to it, should be a great game. Expecting a very, very prepared Virginia football team to come here to Pittsburgh. It’s going to be a battle, it’s going to be a battle. Looking forward to it.
What is Kenny’s mindset going into this season opener?
PN: Kenny’s mindset is just take it one play at a time, I think. I’d hope that’s what his mindset is. You’re not ever looking long term in anything, you are looking at where you are right now and I think it’s one play at a time. I think that’s how you have to have a mindset. I think hopefully everyone of our players has that mindset, because you’re taking one play at a time. You can sit there and say, ‘my mindset going into the opener is to do this’ it’s just too much. One play at a time is how we like to work and you know, one game at a time.
On Monday you said you’re going to run the football. With four new offensive linemen and two new running backs. What gives you the confidence that you’re going to be able to do that?
PN: A year ago we had three new offensive linemen. Because it’s what we do, it’s in our DNA. It’s part of what we’ve done since I got here. I’ve got faith in our offensive line. We’re going to be able to run the football - that’s the game of football. That’s just what we do, so just like on defense we’re going to stop the run. We’ve got three new linebackers and nobody ever asks, ‘how do you expect top stop the run with three new linebackers that haven’t played?’ And Weaver’s not there so how do you expect to do that? We’re going to run the football and stop the run and that’s going to be our mantra as long as I’m the head football coach here, that’s going to be what we do. And we’re going to throw the ball better, too. I’ll throw that in there.
Heading in, have any of those backs separated themselves?
PN: Speaking of the backs separating themselves, AJ Davis and Todd Sibley obviously have. Vince Davis has moved ahead and you’ll see him lined up today in the backfield. I’m glad you asked that question because I meant to put it in the opening statement there, but just thinking about Virginia that’s all I really want to talk about. But mutually Pitt football and Mychale Salahuddin have decided to part ways. We wish Mychale the best of luck wherever he goes. We’ll help him with wherever he wants to go, that’s really kind of the rest of the backfield question there. I won’t answer any other questions about that.
I think you opened up your first game against Youngstown. Can you think back how you felt on the Thursday before that game and how you feel the Thursday before this game?
PN: The same way, Jerry. It doesn’t change as amazing as it is. It’s like after your first grandchildren to the sixth one, you still get excited. You feel the same, you feel the same as a player. I remember my first college game, I’ll never forget it the same way. There’s always nerves. If someone tells you I’m not nervous at all, maybe you’re not ready. I’ve always felt that. There’s got to be nerves to everything that goes on in this game with our players until the first snap then it goes away. But there’s things you worry about up until game time as a coach - ‘Is he going to be OK? Is he going to be OK? What’s going to happen here?’ There’s so many unknowns with the opponent we’ve got. There’s the opener against Albany and Youngstown State is different than an opener against an ACC opponent. It means more, it’s a bigger game and the details are going to matter in this game, but there’s plenty of things to worry about - that’s for sure.
How do you thing the program has evolved in the five years?
PN: I guess we’ll decide at the end of the year. I think again, look at what we’ve done you can throw wins and losses out. I think we’ve got great kids. I think academically we’ve graduated players. The relationships are great. You think about our third program goal is to get to a championship game and win championships and we’ve done that. We need to go win a bowl game, we hope it’s bigger than bowl game. So we’ve taken our steps. Is it a perfect road? Never is, there’s going to be ups and downs through it. The state of the program is pretty darn good I think.
How excited are you to see Damar and Paris start together?
PN: Those two are tight and Paris is like a playmaker out there. Yesterday he rakes the ball out on the goal line in a period just like you coach and how you want it to happen and he goes and gets that thing. He just does stuff like that I can’t wait for his first turnover. Damar Hamlin is the leader back there. Damar is by that kid’s side every minute. He coaches him up. They’ll be sitting next to each other on the bench. But those two are like this and it’s going to be fun to watch - really is. It’s not going to be perfect, I don’t expect Paris or Damar to be perfect tomorrow or Saturday I should say. There’s going to be ups and downs, but it should be fun and those guys been wanting to play together for years and I’m happy we’re finally there.
When you were recruiting Paris, how much was that factor - the opportunity to play with a friend?
PN: Paris wanted to be in Pittsburgh, he wanted to play for his hometown team and that all played a part. Pittsburgh kids recruit the Pittsburgh guys and Diddy-Bop as he goes by. Diddy - everybody loves him.
You mentioned you wanted to pass the ball a little bit more, Maurice and Taysir made a lot of plays last year, who are some of the other guys you think can make some plays in the passing game?
PN: Well Maurice and Tayrir - Aaron Mathews had an outstanding camp. You’re going to see Jared Wayne out there Saturday. I think I told you probably two weeks ago after practice that he’s continued to stand out, he continues to run great routes, and catch the football. He’s a very mature kid and we’re excited about him. I’m forgetting somebody, I’ll make somebody feel bad or feel bad myself. Dontavius Butler-Jenkins, DBJ as he goes by, he’s made a lot of plays and those are the guys you’re going to see on the field right now. Shocky as well. Shocky - he’s ready to go, let’s put it that way - he’s ready to go. We just got to make sure we want him ready to go. But he’s back to running 22 mph outside on the field.
Are you going to give out any scholarships for the first game?
PN: Not right now
What has a guy like John Vardzel to earn a spot on the two-deep?
PN: John is a guy that since he’s gotten here the quarterbacks have had faith and trust in him. That receiver room is deep and John is another guy that can get on the field as well. He’s got great hands and runs really good routes and he makes plays so he’s another guy.
A few of the offensive guys have described Mark Whipple as confident in everything he does. How would you describe how he handles himself? And if that is the case how important is it for a coordinator to have that type of confidence?
PN: It’s very important, nobody wants a coordinator that’s in the dumps all the time. Whipple is very confident on the sideline. He knows what he wants and he knows what he’s going to do. He knows what he’s going to call, so there’s confidence in his play calling and the kids see that and they feed off of it, so that’s how you want it to be.
V’lique Carter was a guy that made some plays last year and he did not appear on the depth chart. Is that more of a case of having of having depth at that spot or is that something you want to see more from him?
PN: Why do you have to ask these crazy questions? He’s playing defense right now. That’s why he doesn’t ask about the DB’s, nobody cares about the DB’s. He’s doing a little bit of both. He’ll play both ways for us, he’ll play special teams. He’ll be a guy that - he’s a playmaker. He’s really a slot guy it’s almost like his own position on offense, he’s got his own little special position. Thanks, Craig.
Where at on defense?
PN: Defensive corner. Remember we brought him in as a DB.
Any of freshmen that could play this year?
PN: Jared Wayne. Tight Ends, you know Kyi Wright has really been outstanding. Does he see the field this weekend? I don’t know, but he’s going to be a great player and we’re excited about him. His future is going to be outstanding, but I could see him seeing the field this season for sure. Just going down the line, Jared at receiver. Running backs we talked about Vince Davis. On D-LIne, probably nobody true freshman wise. Obviously Haha Baldonado being a redshirt freshman that’s obviously going to see time, we can get him in early in the game. But, Bam Brima is a kid that’s done a nice job. I wouldn’t be shocked to see that big sucker play later on in the year. But he’s big, physical and he’s going to be a really good player. At linebacker, SirVocea (Dennis) has done a nice job, he will play for us this year. He’s taking reps with the two’s and he’ll play for us. And Leslie Smith is another guy. Leslie was banged up for a little bit and SirVocea, a post-graduate kind of jumped ahead of him - they’re kind of jockeying back and forth, but Leslie Smith is a great football player as well. So both of those guys we could see playing and Brandon Hill, a safety, is going to be in the mix little by little. Does he play Saturday? I don’t know, but you will see him out on the field this season - I have no doubts. And AJ Woods is another guy. AJ Woods is maybe the fastest guy on the football team. I think I mentioned when we signed him but he came in and ran a 4.4 in camp and that was the fastest forty we had in camp and he came out and did the same thing. So our watches were good, Jerry, in camp because he came out and did the same thing and maybe one of the fastest guys on the team, if not the fastest. So AJ will find a role somewhere soon. Again, hard to break in that corner lineup with Dane, Pinnock, and Damarri, but we hope he doesn’t have to break in there, but he’ll help us on special teams.
What was his forty time?
PN: 4.4, maybe 4.3 something, who knows? But 4.4 is pretty good.
How much can you take away from last year’s game at Virginia?
PN: How much can you takeaway? I mean it’s last year - not a whole lot, because it’s the 2019 team and 2018 you hope you take nothing at all because it doesn’t matter - it really doesn’t. If our guys are counting on that - Virginia will come in here hungry, they’ll come in here tough and we have to prepared for that. We have to match the intensity, we have to match the physicality in our house. Should be fun, that’s what we’re looking forward to.
Have you settled on a backup quarterback?
PN: You kind of go back and forth, Jerry. Nick Patti is doing a great job, so is Jeff George. Jeff George really has been throwing the ball better than maybe he was in the previous two weeks. So it’s kind of one of those. It’s something you make a decision at that time and you see how they workout in the pregame and all those things. All those things matter. Do you go with older guy? Do you go with the younger guy? Depends on the score of the game, I think all those things matter. Good question.
Have you been able to get John Petrishen on the practice field?
PN: John Petrishen is out there in the pads, he’s running around. He’s had a postseason surgery, so he’s probably three more weeks out from really hitting anybody than he’s back to August 1st, camp. So he’s a ways away physically coming in the way he is, but he’s a smart kid now. I really like the details. He does the meetings and all that and you watch him and he’s taking notes in the special teams meetings - he’s detailed and that’ll give him a chance to get on the field sooner than some people expect.
