PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said he knows what he is getting Saturday. It’s a matchup that hasn’t happened since pre-World War II, a football City Game. Only the seventh time the schools separated by two miles will play against each other in football.
“Those guys will come into Acrisure Stadium cranked up and play their best game of the year without a doubt,” Narduzzi said Monday. “We expect that.”
“This is their championship game. This is their opportunity to come out and show who they are. No doubt, prove some people wrong.”
The game was scheduled by previous Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke. Narduzzi said he was asked about playing Duquesne and said ‘why not’.
“They're right down the road,” Narduzzi said. “We can bring someone from Youngstown or Rhode Island. Why not take care of a school in state? Let them have an opportunity to play in their city, for their city? I think it's a great game.”
Many would not, it’s likely a lose-lose game for Pitt in that they are supposed to win and even if they do and the score is close, it could feel like a loss. Narduzzi said he hasn’t thought hard about what the effects of this game would mean. He said he doesn’t focus on scheduling, rather coaching his team and recruiting.
There will likely be a few thousand, if not more, Duquesne fans there. It’s their lone opportunity to play in Acrisure Stadium, which is slightly closer to the Duquesne campus. Narduzzi said he’s not worried about the crowd, it’s not going to be the factor in the game.
“I just think it's great to play another team from Pittsburgh,” Narduzzi said. “Fans aside, I think it's an opportunity for another Pittsburgh school. I got a ton of respect for (Duquesne head coach) Jerry Schmitt. It's good for them, good for us. Again, short trip for them. So we're excited.”
Narduzzi’s father coached in FCS and he played at that level for Youngstown State and Rhode Island. He understands what this means for Football Championship Subdivision or I-AA schools. The payout could make a big dent in their school’s athletic department budget. Whether you directly call it a money game or not, it’s vital for those schools to have these opportunities.
Duquesne is not a pushover. The Dukes are the preseason favorites to win the Northeast Conference. Schmitt has guided the team to a trio of NCAA appearances, 10 conference titles and overall is 128-86 in 20 seasons with the Dukes. They also have a lot of experience on the offensive and defensive lines and a senior quarterback that Narduzzi described as a gunslinger with a couple of solid receivers and running backs.
“I think Jerry and his staff do a great job recruiting, bringing talent in,” Narduzzi said. “Duquesne is a good football team, well-coached. A lot of Pittsburgh guys.”
As Narduzzi said, he expects the Dukes to be cranked up. If his team isn’t ready for that?
“They'll figure that out real quick, because if they don't, they'll get hit in the mouth,” Narduzzi said. “They're physical. They play hard. They play tough. We need to go out and do what we do.”
“I'm not worried about who we're playing against. It's about what we do, how we do it. Just starting off on the right foot here on Saturday.”