PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Last year Pitt finished second in the ACC in scoring, but offensive coordinator Kade Bell said you will see more in 2026 that could lead to some historic things.
As the Panthers go through Spring drills on the South Side, a confident Bell said that if you add in the last two years only Indiana and Iowa had a higher jump in points per game. He said Pitt was 10th in the nation in points per game over his first two seasons.
“Usually year three is when we make that jump,” Bell said Thursday. “That’s what’s exciting about this year, is going to year three with a quarterback I really believe in, that’s going to be special. Hopefully we could make that jump to the high 30s or 40s and be one of the top five offenses in the country.”
Pitt has a relatively experienced offensive line returning with a second-year running back who had a 200-yard game at a ranked Georgia Tech team. It’s a receiving corps in need of a couple of guys stepping up, but as Bell said, he believes Mason Heintschel is special.
It starts off-the-field for the sophomore quarterback, his leadership keying the offseason drills and his attention to detail improving his game is part of why Bell believes can be elite.
“Having a more veteran quarterback, you are going to finish more down in the red zone,” Bell said. “It was crazy how much we were down in the red zone last year, but we turned it over some. Usually that’s because you got a younger quarterback or maybe you aren’t running as good, but the more veteran quarterback you have, the more successful you can be.”
Bell said Pat Narduzzi has given him the leeway to bring in his players, that fit his system. He’s had a couple of seasons to work with most of them now and Bell pointed out in his third season at Valdosta State, he won a national championship. In his third year at Western Carolina they averaged 37.5 points per game.
“That’s how we are going to win 10 games,” Bell said. “With the way we play defense, we have a chance to win a championship.”