PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – No apologies from Pat Narduzzi for Pitt being one of the best rushing teams in the ACC. Last year he did it with passing and said he actually prefers it this way.
"Everybody wants both, right?" Narduzzi said. "Last year, we don't have a run game. You guys talk about the run game. This week -- this year, we're running the ball better than we're throwing it."
"We like to be two-dimensional. We like to be great at everything. Okay. But I know you guys aren't great at everything. Neither am I. But right now, we got a run game going. And I love the run game. And the clock is ticking. And if you can run it, I'll take that any day."
"That's what our guys are doing. It's a good thing. You guys, you know, doom and gloom. Like, why can't we throw for 400 yards every weekend? Like, I would rather rush for 400."
Panthers are coming off 326 yards rushing, almost all of it by Israel Abanikanda after a school-record 320 yards and six touchdowns. The Panthers are averaging 193 yards a game on the ground compared to 149 a game last year. They've improved their rushing totals every week with the exception of the Georgia Tech game.
"It's everybody," Narduzzi said. "I mean, Izzy, just run. Okay, we'll tell Izzy what to do, where to go. Hey, we like this."
"And as I say, coaches will coach, players will play. And we're going to do a good job of getting Izzy in a position where he can be successful. That's what we've done. He hits the hole fast."
"We don't want Izzy thinking. But it's a coach's job to put him in a position to be successful. And our offense has done that. And we've done an outstanding job running the football, period.
And we'll continue to do that."
To elaborate, Narduzzi said new Pitt Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti has brought some good things as far as targeting the linebackers. It's not just the plays they run, but how they run it. Narduzzi said if we had the opportunity to be in the huddle, we would understand how complex it is. He credits the schemes, the checks at the line and the work by the offensive line.
"I think it's just being able to trust one another, being able to be with each other another year," said Panthers senior offensive lineman Marcus Minor. "We practice hard with one another so he's able to see how our linemen block and adjust the holes from there."
Narduzzi said the complex part is the first five yards and after that, it's a lot of Abanikanda. They're not about to change that even with a healthy Vincent Davis and with Rodney Hammond working his way back.
"We've talked the last couple of years about the hot hand-he's the hot hand out there," Narduzzi said.
Of course, with the success of the rush game, the pass game hasn't been the same. Understandable, not many programs go from one Heisman candidate to the next. Kedon Slovis dealt with injury and has returned, currently 7th in the ACC with a 134.8 QB rating completing 61.5% of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions. How has he done in the coach's eyes?
"I'd say it's maybe above average," Narduzzi said. "I wouldn't say it's a winning effort every time. I'd say it's above average right now. And I think it can be better. And, again, he thinks it can be better as well."
He believes he and the coaching staff may have overcoached him at times. Adding too much to his plate or giving too much information. Narduzzi said Slovis is a pleaser and believes the USC transfer can overthink things instead of just playing.
"I think we just got to kind of let it go and maybe don't overcoach him as much and let him play football and let him do what he does," Narduzzi said. "There's so many times, as a quarterback, sometimes you can clutter his mind with useless details. Instead of just saying, 'Hey, let him go play ball.'"
"And maybe we can do a better job as a staff and he can do a better job at seeing stuff and so I think, you know, it's always twofold. We've got to do a better job as coaches first. And then, you know, doing so much, maybe doing too much to the point where we've got to keep it simpler, too."
It's a pair of 8p starts, beginning Saturday night at Louisville with Panthers pregame starting at 5p on 93.7 The Fan.
