PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Thoughts from Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi before the Panthers host Cincinnati including the matchup, Big 12 vs. ACC, Jurkovec running and a flashback to Kenny Pickett.
After playing a FCS team to open the season, Panthers host a team they had some intense and meaningful games with when they were both in the Big East. Practice has shown that this one is a little bigger against the Bearcats than the Terriers.
"Probably a little more excitement this week than last week," Narduzzi said. "Got a Big 12 team coming in here, a team that's played in the playoffs. Really good players, good athletes and will be a challenge for us."
QBs running
Narduzzi said after the game against Wofford there were a few times he thought his quarterback, Phil Jurkovec, should have run a few more times. After reviewing the tape with offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, they were wrong. The Pitt head coach praised Jurkovec for making good decisions even if, at first, they thought he should have used his feet.
Cincinnati quarterback Emory Jones ran for 26 yards in just over a half of play in their opening win over Eastern Kentucky. He ran for 758 yards when with Florida in 2021, but Narduzzi said he's more running more to avoid pressure than by design.
"If he scrambles out of the pocket it's more of a run-scramble," Narduzzi explained. "They have a little bit of option. Not that he won't, (but usually will) either hand off the option to the dive back or he will pitch it. Probably Saturday he will keep it, but we've not really seen him keep it."
"I think everyone has a plan to where their quarterback doesn't take a lot of hits. You have a long season, lots of games and nobody wants to see their quarterback get knocked out."
Jones was near perfect throwing the ball against EKU 19-23, 345 yards and five touchdowns.
Big 12 v ACC
Much speculation about the futures of the ACC and Big 12 conferences, with a couple of big wins including Florida State beating LSU, North Carolina over another SEC foe, South Carolina. Does Narduzzi take pride in representing the ACC against other conferences, in this matchup, the Big 12?
"I think there is a respect factor," Narduzzi said. "A great win by Mack Brown (UNC). A great win for Mike Norvell at Florida State, I was excited for those guys. It's a pride thing. Some people think the Big 12 is better than the ACC, it's our chance on the field to prove that. They have numbers, but I'll take the quality of the ACC."
Narduzzi said the way you go about showing which conference is better is by proving it on the field.
Nameless Gray Faces
That headline is a saying from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in pointing out that it's not about the who they are facing, rather it's about getting themselves ready to play regardless.
"I don't look at the opponent," Narduzzi said. "I always tell our guys it's about us. It's not about them. It wasn't about Wofford. It's not about what Cincinnati has this week, it's about Pitt. It's about what we do, not what they do."
"When we worry about them too much and we don't worry about ourselves, we got issues. We better worry about what we do and how we do it. It's not who we play, it's how we play."
Pickett Pondering
A few days after he was named the Steelers lone offensive captain, Narduzzi was asked about the qualities that makes Kenny Pickett a leader.
"I bet his car is one of the first ones here and one of the last ones to leave," Narduzzi said. "The players see that. He's leading by example. He has a way about him. He's not afraid to speak up. You know how some people see stuff. They see it, but they don't say anything. He's not afraid to speak up and give his opinion on something, even with the coaches."
It's something he saw first hand for five years at Pitt and he refutes when people say it just happened for him overnight or in one season. Narduzzi said Pickett really didn't change much from 2020 to 2021, although the results improved and they won a conference title.
"Everyone will say 'oh my God what happened'," Narduzzi said. "There were receivers dropping balls. We led the country in drops. If you added in all of those drops there wasn't a gigantic improvement from '20 to '21 except a championship."
