Pat’s Points: One More Pitt Win, Tough Decisions and Consistency at QB

It had been a while since Pitt came into the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Sunday and watched winning game film — not since the upset win against Louisville in early October.

“It was good to come in here on a Sunday after a victory,” Narduzzi said Monday at his weekly press conference. “A hard-fought victory where you felt like you hit on all cylinders in all three phases. You didn’t mess the game up, you didn’t shoot yourself in the foot and got a win. I think it’s a great lesson for our guys.”

Pitt has one game left on the 2023 schedule, with a chance to clinch a fourth win of the second and the only win streak of the season, and it will come in the form of the Duke Blue Devils — which will come after the Thanksgiving holiday Thursday.

“Being that it’s Thanksgiving week — Happy Thanksgiving to everybody out here — I can say this: I’m grateful and thankful for the guys in this room with the attitude that they have every day when they come to work, whether it’s after a win or after a loss,” Narduzzi said.

“Feel blessed to get to coach these guys every day. The attitude, the persistence, going through adversity and these guys keep coming back for more. They try to get it right. The same thing with the coaches — they try to get it right, so I appreciate them.”

So, let’s get into some of what Narduzzi talked about this week.

Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Nate Yarnell (19) November 16, 2023 David Hague/PSN

What Have You Done for Me Lately, Nate Yarnell 

Nate Yarnell, who played in just two games before stepping into the starting role against Boston College, made just his second career start at Pitt — the first since leading the Panthers to a win against Western Michigan last season. And unlike that time, Yarnell didn’t run a skeleton offense. The playbook was wide open, and his comfortability was clear to see. He completed 11-of-19 pass attempts for 207 yards and a touchdown — adding another touchdown on the ground.

It’s not a stat line that really jumps off the page, but it was ultra-efficient. Yarnell didn’t turn the ball over, which is the No. 1 ask in a Frank Cignetti Jr. offense. He stood in the pocket, went through his progressions and hit his receivers to move the sticks and score. It was the most comfortable I’ve seen a Pitt quarterback look this season.

But even with a solid performance against Boston College, Narduzzi — and just about everyone else — wants to see if Yarnell is able to do it again.

“He’s got to go out and do it all over again because nobody cares about what you did last week against BC,” Narduzzi said. “I think that’s the first thing is let that last one go and now focus on the next one, what do you have to do to win this game, what do you have to do to be successful as a quarterback and as an offense. Nate is running the show, and he just needs to go out and do what he does.”

Yarnell has delivered every time Pitt has turned to him, which — admittedly — isn’t very often, but that’s not something he can control. He’s controlled what he’s been able to. And looked pretty solid doing it.

“Again, I think he’s that type of guy that will just go out and do what he needs to do to win the game,” Narduzzi said. “He’ll be mentally and physically prepared.”

Duke will be the first school to have legitimate tape on Yarnell, and it will be a tougher test against a Blue Devils defense that is allowing just 19.8 points per game (good for third-best in the ACC). But if Yarnell is able to put together another strong performance, building off of the Boston College showing, it bodes well for his chances next season.

Focused on Winning Still 

The temptation to play the true freshmen with the ability to still retain their redshirts for Narduzzi isn’t as strong as the desire to win a football game.

If the opportunity is there, as it’s been for players like Kenny Johnson and Braylan Lovelace and Jordan Bass this season, it will be taken advantage of. But even some younger players like Izzy Polk and Cruce Brookins have earned more playing time down the stretch.

“I mean, Izzy got in last week, Polk, that is, not to be confused with that other Izzy (Abanikanda) we had a year ago,” Narduzzi said. “So we’ll get guys in, but just based on what they’ve done in practice. It’s not a, ‘Hey, let’s play as many guys as we can to see what they’ve got.’ We’re trying to win a football game. It always comes down to winning and who gives us the best chance to win. We’re going to play those guys, and we do lose those bowl practices. We’ll miss those, kind of, but sometimes I think they’re overrated too.”

Pitt will not be able to earn a bowl game even with a win against Duke, so this is the last Pitt football game for quite some time. And there will likely be some freshmen getting into the game, but I wouldn’t hold your breath when it comes to seeing players like Isaiah Neal and Shadarian Harrison receiving major snaps.

Pitt is trying to win, and that means playing the veterans — although, some could argue that playing the veterans hasn’t always been the best move this season either.

Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Bub Means (0) November 16, 2023 David Hague/PSN

Figuring Out Who’s Coming Back Starts Next Week 

The college football offseason waits for no one, and after the Duke game ends Saturday afternoon, the offseason will immediately begin.

However, Narduzzi said that while evaluating the coaching staff will begin soon after the season ends, the conversations with the players will begin on Monday.

The Pitt coaching staff has certainly not put its players in the best positions for success this season, and that sustained ineptitude will result in changes. It remains to be seen just how sweeping those changes will be — or when exactly those changes will occur — but the offseason will not wait for Pitt to take it slowly. And it’s not just coaching that will be evaluated either.

There are players who have decisions to make when it comes to returning, either to Pitt or to college football in general, and there will certainly be some tough conversations to be had. But none of those conversations have been had yet.

“We’re trying to win a football game,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve got a lot of other things on our mind. We’re not making and having those conversations, just not there. That’ll be next week.”

There are players that the Pitt coaching staff will likely need to “re-recruit” back to Pitt for another season, which is paramount, but there also may be those players whom the coaching staff may nudge toward the portal, too.

“Yeah, we’ve done that before,” Narduzzi said. “Guys who want to play — a lot of guys want to play, and are we going to talk about Duke today or what? But we’ll have those conversations based on who they are and what they’ve done for the program, period.”

Dayon Hayes announced that he has unfinished business at Pitt and will be returning to Pittsburgh next season, and Buddy Mack will also be returning. But the majority of the seniors have not made decisions yet — or haven’t gone public with their decisions. And there’s no predicting what could happen when it comes to Pitt players who decide to enter the portal.