Pitt ran a pro-style offense under Frank Cignetti Jr. over the last two seasons, whether it was the offensive scheme, the play-calling, the personnel or actually teaching the offense, it was largely a failure.
The numbers don’t look too bad in 2022, with All-American running back Israel Abanikanda in the fold, but the offense as a whole tanked in 2023. It was a disastrous season that ultimately cost Cignetti his job and led to an almost entirely new offensive staff.
Kade Bell was hired to serve as the new offensive coordinator, arriving as a first-time Power Four coordinator from Western Carolina, and he’s since been joined by running backs coach Lindsey Lamar (Howard), offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau (Western Carolina) and tight ends coach and special team’s coordinator Jacob Bronowski (Miami (Oh.)).
It’s a new offensive staff, with only Tiquan Underwood returning from last season’s staff, and it’s significantly younger and less experienced. And it will operate far differently.
“I looked all over the country, an extensive search, and I hired a guy I didn’t know,” Narduzzi told the ACC Network. “But I hired him for his intelligence. I think he’s really smart, he’s got energy, he’s enthusiastic, I think he calls a great game. We’re gonna spread it out, tempo a little bit, something we haven’t done at Pitt, and I think it’s gonna not only help our football team, it’s gonna help our defense as well.
“Because something we see every Saturday afternoon when we play is the tempo and the spread offense. So, gone a little bit different route, the route I was taking wasn’t what we wanted to be, what we needed to do to score some touchdowns. I think Kade and the rest of our offensive staff will bring us a chance to put points on the board, have more fun and be more explosive.”
Pitt operated out of the gun a lot last season, using some 11 and 12 personnel sets (75% 11 personnel sets, Narduzzi said earlier this offseason), but there was certainly no sense of urgency. Lots of huddling and ground-and-pound play calling. Narduzzi pointed to dabbling in things that he didn’t feel necessary.
That’s going to change with Bell calling plays, and the tempo is going to change, too. “His little term is hit the gas, so we’re gonna hit the gas a little bit faster,” Narduzzi said in December. And that scheme and energy and youth have reflected well with recruits and current players alike.
Bell loves speed. His scheme has a lot of tempo, relying on his quarterback to make a lot of quick decisions, and he likes to use a lot of pre-snap motion and force defenses to make quick decisions of their own when matched up against creative sets — often using 11 personnel.
Of course, he’s able to slow it down, huddle and operate out of 12 sets, too, but speed is the name of the game. RPOs, play-action, explosive plays. Spreading out opposing defenses and taking advantage on the ground and in the air.
It will be pivotal for Pitt to install the new offense throughout the spring, with 15 practices to do so, and it will certainly look very different than the offensive scheme over the last two seasons.
Coach Narduzzi hiring someone he didn’t know has to be better than hiring the people he did know. H2P.
Sounds familiar. “Hit the gas” , “speed, speed, speed”
It doesn’t seem Pennsylvania familiar. I can’t think of another Pennsylvania university with an offense that tries that strategy. Uptempo, diverse.