The old saying goes, “If the offense turns the ball over, the defense is going to win.” Okay, that may not be an old saying, but that’s typically what Pat Narduzzi says following a scrimmage.
The Pitt defense held the blue practice jerseys all spring, and after the first scrimmage of the summer, the defense is clad in blue once again.
And according to Narduzzi, it wasn’t all that difficult to reclaim blue.
There were 141 offensive and defensive snaps during Saturday’s scrimmage, plus 24 special teams snaps, and the defense flexed its muscles a bit in getting after the quarterback — and creating turnovers.
“I’d say pretty handily,” Narduzzi said before practice Tuesday. “They got after it; I think they were locked in. The key is emotion and energy coming into that first scrimmage. You better have it. The defense had it, offense didn’t have as much, didn’t do as good a job executing as we’d like.”
Pitt forced two turnovers Saturday morning. Narduzzi had to jog his memory, asking starting safety Javon McIntyre just how many turnovers were forced and by who. And the playmakers? P.J. O’Brien Jr. and Cruce Brookins, an interception each.
But Narduzzi made sure to clarify that the performance wasn’t just a couple of random picks — it was a solid performance from the entire defense.
“Brandon George and Kyle Louis played well,” Narduzzi said. “There’s a lot of guys. Nate Matlack. I tell you what, Isaiah Neal A.K.A. Ghost, showed us that he can make some plays and he’s quick-twitch. He’s a twitchy dude. Ryland Gandy continues to play strong. Tamon Lynum continues to come on. Rashad Battle is playing really good, so we’re excited about that.”
It wasn’t the easiest season for the defense, but I’ve been more and more impressed by the entire unit by the day. The unit wasn’t put in a good situation last season, and while there were legitimate weaknesses across the defense, it wasn’t given an opportunity to play to its strengths.
The younger, new-look unit will be better this season if the offense can do anything — anything.
Speaking of, Narduzzi wasn’t exactly impressed with the quarterbacks. The highlight clip that Pitt Football posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) showed a couple of touchdown passes from Nate Yarnell, another from Eli Holstein and a lot of defensive dominance.
“(The quarterbacks) looked good,” Narduzzi said. “They did some things. If you’re going to win the scrimmage, your quarterback has got to play really good. I don’t think they played really good. I think they played solid, but when the defense has got energy, you better watch it. You better match the energy.
“Offensively, they didn’t turn the ball over, but had too many unforced errors and just put themselves behind the sticks too many times. If that happens, nobody looks good, When it’s 3rd-and-10, it’s not good.”
The operation was fine, but the execution wasn’t. The unforced errors doomed the offense. Whether it was trying to go fast and a receiver not being set, or in the snap infractions that stopped a play before it started. Narduzzi believes it comes down to time.
There are two weeks left of fall camp, with one more scrimmage scheduled for Sunday, and the results from Sunday will be important. If the quarterback play in 2024 isn’t improved, the season will be a disaster. But Narduzzi isn’t worried about it at this point.
“I think it’s the first scrimmage,” Narduzzi said. “I think first scrimmage, you come out and you’re kind of like, ‘Okay, let’s go,’ and you want to do so well and then all of the sudden, you don’t help yourself much.”
Pitt has two — seemingly — capable quarterbacks in Yarnell and Holstein, and they’ll look to bounce back in scrimmage No. 2 this weekend.
I know it’s early but … the Pitt defense will not be the best defense our offense sees this year. only a few more weeks to iron out the kinks. H2P !