With just two games left this season, for most teams, including Pitt, head coaches and offensive coordinators have begun to fall left and right.
Jimbo Fisher is going to earn about $25,000 a day over the next eight years to not be the head coach at Texas A&M. Mike Yurcich is out as the Penn State offensive coordinator despite guiding the second-highest scoring offense in the Big Ten — nearly 20 points per game more than Pitt.
Pat Narduzzi sort of evaded the idea of making in-season coaching changes at his weekly news conference last Thursday, and he was more adamant at his weekly press conference Monday.
“We evaluate every day what we’re doing and how we’re doing it and try to get things corrected,” Narduzzi said Monday. “And again, like I said, it’s a team sport. It’s everybody. I tell the trainers, they’re involved, equipment, you better not mess it up. And certainly coaches. So, we look at it on a daily basis, what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, and again, focus on Boston College.”
There is never a point in the evaluation process where Narduzzi feels like an in-season coaching change is needed. So, don’t expect one.
Pitt is in the midst of a 2-8 season, the worst since 1998 (which is before just about every player on the roster at this point), and there’s an overarching issue that has held Pitt back over the last two seasons — yes, even in a 9-4 season.
Pitt is 114th in points per game (19.9) and 117th in total offense (310.5) in college football, and there are only four Power Five schools in each category that have been worse than Pitt this season. The passing offense is a disaster, with a few quarterbacks failing to run Frank Cignetti Jr.’s offense, and the run game is non-existent without Izzy Abanikanda. And we don’t know if a new quarterback will fix anything.
Narduzzi said that over the next two games, the No. 1 priority is to win. It’s not about getting the stars of tomorrow into the lineup (unless the coaching staff is sure whichever player is able to help) or figuring out anything else relating to the future of the program. The goal is to win with this team — the current coaches and starters.
“We’re trying to get the next win, really,” Narduzzi said. “Just want to win. That’s what it comes down to is winning football games every Thursday or Saturday night. That’s the main focus. If they can help us and we’re not going to take a redshirt year away from them, we’ll do that.”
That’s fair. The No. 1 goal should be to win. But Pitt is hamstrung by a failing offense, so badly so that an opposing offense felt comfortable installing a brand new offense in the middle of a football game. Syracuse, after working out a few kinks in the first half, legitimately installed a new offense. And it worked.
Syracuse ran the ball 66 times, using a converted quarterback under center, and it was because Pitt couldn’t muster anything offensively. There’s zero chance Pitt runs it back next season, major changes are in order, but there won’t be any in-season. Even though those changes are overdue now.
Whatever happens against Boston College and Duke will be with Frank Cignetti Jr. as the leader of the offense. With Narduzzi’s hands-off approach, it truly is Cignetti’s offense. And there’s not one reason to expect anything else this season.
I agree that firing staff should wait until the end of the season. That means in two weeks, changes will have to be made or there will be disappointment, and rage among the fanbase.
Yes. When things don’t work, just keep doing the same thing, and hope for a different outcome.
Run the same 7 plays on offense. Run the same 3 base defenses. Use the same QB that’s not working out. Keep the same staff thy absolutely sucks. Keep trotting out the same terrible punter.
Don’t change anything.
Go back to sleep Pat. We will only wake you up for the important decisions.
The punting thing drives me nuts. Two years in a row they can’t find a guy who isn’t terrible at the one job he’s expected to do?
What’s even worries that a scholarship was used on Junko.
real offense
Makes sense, since Narduzzi has nothing to do with the offense – unless Pitt needs to act quick to get a good OC.
This is what intelligent, thoughtful people do when something goes wrong. This was reported in the Post-Gazette …This season is not up to Coach Narduzzi’s or Pitt’s standards,” Lyke said in a statement to the Post-Gazette. “He has raised the bar on expectations for our program with an ACC championship and Top 25 finishes the past two years. With the onset of the offseason, we will work together to thoroughly evaluate each aspect of our program, on and off the field, so that we can begin competing for ACC titles again.” I agree, you do not completely blow up a… Read more »
PSU, A&M, MSU, CU, etc all know that you make a change now to show your current players positive change is coming. Oh well, I guess Duzzi will stand-by and watch his players jump in the portal.
QB’s have changed, but there is one constant in all of this……
Narduzzi can sit on his hands while the more proactive teams beat him to the punch by making their hires for next season. While Pitt is trying to figure out who the next coach will be the other teams will already be out recruiting players.
When posing questions to Narduzzi, you have to ask like this: is there a scenario in-season where you would consider a coaching change? If so, what is that scenario? If the current situation doesn’t warrant a change then what does? Also would like that question to be posed to our AD.
It starts from the top regardless of the past success teams hit rock bottom and in need of a new start. Unfortunately, this is where this program is and if you think that putting a Band-Aid on this is going to fix it your insane.
Pitt should go after Mike Shanahan.
Narlosee
Watch more tape and try to stay awake!