CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Strong comments made by Pat Narduzzi created more buzz than anticipated for the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions heading into Thursday's ACC Kickoff event.
On a recent episode of a local podcast, Pitt's football coach took shots at former offensive coordinator Mark Whipple and the Big Ten, saying the Panthers were too one-sided because of Whipple's play-calling at the end of the season, and that the Michigan State matchup in the Peach Bowl was winnable had third-string quarterback Davis Beville not played all-but two series.
He said Kenny Pickett, who sat out the game voluntarily, was a "21-point difference" in the game, which the Panthers lost by 10.
"Michigan State gets their butt kicked in, and I'll tell you what, it's at least a 14-point difference if Nick Patti plays the whole game," Narduzzi said on the "Bazzy's Black & Gold Banter" podcast. "I can tell you that. That's how I feel. You talk about Big Ten and SEC and ACC ... That was one of the best Big Ten teams last year? Then let's go to the Big Ten and win it every year. So, I don't want to hear about this 'Big Ten dominance' and 'SEC dominance.'"
Narduzzi's comments regarding Whipple's play-calling included noting how reliant he became on Pickett and the passing game. He claimed this was part of the reason Pickett sat out the Peach Bowl.
“Our old offensive coordinator had no desire to run the ball,” Narduzzi said. “Everybody knew it. He was stubborn. ... Maybe if we didn't bang [Pickett] up all season, maybe he would've played."
As Narduzzi took to the lectern on Thursday at The Westin Charlotte in front of a ballroom filled with reporters, he addressed those comments, citing references made by Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Wednesday to the compete level of the ACC rising and being on-par with the rest of the Power Five leagues.
"I think Pittsburgh is getting better, so we'll start there," Narduzzi said. "I've coached in the Big Ten for eight years, so I know it. I don't know the SEC, so I'm not going to claim. I've never coached in the SEC, but I do know the Big Ten. I feel very confident. And, again, it's not being arrogant. It's just kind of knowing the landscape and knowing what we played against in the Peach Bowl, just would have liked to have our backup quarterback the play the whole game.
"That's just confidence. That's no disrespect to the Big Ten or Michigan State. It's just about Pitt and about the ACC."
On Wednesday, Swinney told reporters that the results from last year's ACC play -- a Pitt championship and a Wake Forest appearance in the title game -- weren't just about Clemson failing to make it back to the College Football Playoff as a conference champion.
Regarding Clemson not winning the ACC last year, I asked Dabo Swinney for a viewpoint of the flip-side, about how programs like Pitt and Wake Forest have elevated their standards to rise as contenders in the conference: pic.twitter.com/tjWWoPhYGP
— Corey Crisan (@cdcrisan) July 20, 2022
He credited the seasons his rivals had, in the spirit of them going out and winning for themselves, rather than Clemson having a so-called-down season.
"That's one of the problems I had with last year, is that everyone wants to talk about what Clemson didn't do," Swinney said. "... No one wants to talk about NC State. They want to talk about, 'well, Clemson, they're bad.' Well, how about we say NC State was pretty freaking good. They had a really good team. It was a double-overtime loss at their place, and they have a great quarterback. I mean, they had a good team. Well coached.
"And same thing with [Pitt]. They got Kenny Pickett, they got that dag-gum wide-out [Jordan Addison]. They have a great team. I mean, no one wants to give them any credit. It's like, 'well, they're not good; Clemson's just bad,' and that's just not accurate, and that's disappointing."
Narduzzi acknowledged the battle for the team's starting quarterback position between Patti and Southern California transfer Kedon Slovis will continue into the August camp, which begins August 1. He didn't reveal a front-runner.
"Those two guys are battling," Narduzzi said. "They both had great springs. I think we can win a lot of games with both of them. I think that we'll have a very, very competitive August at camp with them."
The redshirt senior Patti played in nine games and started the Peach Bowl, but he broke his collarbone in the first quarter. Slovis played 27 career games at USC before transferring in January.
"They're both great guys, both great quarterbacks," offensive tackle Carter Warren said. "I feel like both of them can compete at this level. It's going to come down to who wants it more, who is going to give it all they've got, and it's going to be good for the team."
Pitt's strengths this season are sure to be in the trenches, with an offensive line composed exclusively of seniors and a defensive line which returns All-American Calijah Kancey and veterans Deslin Alexandre and David Green.
"We really just want to keep setting the bar higher and higher and never just sitting there and feeling happy with what we did," Alexandre said. "We always want more. We continue just to push the bar a lot higher and [do] a lot better than we did the year previously."
Pitt is also sure to run the ball more with an obvious absence of Pickett and a backfield returning starter Isreal Abanikanda, along with the arrival of offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, Jr.
"If we can do that, we can go all the way," Warren said. "No doubt about it."
Said Narduzzi: "We're going to get the ball in the guys' hands that deserve it. That's what we'll find out in August. Who are our playmakers? Who can we trust? Who can we hand it off to? Who can we throw it to? Who is going to be throwing that pass?"
• Narduzzi revealed that scholarship freshman linebacker Marquan Pope has been medically disqualified, after reaggravating a spine injury in spring camp. He had gone through similar issues in high school. Narduzzi said Pope, a former three-star recruit out of Texas, is working as an assistant linebackers coach.
• Narduzzi also revealed that Louisiana Tech transfer wide receiver Bub Means has immediate eligibility and can play for Pitt this season. His eligibility was in question after transferring in April, as he had transferred from Tennessee to Louisiana Tech after the 2019 season. He previously sat out the 2020 season, and he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team following last season.
