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November 23, 2015

Overachieving by Achieving

Filed under: Coaches,Football,Media,Narduzzi — Chas @ 8:40 am

I keep beating this point into the ground, so I apologize if you are sick of me writing it. What Pitt has done this year has been amazing in light of the consistent treading of water for the last 5 years. At the same time, Pitt has done exactly what they should. Win games they should win.

They haven’t gone out and shocked the world. The Panthers haven’t staged huge upsets. They may have been slight underdogs in some games  — GT, VT and even Louisville — but they weren’t shockers.

It is part of why Pitt has stayed out of the polls, despite an 8-3 record and everyone expressing admiration and respect for the season Pitt has had and the job done by Pat Narduzzi in the first year.

Pitt lost three games to top-15 teams. None of them ended as a real blowout. Even the ND game has a respectable score differential — even if Pitt wasn’t really that close. No bad losses. But no great wins either.

The teams that did make the bottom of the top-25 polls may have a bad loss on their record, but they also have at least one really good win. Something that can suggest a greater potential (or simply fluke) than what Pitt has done.

This is not a complaint about what the team has done. Far from it. This season has been such a tremendous step forward. The team has changed its approach. It’s attitude. The belief it has in itself. This has been one of the more enjoyable football seasons in years.

All Pitt can do is keep on winning the games it should — like this Friday. Things will take care of themselves.

Final note.

The Coaching Carousel is seemingly spinning wildly. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports did a long piece listing 51 coaches either rising or falling that could/should be in play as soon as the regular seasons end. 51 coaches and somehow the only mention of Pat Narduzzi was in additional notes as a quote he had about Ejuan Price’s great game on Saturday.

It is a good sign that Pat Narduzzi’s agent hasn’t even let his name float out there for any of the open jobs — even to get a raise — in his first year. I don’t assume Narduzzi will never want to leave, or won’t be tempted by the prestige/money of some other job. But it is clear he likes the situation he has stepped into at Pitt.

One more reason to be positive about the football program going forward.





We Pitt fans all said that the first step was to win all the games we were supposed to. Even if we lose to underdog Miami (per the odds), it will still be to a team that probably has more talent.

What I am overjoyed with are (1) the fact that this team is still primarily fueled by underclassmen, (2) seem to finally have adapted to the new offense, and, most importantly, have adopted a winning culture.

Comment by wbb 11.23.15 @ 8:56 am

Money isn’t everything for all people including coaches though we have been conditioned to think otherwise. Coach Duzz will make a very comfortable living for as long as he wants at Pitt. There are perks with this job that a dollar value cannot be placed on..close to his home and extended family, a great working environment that is balanced with great academics and great leadership, a centrally located university where he can easily recruit several states.There are probably a lot more reasons to stay than leave. I see his younger assistants climbing the promotion ladder and moving on. Money can’t buy everyone.

Comment by BigB 11.23.15 @ 9:26 am

Dreaming:

Can you imagine if these (3) returned to Pitt next year for one more season?

Ejuan Price DE for 6th season
Tyler Boyd WR
James Conner RB

Again, I can dream…

Comment by Erie Express 11.23.15 @ 9:26 am

Due to being out for an entire season (last year), Price could apply for another year. Not a guarantee but a possibility … probably a bigger one than either Boyd or Conner returning

Comment by wbb 11.23.15 @ 9:30 am

He might not make what the win at all costs (4-6 mil)programs pay but he will make a very comfortable living. I am sure he will see increases in his salary. He is the football “savior” we have been waiting for. Heck, we have been wondering in the desert for nearly 40 years. Those days are over. We are heading to the promised land.

Comment by BigB 11.23.15 @ 9:30 am

@Erie Express

Price and Conner are probably, I think. Boyd almost certainly will be gone.

My dreams are centered on possible additions to this year’s recruiting class.

H2P

Comment by pmdH2P 11.23.15 @ 9:31 am

Well said, Chas. And, for the record, it never gets old hearing that Pitt has had a great year and really taken a nice step forward.

I love the quotes by Boyd and Price after the game. They believe that they should win. They believe that the staff does a great job of putting them into a position to win.

Credit to Miami, they haven’t packed it in. Friday will be a tough game and Pitt will need to be focused from the start. What an enjoyable season indeed!

Comment by JAM05PITT 11.23.15 @ 9:36 am

This concept of “winning the games that they should” is an amorphous abstract thought that evolves in it’s own definition who those teams are that we should beat based on our fortunes, their fortunes and the emotional roller coaster of the Panther fanbase during the process. It’s hilarious to follow!

A short three months ago there was a heated debate about the quality Nebraska players who the YSU had on their roster now. Enough to beat Pitt again now that the genius Bo Pelini was coaching the Penquins now.

We lose our 1st game to the Hawkeyes and the pessimists quickly evoked the SOP label for the Panthers professing that if Pitt can’t hang with a middling B1G team like Iowa how could they even get to a .500 record again in 2015.

Then GT was the team to beat in the ACC Coastal, Pitt had little chance in this one since the triple option was seldom seen and impossible to stop. GT was a sure bet for winning the Coastal Crown, yeah right.

All of a sudden we’re 6-1 and full of ourselves, winning at home against UNC puts us in the driver’s seat for the division title and we get schooled by the Tarheels, just when we get noticed for a slot n the top 25.

After the ND loss the dark cloud over the program predicts that the Panthers might just not win another game in light of how well the remaining teams on our schedule are playing. Duke still being a contender will be tuff to stop and can we hold them to under 40 points? Unlikely. How did that work out for the Blue Devils?

Then last Sarurday, the slow starting Panthers that play like anemic old men in the 1st half of games put up 42 points in the half and everyone is high on Pitt Koolaid until the Cardinals bring us back down to earth with a potent aerial attack to make a game of it in the second half, where usually Pitt comes on strong.

Now we are butch in and moaning since we’ve been dissed by the voters and remain lowly ranked in the high twenties rather than where other 8-3 teams reside in the top 25.

So exactly who are these teams that we are supposed to beat? Preseason the only sure wins were YSU & Akron, and those Ws were just on paper since they were both victorious over the Panthers in their last match ups with us. After beating VT & GT the thought was these are “quality” wins but then as both Techs continued their season tailspins they became “teams we should have beaten” really?

Well perception is reality and right now Pitt just hasn’t gotten any signature win this season. That’s the perception. Beating ND would have been that type of win. However make no mistake about it both the Duke and the Louisville victories are really good wins against teams that are definitely NOT in the category of teams that we were supposed to beat.

After our two game slide, there was such pessimism around after Notre Dame exposed our deficiencies that many thought that the Panthers might not see another win this season. Even Coach Narduzzi acknowledged that the current roster needed to be reinforced with future recruiting to address some of those deficiencies. Disheartening.

So here we stand at 8-3 and the evaluation is that we’ve simply beaten the teams that we should have. Hilarious. No one knows anything, ever, about the future. That is why they play the games.

The moral of the story? I’m not quite sure. But what I do know is that watching Pitt football has become fun again! I love this Coach, Pitt has now and my eternal hope that Pitt can win any game on their schedule is actually being validated by this gritty bunch of Panthers who are learning how to win under this coach’s guidance.

My prediction on the Miami game? Just like all of you, I have no frickin clue, that’s why they play the games. Just enjoy the process.

Comment by Dr. Tom 11.23.15 @ 9:43 am

Some coach’s pay are incremented for wins, rankings, bowls, etc. Suspect some recruits seeing how we play Miami. 9-3 and they flock to us. My 8-4 prediction solid but I am greedy. H2P

Comment by Frank MD 11.23.15 @ 9:43 am

Dr. Tom – I really enjoy your posts – calm analytical – The Blather Dr. of Philosophy. Complimented you just now in the last thread but wanted to make sure you got my kudos, for what that’s worth.
HAIL TO PITT!!!!. We will crush the Canes!!!

Comment by rkb 11.23.15 @ 9:55 am

This year >>>> A credit to the HC and his staff….

What a NOVEL concept!!!….winning the games you should win.

Hope that Coach Narduzzi stays longer than 1 year…2 years …3 years…..

It will be absolutley “AMEZEGA” (to steal a line from Bob Walk)…..to see what this team looks like when the Head Coach has HIS recruits playing for him….and puts his entire program into place.

Sheesh…..just like most “polished” football programs are used to – year after year – decade after decade.

It would be nice to get back … “to normal.”

HAIL TO PITT !

Comment by The Truth 11.23.15 @ 10:01 am

Any educated guesses on a bowl game? I saw 3 sites with 3 different bowls and opponents.

Comment by JLE 11.23.15 @ 10:21 am

Well stated Dr. Tom…Let’s all enjoy the ride!!!

H2P!!

Comment by Jerry S 11.23.15 @ 10:32 am

Thanks for the Kudos rkb. I hope your crystal ball is accurate. I thought the Hurricanes would throw in the towel once Golden was given his walking papers. Go figure!?

Now they seem as dangerous as ever. But so are the Panthers. Both the Duke and the Ville wins were pleasant surprises. A third one would be the perfect surprise trifecta to end the season, wouldn’t it?

No doubt a 9-3 Panther record gets us a visit back into the top 25 again and a Tier I bowl match up against a quality opponent. That would be quite a feat accomplished by a brand new HC, for sure!

If such good fortune befalls us then, for the month of December we can debate whether such a ranking is a jinx or not right up to our bowl game time. Got to worry about something, if you’re a Pitt fan. Haha.

Comment by Dr. Tom 11.23.15 @ 10:42 am

While we don’t have a “marquis” win, the fact that we got all those road wins, and 6 ACC wins is miraculous. We seem to be getting better, beating teams with winning records and beating them soundly. Although, as a Pitt Fan, Louisville’s attempted comeback brought back many disturbing memories. Those feelings are hard to shake, and the “expecting to win vibe” will take a while to take hold after 30 years of the other.

Miami has won 3 of their last four, they are not coming here to lay down. Look for another tough hard fought contest.

We need to win one more for Tyler Boyd, the most prolific wide receiver to ever wear the Blue and Gold. He has set records that probably won’t be broken for many, many years.

Second behind the greatest Panther of all in all-purpose yardage.

Comment by gc 11.23.15 @ 10:55 am

I’m interested to see the treatment Pitt gets by the ACC when assigning the bowl matchups.
I would enjoy the Sun Bowl in El Paso against UCLA, the Sun Bowl was a great location when Pitt last played there.
Jacksonville would be a good choice also.
Nashville and Charlotte would be okay. But please not the Pinstripe Bowl unless the opponent is Ped.
St.

Comment by Spindler's Spirit 11.23.15 @ 11:06 am

Looking at all the bowl projections, I believe it would do Pitt a world of good to be matched against a ranked opponent. Haven’t seen that yet. That would certainly give them their win against somebody ranked. Oddly enough, the Pedo’s typically are projected to play someone ranked. Assuming they win Friday and can win a respectable bowl matchup, no doubt they are a top 20 team to start next year.

Comment by FoolOfPitt 11.23.15 @ 11:06 am

Don’t want to play PSU or WVU. Like the idea of UCLA, where it is warm. Playing PSU would take the luster off next year’s big game. Don’t care if we ever play WVU again.

Comment by gc 11.23.15 @ 11:13 am

I don’t think Pitt will give Narduzzi a raise for next season at all… nor should they. He’s got a five year contract and the buyout money for any school wanting to hire him would be not only four years of his annual salary but probably also a ‘buyout penalty” which would put the price tag on his hiring as high as $10M…without his new salary at the new job.

His assistants are a different story. The only one I’d consider giving a raise to would be DC Josh Conklin. He’s young enough that he may even take a pay cut to get to a bigger program to bolster his resume’. But one factor for him would be to want to stay with Narduzzi for at least 2-3 years and learn from one of the best DCs in college football.

OC Jim Chaney isn’t going anywhere, he’s already a journeyman and his work at Pitt this season isn’t nearly good enough for another program to buy out his contract. We may like what he did at Pitt this season but football employers look at stats as well as results and ours just aren’t that great on offense to worry about losing him.

Everyone else is probably under one or two years contracts and can be expected to leave as assistants come and go at this level.

One more thing – don’t thing Pitt has an unlimited bucket of money for football – it doesn’t. We fans can throw around “we should give Tom, Dick and Harry a raise” but the administration isn’t thinking that way.

Comment by Reed 11.23.15 @ 11:20 am

Pittsburgh weather for the Miami game:
Fri Nov 27
Cloudy and warm
63°Lo 42°

Comment by Tvax 11.23.15 @ 11:22 am

You can only beat the teams you play! Pitt has done that very well.

As one of the old guys…. Could we please play somewhere
Warm!

Comment by Dan 72 11.23.15 @ 11:25 am

Leaving the Pitt game, walking to the car, pass a small dive bar, guy is in the doorway, yells to me

“what’d they do”, I replied……….

“they won again!”

what a wonderful feeling to able to say that!!!!

Comment by Dan 11.23.15 @ 11:33 am

Bill Cowher fine line and Pitt is on the good side of the line. What is surprising is how much Narduzzi is a stickler for attention to detail. The nuances he speaks of will take time and talent but it will be interesting to see what he turns this team into the next few years.

Comment by Chethejet 11.23.15 @ 11:39 am

Dan reminded me of one of my favorite times as a kid. My friends & I were walking past a bar right after the Steelers beat the Colts to go to Super Bowl 30. The town drunk stumbles out having just watched the game & asked us who won. We told him the Steelers & he proceeded to stagger down the middle of the street chanting Here We Go Steelers all the way home.

Comment by Nick 11.23.15 @ 11:46 am

I would LOVE to see us play Penn State or WVU in a bowl game. It is criminal that we don’t play those two teams every year anymore. Rivalries are what makes sports so exciting. Could you imagine Auburn and Alabama ending theirs? How about Ohio State and Michigan or Clemson and Carolina? Total BS that we had/have to wait so long for ours to be renewed. Oh, and FU JoePa for ending Pitt/PSU. I’d spit on your grave if I ever saw it for what you allowed to happen to those boys.

Comment by Bobby 11.23.15 @ 11:47 am

@Nick, LOL

A little disappointed. I know some of you are pining for a warm weather bowl, which would be great with me too.

However, I would love to see us in the Pinstripe Bowl, love NYC, especially during Christmas time.

I thought it was mid-December, or maybe 19th, 20th, 21st, something like that. I believe that’s what it’s been, because I thought of making that trip if it ever happened.

I see it’s now the day after Christmas??

Won’t be able to do that one.

Comment by Dan 11.23.15 @ 11:53 am

Reed, I hope that we don’t bump this guy’s salary up for winning 8-9 games because he is already being paid to win 8-9 games. If they wanted to keep winning 6 games in perpetuity they would have just kept Cyanide Steve on and saved a ton on his buyout and on the bum that he surely would have hired.

Besides, these contract extensions rarely keep a coach where he is. Just ask the Pedos about that $1mil raise they gave Bill O’Brien the year before he left.

Comment by 2$Chuck 11.23.15 @ 11:59 am

Syracuse HC Scott Shaffer is axed (good friend of HCPN)

and as many of you already know, Iowa St gave formed Pitt DC Paul Rhoads his walking papers yesterday

There are a lot openings so far with a likely a few more coming. Not implying that these will have any effect on current Pitt staff .. just making an observation

Comment by wbb 11.23.15 @ 12:03 pm

Just listened to Coach Narduzzi’s pressed. Again want to crawl thru the radio and hug him and personally thank him for coming to Pitt.

His enthusiasm is contagious and as Chet mentioned he has
what all great coaches have …. Attention to detail and the ability to instill it in his players!

This time last year we were in hot discussion about Chryst
not centering the ball so Duke. What a difference!

Comment by Dan 72 11.23.15 @ 12:20 pm

HCPN sounds like a happy camper to me … following are some PG tweets from PN’s press conference:

Narduzzi on Ejuan Price’s sixth-year application: “I might have to hand deliver that to the NCAA.” #Pitt

Sam Werner
Narduzzi said he talked to Dantonio after MSU win, too. PN was happy for Spartans’ win, and vice versa.

Narduzzi says he hasn’t talked to Boyd about NFL decision, but he’s “never going to recruit a guy to stay.” #Pitt

Brian Batko
Narduzzi on Tyler Boyd’s upcoming NFL decision: “We haven’t had one word about it. He’s been focused and that’s what he needs to be.”
Sam Werner
Narduzzi on Connor Dintino at fullback: “He’s pounded some people inside and created some great holes for Ollison to run through

Narduzzi on #Pitt seniors: “They’re my guys because they embraced me when I came into this room.”

Brian Batko
Narduzzi on his seniors: “They’re all your children, it doesn’t matter if they’re with you one year. … You love these guys. ”
Brian Batko
More Narduzzi: “That’s what I love about coach Chaney is he’s gonna be able to pound the football, and that’s how you win football games.
Brian Batko
Narduzzi on Ollison’s 1,000 yards: “Here in Pittsburgh, we’re gonna be able to run the football and we’re gonna be able to stop the run.”

Sam Werner
Narduzzi: “Here in Pittsburgh, we’re going to be able to run the football and we’re going to be able to stop the run.” #Pitt

Comment by wbb 11.23.15 @ 12:24 pm

I could see Shaffer ending up as our DC if Conklin bolts… H2P

Comment by pittbluegold 11.23.15 @ 12:43 pm

Dr. Tom – Great selection of the word “Process” at the end of your post. Becuse, as has been said many times on The Blather, that is exactly what we are going thru – again. Only this time, it is ENJOYABLE!

All who have pointed to concerns about losing some of the staff: I’ve gotten the impression over the years, that most good head coaches think of it as a feather in their cap when a staff member gets a “promotion” to another team. As more and more of one’s staff leave for higher positions, it would seem to me to be easier to find staff replacements. You get a rep for teaching coaches, and increasing their marketability.

This is what I think we’ll see with HCPN. He will be very successful, in part, because he has very good assistants – or rather because he has trained very good assistants. And they will be in high demand. Success begets success!

Comment by Savannah Panther 11.23.15 @ 12:44 pm

BTW, has anyone seen what the Over/Under is for the number of Hurricanes who come out bare chested for warmups this week??

Comment by Savannah Panther 11.23.15 @ 12:50 pm

Ollison got his 1000, not playing much vs Iowa, and getting benched vs UNC for poor blocking, pretty remarkable.

Boyd might have gotten his third 1000 yd year if he had played vs. YSU. Still remarkable.

Comment by gc 11.23.15 @ 12:51 pm

A signature win is not needed to be ranked, or even HIGHLY ranked. There are a number of Top 25 teams without one.

Look at the schedules of Iowa, ND, and UNC. Iowa’s best win is probably Northwestern and they not impressive. Notre Dame’s might be Temple; UNC’s might be Pitt. It could be argued that Pitt is the signature win for all 3, and Pitt is unranked.

I also don’t buy the logic that, “well Temple played ND closer than Pitt did, therefore Temple is better than Pitt” – as if ND’s performance is a constant. That makes no sense.

I don’t know if Pitt is better than Temple because they haven’t played them. But I’d be willing to bet that if Temple played in the ACC instead of the AAC they would have more than 2 losses.

Comment by Iron Duke 11.23.15 @ 1:01 pm

Savannah – it’s supposed to be in the mid 60’s on Friday, so the bare-chested Canes won’t be proving much. Hell I might even go bare chested!

Comment by Iron Duke 11.23.15 @ 1:04 pm

Sounds like Les Miles is out at LSU. He turned down his alma mater Michigan at least once to stay in Baton Rouge.

I think something in Pitt’s favor is Narduzzi is a good fit here. Hell if someone told you he was western Pa born and raised you wouldn’t doubt it for a second. I think Conklin may want to learn under the master for a couple more years. If he would go Duzz is always going to be involved in the defense and is going to bring in a guy that plays his style.

I’m with Reed, don’t think Pitt needs to give him a raise or extension…yet.

Comment by Pap76 11.23.15 @ 1:05 pm

Thanks, Iron! That would be good news! (The good news being, the Canes being fully dressed – not, you going bare-chested!!) No offense intended!

Comment by Savannah Panther 11.23.15 @ 1:11 pm

Conklin won’t bolt after one year. He’s got outstanding mentorship under Narduzzi and he’s smart enough to know that. If he’s really set on being successful, he’ll stay until he’s mastered the defense.

Comment by Atlanta Panther 11.23.15 @ 1:25 pm

agree he won’t bolt right away, but if this kind of FB prevails at Pitt, he’ll be a hot commodity in a few years

Comment by wbb 11.23.15 @ 2:34 pm

Dan, saw your note about Chryst not centering the ball and had a brief chilling flashback to Blewitt kicking an 18yarder or so this past weekend from a severe angle…..yet no comments about centering the ball from our group.

I think the kid just missed it last year. There are many things that happen during a game we can all question on Sunday morning…or for the late owls, Saturday night!

It’s a new era. A new day! Forget the missed calls and missed opportunities. We are a new Pitt. I only worry about losing Harley. Very young and a go getter. They do deserve a raise, all of them. They are changing the culture and teaching the players how to win and the fans how to win again. Some can argue, that is their job and I respect that. I would argue that they have performed exceptionally where the past 5 staffs failed. Nice raise necessitated. 10%. Make it happen!

Comment by dhuffdaddy 11.23.15 @ 2:56 pm

Maybe as a change of pace the Miami cheerleaders will be topless. That would keep some of the male Pitt fan in the stands until the game is over.

H2P

Comment by pmdH2P 11.23.15 @ 2:58 pm

With all the high five’s that are being tossed around today by most of you posters, let me just highlight IMO the DUMBEST defensive call by Conklin last week. Louisville ball on the Pitt 49 yard line with 13 seconds to go in the first half. Conklin has Maddox single covering the wide receiver with no safety help over the top. The result TD by Louisville. Doesn’t anyone think that ever was there a case for a 2 deep safety on that play around the 10 yard line to help on just that sort of play call? Even if Louisville hit on a 20 to 30 yard pass play the best result for Louisville would have probably been the 3 point field goal.

Comment by jrnpitt 11.23.15 @ 3:20 pm

What comforts me the most about Narduzzi and the Pitt HC job, is Barnes and Gallagher.

They don’t want to go through this again, I think they know what they have.

I think he is genuinely happy here.

He made friends and had relationships at Mich. State, but that is not “going home” for him.

Now, if for arguments sake Alabama, ND, USC, Texas came calling with 10 million dollars or some other boat load of money, well, what are you gonna do.

However, I don’t think a “regular” Power 5 school is gonna be able to come in and throw a buck or two his way, without Barnes and Gallagher handling that.

We may not have a never ending supply of money, but no one is going to be able to come in here and nickle and dime him away. I believe those type of offers will be answered.

Comment by Dan 11.23.15 @ 3:20 pm

Sorry to bring up a sore subject, but I do think there is one thing, that would bother Narduzzi or any other coach,

especially, if say for example he puts together 3 or 4 seasons, getting progressivly better, Pitt becoming a solid 9-3, 10-2 team, always in the top 20 type of team………..

if he does that, and in year 3 or 4, looks up and still sees 20K empty seats for the non
ND-PSU-WVU type games.

That would be disconcerting to anyone.

Sore subject, but the truth. Not fun.

Comment by Dan 11.23.15 @ 3:24 pm

Regarding Chas’ write-up, I agree wholeheartedly with the summary, though in terms of language, as doc pointed out, rather than say “we won the games we should win”, a fairer statement would be that “we won all of the toss-up games” (which was most of our schedule) with the exception of Iowa. And that’s incredible progress in 1 year, all by a coaching staff that doesn’t even have its first full year of recruits in house. They just wouldn’t make any excuses.

Conklin has a good situation now, and I’m glad he’s our DC! However, the reality is that Narduzzi may get the credit for our defensive progress, so if Conklin did want to leave, he’d have to overcome that stigma…

Comment by 1618mt 11.23.15 @ 4:00 pm

I too hope Coach Narduzzi stays at Pitt for many years but as we know, college football is a big business. If Pitt is very successful, some school with deep pockets will take him away. If Pitt turns south and starts becoming same old Pitt, we Blatherites will want him fired. My point: enjoy Pitt football today because it can change quickly. I remember when Pitt won its last national championship and we were still celebrating when news came out that Coach Majors signed on at Tennessee. Moral of my story: enjoy the ride while we can.

Hail to Pitt. Beat the U.

Comment by MariettaMike 11.23.15 @ 4:05 pm

CBS sports has Pitt/Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on January 2

Comment by Chick 11.23.15 @ 4:07 pm

Perhaps some people have forgotten that Narduzzi was given a generous contract when he signed with Pitt last year. He was THE hot prospect in D-I ball and got money commensurate with that status. Pitt paid up to get their guy – some thing they had not done in the past. The Chancellor acknowledged paying up and has made some very encouraging stmnts about the role/importance of the FB program.

For his part, HCPN says this is his dream job.

With the above in mind, its not time to bum Narduzzi just yet. Lets win a Coastal Division title first or perhaps finish a season in the Top 15. Until then, we wait.

When a bigger school courts him – and they will someday – with buckets of cash, we can seal him up with a new deal then. And if Pitt is where he wants to be, he will take it instead of moving on.

HCPN got a very nice budget to work with to bring in assistants. More than Pitt had paid in the past and what was necessary to land the folks he wanted. If he wants to keep one who is being lured away by $$ and asks for a budget increase to match/beat an offer – I give it to him to do just that.

In the meantime, lets be patient and enjoy the show.

Comment by Joe L 11.23.15 @ 4:14 pm

By the way, I saw that some intern gave Iowa a first place vote. Not to take anything away from Iowa, but gee wizz…..

Comment by 1618mt 11.23.15 @ 4:56 pm

My sense is that he will receive bonus money for his efforts this year. Not sure about the trickle down to the assistants, but expect there to be some nice bonuses handed out.

Interesting note about attendance. It needs addressed at some point. Start funding it now and when we are ready to make the next move, we will have funding in place. Gator Bowl would be nice. Dak is probably as big as most of our DL.

Comment by dhuffdaddy 11.23.15 @ 5:03 pm

HCPN wanted the Pitt job according to articles I read. His first year success reflects his (and assistants) coaching and enthusiasm. I have read about no unhappiness from anyone. Why speculate. After Miami we expect a vigorous recruiting effort which could really put us over the top. H2P

Comment by Frank MD 11.23.15 @ 5:45 pm

“CBS sports has Pitt/Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on January 2
Comment by Chick 11.23.15 @ 4:07 pm”

Intriguing. I would travel from Central VA for that game/venue.

The Pinstripe Bowl would be great too – NYC during the holidays is fun.

Invites to Dee-troit, Shreveport and Houston should be turned down. And for God’s sake, no Birmingham. Even if they have drive-thru dacquiri places in Shreveport.

We’ve earned something better this year.

Comment by Joe L 11.23.15 @ 5:53 pm

A signature win is not needed to be ranked, or even HIGHLY ranked. There are a number of Top 25 teams without one. Comment by Iron Duke 11.23.15 @ 1:01 pm

Great comment Iron

One only has to look over the west of Pitt….in Ohio Fake land.

Just who is the Bucknuts signature win ?

Va Tech, Pedo St., Northern Illinois, Minnesota, Illinois ???

They FINALLY played a ranked team in their creampuff schedule, and lost at HOME. To a team playing a 2nd STRING QB who had thrown 3 entire passes in his career at Mich State.

Why are they still ranked #8 ?

Comment by Emel 11.23.15 @ 8:13 pm

We love to rag on the SEC, but they can’t manipulate their schedules down there, like they do in the Big Joke, so that the Top teams don’t play anyone of consequence, except maybe once or twice in 13 games.

And then it’s at the tailend of season, so that they don’t fall much in the totally bogus rankings.

As I say…The Big Joke.

Comment by Emel 11.23.15 @ 8:19 pm

Check this out on CBSSports

64% of ppl that voted believe Pitt is ranked too low !

link to cbssports.com

One of the few team where ppl voted a team was ranked…..too low.

Werner was not one of them apparently.

Comment by Emel 11.23.15 @ 8:26 pm

If all our games were tossups, the odds of going 8-3 are about 1 in 12. It’s about the same if you throw out ND, YSU, UNC, and Akron. (see binomial probability calculator on statisticshowto.com )Yes, we could have gotten lucky, but we all know it’s coaching.

So, for our bowl, my wish is to play (and beat) a brand name Big 10, SEC, or Pac 12 team that plays real football. Nebraska, Michigan?, USC or UCLA, LSU, Georgia…

Comment by CA-Yinzer 11.23.15 @ 8:28 pm

lol at #42….69% still thought the Pedo’s of Creepy Valley….were ranked …Too High.

Comment by Emel 11.23.15 @ 8:29 pm

So the Nation loves Pitt….despise the Pedo’s.

If only we could get the local media whores to reflect the National Sentiment.

Comment by Emel 11.23.15 @ 8:30 pm

I go on cbs sports everyday and vote Pitt too low and The Dairy College too high. We should all do that to elevate the perception of our team. It takes a village.

Comment by dhuffdaddy 11.24.15 @ 12:30 am

i still think we could have beaten nc if we stuck with the run.

Comment by goalie44 11.24.15 @ 4:15 pm

@Emel
Not exactly sure what you meant by this “We love to rag on the SEC, but they can’t manipulate their schedules down there, like they do in the Big Joke, so that the Top teams don’t play anyone of consequence, except maybe once or twice in 13 games.” If you’re talking in conference, fine.

Florida played East Carolina, New Mexico State and Florida Atlantic at home this year. Two of those were decided by a touchdown.

Georgia played Louisiana-Monroe, Southern and Georgia Southern at home.

Alabama played Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee and Charleston-Southern at home.

Mississippi played Tennessee-Martin, New Mexico State and Fresno State at home. They did actually challenge themselves a bit a scheduled Memphis on the road and lost. Memphis now has three conference losses.

Those are your top two teams in the SEC East and West. I hope your point wasn’t that the SEC doesn’t schedule cupcakes.

Comment by Barvo 11.24.15 @ 8:57 pm

Nope meant conference games.

Comment by Emel 11.24.15 @ 11:27 pm

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