Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is as old school as college head coaches come.
A defensive mind, Narduzzi just wants his offense to run the ball, control the clock and shorten games so his defense can create low-scoring wins.
That is, Narduzzi wanted to do that, until it stopped working. Pitt’s offense completely bottomed out last season ranking 122nd in scoring (17.9 points per game), 120th in yards (302.2) and 131st in pace (60.1 plays per game).
Pitt’s offense was slow, boring and inefficient and the Panthers went just 3-9 in 2023.
In response, Narduzzi made the biggest change he’s made in his entire tenure with the Panthers, hiring offensive coordinator Kade Bell from Western Carolina.
Bell runs one of the fastest offensive systems in the country, completely different than what Narduzzi has done in the past. Through three games this season, Pitt is 14th in scoring (40.3 points per game), 16th in yards (478) and 31st in pace (72.7 plays per game).
“It takes a ton of commitment,” WVU coach Neal Brown said last week. “It’s entirely different than what (Narduzzi has) done…this is totally unique for him. For a defensive guy to go to this style, you can tell he’s gone all in.”
That new offense is a big reason why Pitt has started 3-0 and it’s the only reason the Panthers were able to come back and beat WVU 38-34 on Saturday.
The loss shines a spotlight on Brown and a West Virginia pass defense that has been dreadful to start the year.
Brown has never made a change as big as what Narduzzi has this year, his coordinators — Chad Scott and Jordan Lesley — were both on his initial WVU staff in 2019.
Narduzzi waited until hitting rock bottom to make a big change. Winning the 2021 ACC Championship afforded him the time to wait that long.
Brown, who has two winning seasons in five years at WVU, doesn’t have the luxury to wait until things hit rock bottom, although it’s starting to look like this season is heading that way.
The numbers on WVU’s pass defense are as bad as Pitt’s offense was a season ago. The Mountaineers rank 96th in passing yards (268 per game), 131st in opponent passer rating (210.7) and 127th in yards allowed per completion (16.2).
“Let’s just say what it is, we have not covered the pass very good,” Brown said after Saturday’s loss. “When it happens three weeks in a row, it is what it is. We’ve got to make some changes and some corrections.”
With the start of Big 12 play looming as Kansas comes to town this Saturday (noon, ESPN2) the clock has started for the Mountaineers to save their season. Whether the changes are schematic, personnel or coaching, they need to happen this week and they need to be effective.
If things don’t get better, the clock could start on Brown’s time in Morgantown as well. His one-year contract extension this offseason lowered his buyout, making it easier for the university to cut ties with him.
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