Pat Narduzzi’s Conservative Play-Calling Costs Pitt Big-Time in Loss

Pitt had a chance to upset rival Penn State in their Week Three matchup, but Pat Narduzzi’s conservative play-calling cost them their chance at victory.

Despite putting up an outstanding effort against Penn State in Week Three, Pitt was ultimately unable to pull off the upset, losing 17-10. It was a disappointing result of course, but in a game in which they were massive underdogs, Pitt’s fighting spirit was admirable. Unfortunately, as close as they were, Pitt may have had an even better chance at a victory if not for the play-calling of head coach Pat Narduzzi.

Time and time again, Narduzzi settled for punts and field goal attempts when there were opportunities to do more. Narduzzi didn’t coach to win, he coached to avoid losing, and in the end, it’s that conservative approach that prevented Pitt from getting the upset victory.

On a day where quarterback Kenny Pickett played one of the best games of his career, Pitt simply refused to allow him to make big plays with the game on the line. From punting while deep in Penn State territory to attempting a field goal, that was missed, from Penn State’s goal line with under five minute left, Narduzzi refused to let his quarterback make plays despite having a great outing. The field goal attempt, in particular, was confounding. Andrew Fillipponi notes how ridiculous the play-calling was, saying,

Ultimately, despite a great effort, Pitt was undone by poor play-calling in big spots. In a game nobody expected them to win, it would’ve made sense for Narduzzi to take some chances and play aggressively.  In what will be the last game between these two rivals for a while, it’s unfortunate that Pitt’s coaching staff didn’t give the team a chance to shine with the game on the line.