During his postgame news conference Saturday – after Pitt lost 107 yards in penalties and, finally, the game to Miami, 38-34 — Pat Narduzzi had no interest in talking about the officials.

When asked what led to the nine penalties marched off against his team, he said, “No comment.”

When asked about a play at the goal line in the fourth quarter when Pitt thought it had tackled Miami running back Jaylan Knighton for a safety, Narduzzi waited a full four seconds before saying, “Next question.”

Officials ruled Knighton made it out of the end zone, and the call was upheld on review. Narduzzi did have a discussion with officials on the field, but he had no interest in sharing his thoughts with reporters. Perhaps he didn’t trust himself and was merely trying to avoid a reprimand from the ACC office.

His players took the high road and did not overtly criticize the call.

“At the end of the day, we have to go out there and play, no matter if it’s in our favor or not,” linebacker SirVocea Dennis said. “We have to face adversity and continue to play.”

“I was trying to rally the troops after that call,” linebacker John Petrishen said, “because I could see guys were frustrated. You have to move on, no matter what the call is. That was a big moment. It’s unfortunate it didn’t go our way, but that’s football. You’re not going to get every call. The call is what the call was.”

After that play, Miami was able to run out the clock to ensure the victory.

If Pitt had recorded a safety, Miami’s lead would have been trimmed to 38-36 and the Hurricanes could have lost on a field goal.

Pitt kicker Sam Scarton was 2 for 3 on field goals, but he missed on a 49-yarder, his first in eight attempts this season.

Addison, Abanikanda look good

Narduzzi said early in the week that wide receiver Jordan Addison and running back Izzy Abanikanda were questionable to play with concussions. Later, he said the decision would be made at game time.

Both started.

Abanikanda carried six times for 28 yards and scored twice on a 1-yard run and 20-yard reception. Addison caught eight of his 11 targets for 145 yards, including 69 after the catch.

“I was limited in the beginning of the week, but throughout the week I practiced a lot,” Addison said. “I was feeling great throughout the whole week.”

‘Canes pass rush

Miami owns a four-game winning streak against Pitt after putting more pressure on quarterback Kenny Pickett than any team has this season. The Hurricanes recorded four sacks and seven hurries.

“Sometimes, they were bringing one extra guy than you can handle,” Narduzzi said.

No fooling

Faced with third-and-goal from the 5-yard line early in the fourth quarter, Pitt tried a version of the Pitt Special that worked for a touchdown against Central Florida in 2019.

Pickett ran a pass route while running back Vincent Davis took the snap and flipped to tight end Lucas Krull, who overthrew Addison in the end zone.

Pitt was forced to settle for Scarton’s 23-yard field goal, its final points of the game.

Miami scored on a trick play in the first quarter when Knighton took a handoff, pitched to wide receiver Mike Harley, who pitched to quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who hit tight end Will Mallory for a 57-yard touchdown.

“They just executed it perfectly,” Petrishen said.

Miami also scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Elijah Arroyo that looked like a miscommunication in the Pitt secondary and a 40-yard run by Knighton when the middle of Pitt’s run defense was vacated.

Notable

Pickett broke Dan Marino’s Pitt record for touchdown responsibility – 84, throwing, running and receiving – by throwing for three scores. … He also set a school record for total offense (11,492 yards), breaking Alex Van Pelt’s mark. … His Pitt-record 519 yards passing give him four 400+ career games. No other Pitt quarterback has more than one. … He is also the first Pitt quarterback to throw multiple touchdown passes in each of the first eight games of a season.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)