Pat Narduzzi remembers the empty feeling that engulfed him and his team after Pitt’s 42-10 loss to Clemson in the 2018 ACC Championship Game.

“After the game, you’re disappointed. You have your head down. ‘What the heck happened?’ ” he said Thursday, sharing his feelings with reporters.

But something else that happened after the game resonates three years later louder than those numbers on the scoreboard at Bank of America Stadium.

It was four simple words written in bold, black letters by Narduzzi’s daughter, Christina, on a grease board in the Pitt locker room:

“We Will Be Back.”

Yes, Pat Narduzzi does have at least one good memory of the 2018 ACC Championship Game. pic.twitter.com/NW5O6awyjm

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) December 2, 2021

Christina texted her dad a photo of that grease board this week to remind him that her prediction came true. Pitt will be back at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday night for the 2021 ACC Championship Game against Wake Forest.

“I thought this was beautiful,” he said, proudly holding up his phone to show reporters Christina’s text message. “I thought that was pretty cool.

“We Will Be Back,” he said repeating the words. “And we’re back.”

December 1, 2018Bank of America Stadium. pic.twitter.com/JsTXfWNE0M

— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) December 2, 2021

Pitt is a different team than the 2018 version that ended up with a 7-7 record.

“We didn’t handle the stage. Clemson,” Narduzzi said. “We had a bunch of first rounders on the defensive line. We ran into a buzzsaw. We’re a little different football team than we were back then.”

This season marks the second time Narduzzi gets a do-over in a Power 5 conference championship game.

In 2013, when he was Michigan State’s defensive coordinator, the Spartans defeated No. 2 Ohio State two years after they lost the title game to Russell Wilson and Wisconsin.

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