Pat Narduzzi says Pitt learned from mistakes to reach ACC Championship Game

With Heisman and Biletnikoff candidates leading Pitt to its best season in four decades, the situation couldn’t have been much sweeter this season.

Actually, if the goal is perfection, there’s always room for improvement.

Pitt lost only two games during the regular season by a total of seven points. One or two more favorable outcomes in 44-41 and 38-34 losses to Western Michigan and Miami (not to mention better defense) might have launched Pitt into consideration for a berth in the four-team College Football Playoff.

It’s never advisable to talk about what could have been. Would victories in those games have caused players to let their guard down against North Carolina and Virginia? It’s all conjecture.

A possible playoff berth wasn’t the point of Pat Narduzzi’s remarks Sunday night while talking to reporters on an ACC conference call. In fact, he never mentioned the playoff.

But he did touch on the approach Pitt brought to those two games.

First, though, let’s examine how close Pitt came to avoiding defeat.

In the Western Michigan game (a week after winning at Tennessee), Narduzzi and his staff didn’t adjust to the Broncos’ RPO offense. Pitt ended up surrendering 517 yards, six touchdowns and 44 points — all season highs for an opponent. And this opponent finished 7-5 (4-4 and tied for last place in the MAC West Division).

“We relaxed against Western Michigan, thinking that, ‘Hey, we beat an SEC team,’ ” Narduzzi said. “I tried to get it all done the right way, and it didn’t get done. Ultimately, that’s my job to get that done.”

Nonetheless, Heisman hopeful Kenny Pickett threw six touchdown passes, and Biletnikoff finalist Jordan Addison caught 124 yards worth of receptions and was joined by Jared Wayne in reaching triple digits (100).

The score was tied 34-34 at the outset of the fourth quarter, but Western Michigan scored the next 10 points. Pitt rallied behind Jaylon Barden’s 22-yard touchdown catch with 3 minutes, 48 seconds left and had the Broncos third-and-7 from their 28 on the subsequent possession.

But quarterback Kaleb Eleby, who was hurried on the play by linebacker Cam Bright, completed a 13-yard pass to Corey Crooms, and Western Michigan ran out the clock.

What if Bright had reached Eleby a second sooner and recorded a sack or batted the ball away? Western Michigan would have punted and Pitt may — or may not — have scored again.

The bigger question might be this: How did Pitt allow Crooms to amass 161 yards in receptions? He averaged fewer than 50 in the other 11 games.

“Probably made a mistake after we beat Tennessee,” Narduzzi said Sunday. “I gave the message out (to be wary of Western Michigan), but I’m not sure that it all got down the line. We all have to be on the same page. If the head coach is saying this is what our focus is this week, this is what we need to talk about. Don’t talk about that. Talk about this.”

The Miami game was another that could have ended up in Pitt’s favor, but the defense allowed freshman quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to throw for 426 yards.

Again, what if Miami running back Jaylan Knighton had not crossed the goal line by mere inches in the fourth quarter, and Pitt was rewarded a safety (such as linebacker Phil Campbell said should have occurred)?

Pitt already had allowed 38 points, and those two points only would have a facilitated a victory, not ensured it. The game was lost before that point.

“The Miami game, we knew we had to have composure. We had no composure,” Narduzzi said. “We had too many penalties that day (nine for a loss of 107 yards). We let Miami get into our heads, and our kids learned from it.

“Our kids buying into what we’re saying and believing in what we’re saying is critical.

“And sometimes they don’t listen. Then, they learn from those mistakes. It’s my job to make sure they learn from them.”

Pitt is 4-0 since losing to Miami, and Narduzzi said his captains – Pickett, Bright, Cal Adomitis and Deslin Alexandre — often address teammates without coaches in the room to ensure his message hits its mark.

“They talk to the team anytime they want. Probably, three or four times a week,” Narduzzi said. “Coaches pull out of there and let them just talk to them.”

That type of communication has been critical to Pitt’s success, Narduzzi said.

He said he tells the captains, “ ‘Hey, Kenny, Cal, Deslin and Cam, you have to hit them on this. It’s got to come from your mouths.’

“ ‘They hear it from me, but if you guys are saying something totally different, we’re not going to get where we need to go.’ ”