Pat Narduzzi teaches ball security by sticking it to Pitt's ball carriers

During a typical practice, Pitt coaches conduct a wide variety of drills on as many as three fields.

Coach Pat Narduzzi walks from one station to another, sometimes just observing, but often offering advice and loud admonishments if something displeases him.

Unlike legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant, who used to watch practice from a tower overlooking the field, Narduzzi has his boots on the ground and gets involved.

During ball security drills, Pitt’s 57-year-old head coach holds a long, wooden stick equipped on one end with a soft, blue pad. Narduzzi grips it like a medieval knight with a jousting stick.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi likes to stay involved in practice. pic.twitter.com/AcGxE6MA1y

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) August 16, 2023

Ball carriers run through a thicket of tackling dummies into the open, where they are immediately met by Narduzzi’s stick that he repeatedly thrusts at the football. The idea is to poke the ball loose and prepare players for defenders attempting to force fumbles.

“Nine turnovers and a blister,” Narduzzi said when asked Wednesday about his use of the stick.

Narduzzi isn’t the only one trying to have fun at an offensive player’s expense. Defensive coordinator Randy Bates is constantly prodding his players to take away the football.

“Takeaways are probably the No. 1 way to win football games,” Bates said.

He said his unit is not creating any more turnovers than it did last summer.

“Our offense is doing a great job of holding it,” Bates said. “They know we’re coming after it. They’re working on holding the ball as much as we are (working on) taking it away.”

Pitt has increased its takeaway frequency over the past three seasons from a total of 32 in Bates’ first two seasons (2018, 2019) to 65 in 2020, 2021 and 2022, proving his theory about winning football. Pitt won a total of 26 games, including a bowl game and ACC championship, the past three seasons.

The defense has proven more adept at causing turnovers than actually securing the football, forcing 84 fumbles and recovering 35 in the past five seasons. Throw in a total of 62 interceptions, and Pitt still is creating its share of havoc.

But if Pitt would recover five fumbles in a game, Bates probably would ask, “Why not six?”

To that end, he has spent the offseason trying to find the right combination of players to meet his demands. He knows all about losing seven defenders who attracted NFL attention during and after the draft, but he started preparing for this season before the end of 2022.

“We actually replaced them in December,” he said, noting many key defenders did not play in the Sun Bowl victory against UCLA. “For the most part, it’s the team we played in the bowl game. More than anything, it’s cleaning those guys up on what they need to work on and figuring out who our depth (players) are.”

One who has attracted the coaches’ eyeballs is senior defensive tackle Deandre Jules.

“Deandre has lost a bunch of weight,” Bates said. “He’s still a monster size-wise (6-foot-3, 310 pounds), and he’s figured it out. He’s really hard to block. He’s way more athletic now, moving as well as he’s ever moved. He’ll play a lot of ball for us.”

Bates said there’s a “good battle” for playing time continuing at linebacker, where he will choose three starters from a group that includes Shayne Simon, Brandon George, Bangally Kamara and Solomon DeShields. Even the fourth player will get plenty of playing time.

Simon and Kamara might be the most firmly entrenched of the group.

“Simon is an experienced football player who is very disciplined,” Bates said. “Bangally is one of the finer athletes, size-wise (6-2, 230) and speed-wise and athleticism-wise in the (college) game, quite frankly. The big thing for him is just learning the game and keep playing. The more he plays, the better he gets.”

Kamara said he added about 10 pounds in the offseason and, actually, started running faster. Usually, players who gain weight lose speed. Kamara went the other way, and he credits his coaches in the weight room.

“The more you squat, the more powerful your legs get,” he said.

Kamara knows he and his teammates have a legacy of strong defense to uphold, but he feels no pressure.

“It’s really just the standard,” he said.