Pat Narduzzi will see it all when he evaluates video from Pitt's Blue-Gold Game

When he sits down to evaluate the snapshots and video from Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game — perhaps more leisurely than usual with no game scheduled until Aug. 30 — Pat Narduzzi will see some good, some bad and even some moments that make him angry.

But the one headline from the Blue’s 17-14 victory against the Gold on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium was this:

“The main thing is we came out healthy. We couldn’t have afforded any more injuries,” he said at the end of the day.

What transpired on the North Shore was less a game than just one of 15 practices. The big difference was the presence of Pitt’s pep band and many more spectators than players see at a normal practice.

Oh, yeah, one other big thing: Tackling was not allowed.

Narduzzi declared the final practice of the spring a “thud” session, meaning players are only permitted to bump into the ball carrier and make sure everyone stays off the ground.

The intrasquad scrimmage was designed to put the team’s best players on both sidelines.

“It’s never as clean as you want it to be. When you split the teams up, sometimes you’re going to get that,” the coach said.

The one exception was Narduzzi fixing things so starting quarterback Eli Holstein played behind the first-string offensive line.

Holstein, however, threw two interceptions, one on the second snap of the day and both to redshirt sophomore cornerback Shadarian Harrison.

“The first interception he threw on the (run-pass option), he should have handed it off. There was a big hole there,” Narduzzi said. “He finished better than he started. He was solid.”

Harrison, named most improved defensive player this spring, is finally healthy after a shoulder injury curtailed his progress in his first two seasons on campus.

Narduzzi said he liked how Harrison “fought in the offseason to get better at everything.”

“The guy must have been watching tape on his own. He came out in spring ball and just knew what he was doing.”

For the day, Holstein had far more attempts than the other three quarterbacks, completing 17 of 33 for 171 yards and a 2-yard scoring flip to freshman wide receiver Cam Sapp. Kenny Johnson, named most improved player on offense, caught seven passes for 63 yards.

One of the best plays of the day was a hookup between freshman Mason Heintschel and transfer wide receiver Cataurus “Blue” Hicks, who embarrassed the defense with his speed by running past several players for a 65-yard score. Heintschel concluded his first spring by completing 8 of 11 passes for 114 yards.

Hicks, a transfer from Louisville, made it clear that, even though the defense was not allowed to tackle him, he believes he would have scored, anyway. “They didn’t touch me,” he said.

Said Narduzzi: “We saw Blue can run. We might have to change his number. He wants a single digit. If he keeps playing like that, he’ll get one.”

The other play worth mentioning is one that likely will remain on the shelf: All-American linebacker Kyle Louis was inserted into the game at running back.

It was supposed to be a running play, but Louis saw wide receiver Zion Fowler-El break open, so he tossed the ball left-handed across his body for a 14-yard touchdown.

“It was open. I had to throw it,” Narduzzi said Louis told him.

“(Defensive end Jaeden) Moore had him but was smart enough not to tackle him,” Narduzzi said.

Coaches beware: Now that Louis has his first taste of throwing a pass in a game, he’ll want more.

“I’m going to definitely keep begging the coaches to put the ball in my hands,” he said.

Throughout the afternoon, Narduzzi kept a close eye on matters of physicality, screaming admonishments at any defensive player who attacked a ball carrier too zealously.

“Some of the running backs and receivers weren’t happy.”

He said he heard them shout back on multiple occasions, “Coach, it’s thud.”

Many players took the day off to either ensure they remain healthy or to rest an existing injury. They included running back Desmond Reid, linebacker Rasheem Biles and wide receivers Andy Jean, Deuce Spann and C.J. Lee.

Reid’s absence left the ground game largely to freshman Ja’Kyrian Turner and senior walk-on Justin Cook, a converted wide receiver. Turner ran 17 times for 44 yards, Cook 10 for 42, including a 2-yard scoring burst, plus 12 receptions for 68 yards.

The Blue led 17-0 after three quarters, but the game would have been closer as kicker James London, a transfer from Murray State, missed field-goal attempts of 33 and 42 yards.

“James didn’t play great like he has,” Narduzzi said, referencing 14 previous practices. “Maybe he had nerves. I bet if we had a second spring game, he’d have been all right.”