Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi downplays travel challenges heading into game at Stanford

Cross-country travel is a byproduct of conference realignment, with several schools having joined new leagues despite a lack of geographical attachments.

For example, only such shuffling could have Oregon playing a conference game at Penn State in late September, followed by the Nittany Lions traveling (and losing to) UCLA the following week.

A similar dynamic exists in the ACC, which added two Pacific Coast members in Stanford and Cal in 2024.

As a result, for the first time since 1922, Pitt (6-2, 4-1 ACC) visits Stanford (3-5, 2-3) for a 3:30 p.m. showdown Saturday at Stanford Stadium.

“What we’ve got to do is to try to go out there and play against a physical, well-coached football team,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “Stanford is really good. They beat Florida State out there. They play good football. It’s a 7-7 game at halftime last week against (No. 9) Miami — a really talented Miami team. (Stanford has) a really good football team. So we’ve got to go out and play our best or we’ll get our tails beat in.”

Narduzzi brushed off the challenge of a lengthier road trip.

Usually, Pitt practices Monday through Thursday before departing Friday for away games, but this week, the team left town Thursday.

“It’s like going to Syracuse,” Narduzzi said. “It’s like going to Tallahassee. It’s a road trip. I think the more you make of it, the more it becomes an issue. I don’t think it’s an issue. It’s a little bit of a time change. We go out and play.

“I think the best thing is it’s an early game for us. It would be a major deal if we were playing at 7:30 at night Pacific Time and getting off the field at 2:30 in the morning, playing in the fourth quarter. I think that’s a tough one. This one is very, very reasonable, I think.”

On the health front, Pitt is just one game removed from having to play with a true skeleton crew on defense because of a number of injury-induced absences.

At linebacker, Narduzzi and position coach Ryan Manalac were very thin, as walk-on Abe Ibraham (before suffering an injury himself) started with Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles out.

Nick Lapi, the Panthers’ primary backup linebacker, also was out after an impressive debut the previous week at Syracuse.

But still suiting up was Leechburg graduate Braylan Lovelace, who impressed coaches with his steadying presence.

“Braylan’s been a huge presence and leader of stability in the middle there,” Manalac said. “Even when we pushed him to the outside, he’s that calming presence. Everybody knows he knows exactly what we’re doing. He gets everybody lined up, and he provides that stability within.”

Lapi has been ruled out vs. Stanford, per Thursday’s initial player availability report.

But Louis and Biles are listed as questionable, along with tailback Desmond Reid, receiver Kenny Johnson and safety Cruce Brookins.

Johnson even making the trip to Stanford should be viewed as positive, as Pitt’s junior wideout absorbed a big hit when scoring a touchdown last weekend against N.C. State.

After dominating through two quarters against the Wolfpack, posting seven grabs for 112 yards, Johnson did not play the second half.

Reid, who has battled to get to 100% health since suffering a suspected ankle injury Sept. 13 at West Virginia, went down again in the third quarter last week.

One notable name that wasn’t on Thursday’s injury report was defensive end Jaeden Moore.

Moore, an Oregon transfer, suffered an injury during fall camp and hasn’t made his Panthers debut yet.

That could change Saturday, with the 6-foot-4, 240-pounder available for the first time this season.

Narduzzi told reporters in California on Friday that Moore would be on a snap count.

“He obviously hasn’t had a lot of practice, so he won’t be as clean, probably, fundamentally as we like, but the speed, the athleticism is something we haven’t had (defensive) end,” Narduzzi said. “We’ll limit him a little bit. We’ll just see how it goes, but 15 or 20 snaps is what we think right now. But we’ll see how it goes.”

However, Moore’s position mate and fellow transfer, Blaine Spires, won’t play for the fourth time in five weeks.

Another player who remains out for Pitt is left tackle Jeff Persi, with Kendall Stanley taking his spot the last three weeks.