Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates says he wasn't 'quick enough' with adjustments

At age 61, Randy Bates has seen the world. Or, as much as the retired Naval Lieutenant can see in 40 years while traversing half the nation, working for nine different bosses and coaching from Annapolis, Md., to Ruston, La.

So, when Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi suggested he would have made adjustments on defense that weren’t made during the 44-41 loss to Western Michigan — “If I would have seen that from the box, I know what I’m doing and we didn’t do that” — Pitt’s defensive coordinator turned on the video machine and went back to work.

To a practical guy such as Bates, talking about the previous game is not as important as preparing for the next one: Saturday at Heinz Field against New Hampshire.

“I don’t think twice about it,” Bates said of Narduzzi’s remarks. “He’s an emotional guy and wants to win, and that’s probably the truth. He wouldn’t tell you a lie.”

Narduzzi even suggested sitting in the booth himself where the view is better than at field level. Bates said there have been no such discussions between the two men.

“I think he’s kidding,” said Bates, who said he regularly talks to his boss between series.

Bates admitted Tuesday there could have been better calls from his seat in the coach’s box.

“The biggest problem was there were a couple of adjustments we probably missed early, and by the time we made them, (Western Michigan) had done some good things.”

Bates referenced “a couple adjustments, some we didn’t handle and some I didn’t get out there quick enough. That’s on me as the defensive coordinator.”

There certainly were holes in the Pitt defense last Saturday, two big ones that were created when defensive backs were either falling down or crashing into each other.

But Bates is aware of one fix that would solve many problems.

“I think the bottom line is we have to get more turnovers. We keep talking about it,” he said. “If you think about the past three weeks, it’s been the difference in games. We have to get it in practice. We were riding their rear ends (Tuesday). It’s just has to be habit.”

Only 23 teams in the country have more turnovers than Pitt’s four, but they all came in the first two games. Those zeroes under Western Michigan’s interceptions thrown and fumbles lost rile Bates more than anything.

On the surface, Pitt’s defense over three games (2-1) does not look as bad as the final score Saturday indicated. Pitt is 32nd in the nation in run defense (89 yards per game) and 63rd in pass defense (202.5). Plus, Pitt pressured Western Michigan quarterback Kaleb Eleby 10 times, according to Pro Football Focus.

But statistics can lie. The eye test tells you:

• UMass’ athletes were not in Pitt’s class.

• Tennessee’s quarterback missed several open receivers.

• And the defense was more confused by Western Michigan’s RPO attack than anyone would expect, considering Narduzzi introduced the scheme in 2015 and Bates has been running it since 2018.

“They were trying to do too much. The game got tough and instead of doing their job, there were a couple things they did,” Bates said. “You just have to continue to do what you do the way you do it.”

Said senior linebacker Phil Campbell III: “There were a lot of things we could have done better from scheme to details.”

Pitt’s defense has a mix of young and old, with four seniors getting a significant number of snaps at linebacker, but only one in the secondary. Adjustments come easier to veteran players, said Bates, whose military background probably helps him recognize the value of on-the-job training.

The true test for Pitt will not be how players respond Saturday against an FCS opponent, but what happens in the next two games on the road at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Those games will set the tone for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Bates only is thinking of New Hampshire, and he expects his players to respond in a manner he demands no matter the opponent.

“When you have adversity, you teach them and you all work on overcoming it. Based on what I know, this is life,” he said.

“I think they were hurting, quite frankly. We’re doing everything we can to shake them out of it. Shake it off and move on. If you don’t respond to it positively, it doesn’t get better.”

“We learned a lot about ourselves,” Campbell said. “Sometimes, you learn the most looking back.”