Pitt football notebook: Offensive efficiency gives Panthers latitude to be bold on 4th down

It didn’t take long for Pat Narduzzi to roll the dice boldly in Pitt’s road upset over 25th-ranked Florida State last weekend.

Three plays into the Panthers’ opening possession, they faced a fourth-and-1 from their own 34-yard line, and Narduzzi opted to go for it.

By the end of the 8-minute, 5-second touchdown drive — the longest by either team in the game — Narduzzi had successfully gone for two more fourth downs, with his gambles rewarded by a 10-yard Ja’Kyrian Turner score.

“Manageable spots and manageable down and distance, I think is what it comes down to,” Narduzzi said of his decision-making following his team’s 34-31 win in Tallahassee. “If there were six of them, we probably would have went for it six times if we felt the need to and felt that based on where the ball was placed, the distance. … Kind of shocked we didn’t have more of them.”

Those three fourth-down attempts in quick succession would represent the only tries by Pitt against the Seminoles. Their successful conversions boosted the Panthers to 10 of 16 (62.5%) on the year, which ties for fifth in the ACC.

Only Clemson (19) and Syracuse (17) have gone for it on fourth down more than Pitt.

Key in Narduzzi’s reasoning was how the Mason Heintschel-led offense had performed on the previous three downs.

Following the initial fourth-and-1 try, Pitt’s next two attempts on fourth down —from Florida State’s 25- and 11-yard lines — also required just 1 yard to gain.

“When you have three in the first series, that means we were executing and we were ahead of the sticks,” Narduzzi said. “Those weren’t fourth-and-10s we were trying to convert. They were manageable. All three of them may have been fourth-and-1s. That’s a great job by the offense putting us in a position where you’ve got four-down territory.”

Adding to the stakes of Narduzzi’s gambles was the inexperience of his quarterback. Heintschel had never started on the road and was making only his second collegiate start after leading Pitt to a thumping of Boston College on Oct. 4.

But on that lengthy opening drive of the afternoon, he looked sharp from the jump, going 5 for 5 for 39 yards and rushing for 28 yards on five carries.

“We always preach having a great first drive, setting the tone early, and to be able to drive down the field and convert on those tough fourth downs, it’s huge,” Heintschel said postgame. “I think it really set the tone for how the game was going to go for us.”

OL depth tested

Pitt’s offseason transfer portal maneuvering was meant to better bolster an offensive line position group that got derailed by injuries in 2024.

Jeff Persi was brought in from Michigan, Keith Gouveia from Richmond and Kendall Stanley via UNC Charlotte to give the Panthers viable options at starter and reserve.

Persi won the starter’s gig at left tackle, flanked by Gouveia at left guard to start the season.

But both of those players are hurt, Gouveia out for the season with a lower-leg injury.

Redshirt sophomore Ryan Carretta has stepped into Gouveia’s spot, and Kendall Stanley, a redshirt junior who fought a tight battle with Persi during fall camp, has slid in at left tackle.

It’s unknown if Persi, who missed the Florida State game, will suit up this weekend at Syracuse.

But Narduzzi has been pleased with Stanley, who made his first Panthers start against the Seminoles.

“I thought he did a nice job the other day,” Narduzzi said. “For his first true start, he’s exactly what we thought. Back in August, I told (the media that) he and Persi were battling it out. I was happy with his performance, and it will only get better.”

For Stanley, staying continuously ready for when Narduzzi might call his number wasn’t challenging. After all, Stanley was a 13-game starter last year for the 49ers, seeing 706 snaps.

“Overall, I always stay prepared,” Stanley said. “Doesn’t matter what game it is. When Persi went down, I was going to step up. It’s just that next-man mentality. (The same) with Carretta, too. Whoever goes down, we’re going to step up to the plate.”

Stanley, Carretta and Co. combined to allow five sacks to the Seminoles, one short of Pitt’s season high Sept. 13 at West Virginia. Pitt also rushed for 155 yards, averaging 3.7 yards.

“There’s room for improvement,” Stanley said. “It crosses all the boards but as an O-line, I think we played decent. But we can always play better, as far as me, too.”