Pitt players who will line up next Thursday against West Virginia were of middle-school age — or younger — in 2011 when the Panthers most recently played the Mountaineers.
Pat Narduzzi, a Youngstown, Ohio, native, who was still at Michigan State at the time, promised to “educate” his players on the meaning of the Backyard Brawl.
“I don’t know if they do (understand the significance), but we’ve been focused on us,” he said. “We’ll certainly educate them in the coming days as we get into game-week mode. We’ll get them in that mood.”
To that end, the sound system next to Pitt’s practice field was playing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” — the WVU anthem — during calisthenics Thursday morning. That’s the song the 2007 Pitt team sang on the bus on the way home from Morgantown, W. Va., after the 13-9 upset.
It’s an old psychological trick that Johnny Majors first tried in the 1970s, playing it on a continuous loop during practice.
Guess what song will be in my head all day? pic.twitter.com/OgjfePiwQp
— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) August 25, 2022
Boring scrimmage?
Training camp will end Friday with what Narduzzi calls “a rehearsal scrimmage.”
Closed, of course, but Narduzzi promised reporters they would be “bored to death” if they were permitted inside. “The other two (scrimmages, the previous two Saturdays) you would not be bored.
“No tackling, defense may thud it up. We’re letting the running backs run. I’m not worried about anybody getting banged up.”
Another QB battle?
Now that the pecking order at the top of the quarterback depth chart has been established — Kedon Slovis No. 1, Nick Patti No. 2 — the coaching staff must think about a backup for the backup.
The competition for the third-string quarterback is “not (going) as good as you’d like it to go,” Narduzzi said. “It’s a work in progress.
“We’ve been worried about the 1 and the 2. We have two really good ones there. So, that’s more important. I’m glad we’re not sitting there saying, ‘1 and 2 ain’t going good.’ ”
The contenders are redshirt senior Derek Kyler, a transfer from Dartmouth, and redshirt freshman Nate Yarnell, who missed part of last season and spring ball with an injury.
Kyler made 20 starts at Dartmouth (18-2) and won an Ivy League championship last season when he threw for 1,972 yards and 17 touchdowns. He completed a school-record 70.7% of his passes, with only one interception.
“He runs the huddle well. He has the experience,” Narduzzi said. “New offense, just coming in here to camp. It’s a little bit different.”
Narduzzi said Yarnell has grown, “not as fast as you’d like.”
“He’s been out of it for a long time.”
