A week from Friday will be Pitt football’s annual kickoff luncheon, signaling the end of fall camp, the start of classes and the anticipation of football that actually matters.
Before that, coach Pat Narduzzi will run his team through its second scrimmage this month Saturday on the Beano Cook Fields on the South Side. Camp started Aug. 1, thanks to an NCAA ruling allowing schools to expand their summer practice window and schedule regular off days, and Narduzzi believes his team remains fresh.
“We’re in a good place,” he said Friday morning before the 14th practice of August.
“There are no dog days. Dog days were back when we played and you had triple sessions and double sessions. It got brutal around practice 14. (Back then), it could have been practice 24 at this time.
“It’s not that hard anymore like it used to be. I probably did two (two-a-days), maybe three (as as head coach), just to say we did it because everybody else was doing it.
Pat Narduzzi, two-a-days anyone? Maybe not. pic.twitter.com/Cu0cGgyLv4
— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) August 18, 2023
“We have one less practice (than permitted). Freshness is important. We have to keep our kids as healthy as we can going into that opener. They’re healthier and we’re taking care of them a lot better.”
He predicted Friday’s practice would be “less physical.”
“Get their minds right and get ready for the scrimmage.”
Narduzzi still hasn’t named a backup quarterback, either Christian Veilleux or Nate Yarnell.
“Christian had the upper hand (Thursday). It goes back and forth, daily. Who’s going to be that consistent guy? I think both of those guys we can win with.”
The scrimmage will help determine how much some young players will fit in the mix this season. Freshmen Cruce Brookins (safety, Steel Valley) and Braylan Lovelace (linebacker, Leechburg) have received positive reviews from coaches and teammates this month.
“You’d like to hold them if you could (and save the redshirt),” Narduzzi said. “But you never know how the injury bug will hit you.”
Narduzzi gave a bit of insight into the type of players he likes to recruit for the linebacker position.
“I prefer a linebacker who played tailback,” he said. “Our linebackers, they do the same thing tailbacks do. The only (difference) is (tailbacks) … get the ball. Linebackers do the same thing. We want guys who know how to find the hole and fill it and hit the guy who has the ball.”
