Pitt preps for Central Michigan's unique 3-QB, run-heavy scheme

In the aftermath of Pitt’s season-opening 61-9 win over Duquesne on Saturday, coach Pat Narduzzi had little reason to be dissatisfied.

His Panthers won and did so convincingly, pounding their Football Championship Subdivision foe thoroughly, which allowed for a total of 73 players (by Narduzzi’s count) to get reps.

But did his assessment of things change after a lengthy sit-down to review the game tape?

Apparently not, as Narduzzi spoke with reporters Monday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side to recap the Duquesne game and look ahead to Central Michigan, which visits Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 6.

“Preparation wise, I think our players did a great job preparing for that game, besides just going in and playing it,” Narduzzi said. “To me, it’s all about the prep. We talk about the routines you take every week, keeping it the same — maybe even a better job than the head coach — just making sure that the preparation stays the same regardless of who you play.”

Offensively, Narduzzi was pleased with the seven touchdowns Pitt scored. On special teams, Desmond Reid and Kenny Johnson gouged the Dukes for a combined 221 yards on punt and kick returns, including an 88-yard touchdown by Reid.

Although Pitt’s defense let up just nine points, it forced no turnovers, which Narduzzi noted.

But he’s chalking up the opener as a pretty complete victory.

“One of our goals during the game was to be explosive in all three phases,” Narduzzi said. “We were explosive, we were explosive on special teams and I think we were pretty explosive on defense. I would have liked to have gotten a couple of turnovers, which we didn’t get. … Overall, it was a great performance.”

Now, the Panthers turn to their next task, the Chippewas, who won their opener by topping San Jose State on the road 16-14.

After taking a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, Central Michigan fell behind 14-13 before Cade Graham kicked a winning field goal with just more than four minutes left in the fourth.

The Chippewas take the lead late in the 4th! @CMU_Football | #MACtionpic.twitter.com/TOTBQZFt4F

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Granted, the Spartans missed two go-ahead field goals in the final quarter, one from 33 yards and another, with 1 second remaining, from 56.

Despite the slim margin of victory, Narduzzi offered praise for the make-up of first-year coach Matt Drinkall’s squad.

“I think they’re a tough football team,” Narduzzi said. “They are blue-collar.”

Narduzzi said the Chippewas will be a different animal from what Pitt faced in Duquesne, as well as what the Panthers are likely to see over the course of the campaign.

Particularly, Narduzzi pointed to Central Michigan’s usage of multiple quarterbacks, which will offer coordinator Randy Bates’ defense a unique challenge.

Angel Flores, Joe Labas and Jadyn Glasser split those duties for the Chippewas, each bringing a different skill set behind center.

Glasser, at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, is the most physically imposing of the bunch.

Late night MACtion. You gotta love it.

Highlights from the first win of the Matt Drinkall Era. @CMU_Football | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/6C3VGUbwWd

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During their first game, the Chippewas passed the ball only 13 times, with Flores and Labas combining for 115 yards through the air.

But the ground game, which features regular rushes by the quarterbacks, is Central Michigan’s bread and butter.

Versus San Jose State, the Chippewas ran the ball 51 times for 256 yards, averaging 5.1 yards.

“They’re going to play with three quarterbacks,” Narduzzi said. “If you’re out there watching, you’re not going to say, ‘What happened to the quarterback? Did he get hurt?’ No, they play three, and they. It’s kind of their philosophy offensively. They do a bunch of different stuff, but they like to line up and pound you. That’s what they want to do. They’re about a 70% run football team.”

“It’ll be a different look for our football team this week, and it’s going to come down to toughness. I think we’re kind of built for that here in Pittsburgh. Anybody wants to line up with big people, we embrace that here. That will play into our hands, for sure.”

Pitt stifled the run last weekend against Duquesne, allowing 31 yards on 37 carries, 17 of which came on tailback Taj Butts’ first rush of the game.

Of course, Narduzzi recognizes that Central Michigan of the Mid-American Conference constitutes a more formidable foe, especially given the Chippewas’ offensive scheme.

Still, Narduzzi is confident his team will be ready to meet the challenge after a full week of preparation.

“It’s a totally different offense,” Narduzzi said. “They run the option. The quarterback’s going to carry it on a lot of powers. I think we’ve got pretty good medicine to take care of a lot of that stuff, (but) game-planning will be critical.”