Pitt Take 5: After the Peach Bowl, how long does Pat Narduzzi want to coach?

ATLANTA — Nearly a month after the fact, Pat Narduzzi has not allowed himself the pleasure to reflect on the significance of Pitt winning the ACC championship.

“I think that happens when you retire as a coach,” he said.

OK, so what about it? How long do you want to coach, Pat?

Perhaps it was an unfair question — or, at least, poorly timed — the day before Pitt is scheduled to play Michigan State on Thursday night in the Peach Bowl. It’s Pitt’s first appearance in a major bowl since Jan. 1, 2005.

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But Pitt (11-2) needs one victory to tie the program single-season record (12) held by the 1976 national champion, albeit in an era when the seasons are longer. That would put Narduzzi in the conversation with Johnny Majors as the only Pitt coaches to win 12. Plus, it would give him a .600 all-time winning percentage, which would be tied for fourth with Mike Gottfried over the past 110 years — behind Jackie Sherrill, Jock Sutherland and Pop Warner.

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Speaking Wednesday on his final conference call before the game, Narduzzi was sport enough to give an interesting answer to what he sees in his future. (Athletic director Heather Lyke said two weeks ago discussions have begun in an attempt to extend Narduzzi’s contract beyond 2024, but that was not part of the question Wednesday.)

“I never thought about how long I’ll coach,” said Narduzzi, 55. “I’m not going to think about that for a while. When you know it’s the end, it’s the end. I’m going to coach as long as I feel the energy to continue to do this game everybody loves.

“It’s a game you better love. You put too many hours into preparation, mental and physical preparation, that if you’re not all in, you have a problem. I’ll definitely hang it up before that gets to that point. I’m never going to put a date on it …”

And, then, he did — but in clearly unofficial terms.

“I would say 65 is probably about the end,” he said. “I’m going to spend time with my family and, hopefully, have some grandchildren. Maybe when the first grandchild comes. Maybe that’s it. I don’t know. Until that point comes, I’m coaching football.”

Meanwhile, here are some points to ponder before kickoff:

1. What would 12 mean?

Without checking birth certificates, there might be some parents of Pitt players who were born after the ‘76 championship game. But Narduzzi said his players are well aware of the history they can make with a victory.

“At this point, 36 hours until gametime, I sure hope they do, or they missed the whole message,” he said. “That says a lot about who they are. Our guys can set (their legacy) in stone. You talk about coming back for the rest of your life to the University of Pittsburgh, being ACC champion, having 12 wins, being Peach Bowl champions.”

Remember when reaching bowl eligibility with six victories in the final regular-season games of 2012 and 2014 was considered an accomplishment?

2. Just another game

Narduzzi spent eight seasons as Michgan State’s defensive coordinator, but he said those ties aren’t part of his mindset this week.

“There’s no time to think about that. It’s another game,” he said.

Except …

“When you hear that fight song, it becomes different then.”

He did get to mingle Tuesday night with some friends from his East Lansing days.

“A lot of dear friends. So many friendly faces,” he said. “It’s not like you’re playing a team that fired you. Once the game starts, the first hit, the first call, the kickoff, all those emotions go away.”

3. In the shadow of covid-19

Perhaps the most important bit of advice Narduzzi gave his players was this:

“Stay away from the lobby.”

The hotel is filling up with fans, but Narduzzi praised Peach Bowl officials for helping keep players safe with a spacious hospitality room.

“Our guys are vaccinated, but, as we know, that doesn’t really matter anymore,” he said. “I don’t make it mandatory to wear masks in our building. Our kids are smart enough when they know they’re close to someone to put it on. They all got one in their pocket.”

4. Calling big brother

Michigan State senior tight end Connor Heyward, a native of nearby Duluth, Ga., said he learned some valuable lessons from his brother, Cam, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Pro Bowl defensive tackle.

“Just his motor, being able to go the whole game without being tired,” he said. “You do get tired, (but) just pushing through.”

Heyward acknowledged the difficult times his brother is enduring this season.

“You see the Steelers out there with a lot of backups on the D-line. With injuries and (Stephon) Tuitt being out with his family situation, it’s tough.”

Connor, who rushed for 818 career yards while previously playing running back at Michigan State, said he talks to Cam once a week.

“We understand each other’s schedules, but we’re brothers first,” he said. “That love and connection whenever we see each other, it’s like we didn’t miss a beat.”

Connor, who has been invited to the Senior Bowl, has 91 career receptions for 674 yards and five touchdowns.

Pitt recruited Heyward, who visited a Pitt camp one summer.

“He played every position,” Narduzzi said. “He was at cornerback. He was at running back. He was at linebacker. That’s what you want in a college football player, a guy who can play everything.”

Their father, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, rushed for 3,086 yards as a Pitt running back in the 1980s. The eldest Heyward died in 2006.

5. He’s seen it before

Michigan State sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne has some indirect familiarty with Narduzzi’s defense. He ran the Spartans’ scout team at practice in 2019 when Mark Dantonio was head coach. Narduzzi was Dantonio’s defensive coordinator.

“Those are experiences I’ll remember and have in my back pocket,” Thorne said.

Thorne, 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, might not be the running threat Pitt has become accustomed to defending. He managed only 177 yards and four touchdowns on 72 attempts this season.

Pitt defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado said he respects Thorne’s arm, but he added, “I feel like he’s not an ACC quarterback. He’s not a double threat like all the quarterbacks that we face. We’re going to get after him, for sure.”

Yet, Baldonado and his teammates need to be careful. Thorne has 38- and 32-yard runs to his credit over the past two seasons. It takes only one long quarterback scramble on third-and-long to decide a close game.

Thorne has been productive and efficient through the air this season, throwing for 2,886 yards and 24 touchdowns, second most in school history to Kirk Cousins (25 in 2011). Pitt won’t expect any gifts from Thorne. In 12 games, he has tossed only nine interceptions.