Pitt's favored status in Clemson game draws uninterested shrug from Pat Narduzzi

Pat Narduzzi won’t take your bet, but he’ll say this about Pitt’s game Saturday against Clemson.

“I don’t care about favorites and points and spreads and all the rest. In my opinion, they’re favored, coming into our house, again,” he said of Clemson, a 3 ½-point underdog according to betql.com.

Of course, how would you expect Narduzzi to react to unranked (at least by the Associated Press) Clemson’s first trip into Pittsburgh?

Clemson has won the ACC championship in each of Narduzzi’s six seasons as Pitt’s coach. In three games against the Panthers, including Pitt’s 43-42 upset victory in 2016 and the 2018 ACC championship game, Clemson has amassed 1,630 total yards — 1,000 in the most recent two games when it outscored Pitt, 94-27. Clemson was a 27 ½-point favorite in that title game and still covered in a 42-10 victory.

“They’re still the gauge in the ACC, period,” Narduzzi said. “They have a lot of superstars, a lot of four- and five-star players. We are going to have to match up. It’s an opportunity for our guys to go and play against the best. And they are the best.”

Pitt (5-1, 2-0 ACC) is ranked No. 23 in the AP and American Football Coaches Association polls. Clemson is barely out of the AP and No. 24 according to the coaches. The current perception of the Tigers has slipped slightly below that of Pitt, which is progress (even after a half season). Clemson is an underdog in an ACC game for the first time since 2014.

Pitt was making progress in 2018, Narduzzi said, even if it was taking baby steps, graduating from a five- (in 2017) to a seven-victory season.

“Five is not as good as seven,” he said in the aftermath of that loss.

Narduzzi wasn’t happy when Pitt was excluded from the 2020 AP preseason poll, but now that his team is getting recognized, he’s speaking proactively and hoping his players don’t lose focus or get injured patting themselves on the back.

“I don’t care about the polls. I care about this week,” he said. “I care about what we do (Monday night), film-study wise. I care about Tuesday’s practice. I care about Wednesday. Preparation wins football games. Polls don’t. You see that every week. Guys ranked in a poll go down. It’s the way the world is.

“Don’t have this big vision of, ‘Hey, look at all this bologna.’ Stay narrowed-in, laser-focused. Focus on your opponent. That’s the key.”

Clemson has lost twice (to No. 1 Georgia, 10-3, and No. 18 N.C. State in double overtime 27-21), which probably takes the Tigers (4-2, 3-1) out of the College Football Playoff conversation.

But Clemson has reached the CFP each of the past six seasons, winning two national championships and losing the title game twice. In the past six seasons, the Tigers’ record is 79-7, including a 52-17 victory against Pitt 11 months ago in Death Valley.

“I know they’re not at the top of the country right now. That doesn’t determine what kind of football team they have,” Narduzzi said.

“They’re missing (quarterback) Trevor Lawrence, I think, a lot. They still have a ton of players on the field, got a lot of guys that make plays that scare the heck out of you.”

He should know: Clemson ran for 301 yards in the ’18 ACC championship game and threw for 580 and 581 in coach Dabo Swinney’s other two ventures against Narduzzi’s defense.

“They’ve had explosives against us before. We have to eliminate those,” he said.

Lawrence’s successor, D.J. Uiagalelei, is completing only 55.7% of his passes with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Compare that with Kenny Pickett’s 21/1 ratio.

While noticing Uiagalelei’s improvement — no picks the past two games — Narduzzi said quarterbacks don’t show up on campus fully developed.

“You look at D.J. where he is now, compared to where Kenny was as a freshman or sophomore. There are always going to be growing pains,” he said. “We’re going to miss Kenny in a year. It’s going to be the same thing.”

On the other side of the ball, Narduzzi said Clemson is playing “championship defense,” ranking second in the nation in points (12.5) and third in the ACC in yards allowed (314.7).

“They’re still finding ways to win,” he said. “Dabo’s a winner. Clemson’s a winner. They’re not getting any style points. Nobody cares.”

NOTES: Safety Erick Hallett, who intercepted a pass against Virginia Tech, was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week. … The Miami/Pitt game on Oct. 30 at Heinz Field will kick off at noon on the ACC Network.