With Pitt coming off an ACC championship, Pat Narduzzi may not have as many problems as he did early in his eight-year tenure.
But he confronted one Monday morning that he really can’t fix — the guy cutting the grass on the field where the Steelers were scheduled to practice in the afternoon. One of those issues that arise when you share a practice facility.
Every morning before practice, Narduzzi chats with reporters while standing next to the Steelers field. Yet, the grass must be at just the right height. If the day comes down to the grass cutter vs. Narduzzi’s thoughts on Saturday’s scrimmage, the noisy lawn mower wins.
“Just shut it down for five minutes, would you?” he said to no one in particular. “This guy’s in a different zone.”
Anyway, if that’s the coach’s biggest problem, he’s doing OK. He said the closed scrimmage at Acrisure Stadium went well Saturday.
Pat Narduzzi vs. the lawn mower pic.twitter.com/TQ3Uar1Exq
— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) August 22, 2022
“Really good work,” he said, noting 132 plays on offense and defense and 32 special-teams snaps.
“I was impressed with just the contact. When I say 132 plays, I’m talking live. I’m talking we’re playing football the way it’s supposed to be played,” he said. “That’s kind of what we’re about in Pittsburgh, tough. I think we have a tough football team.
“One thing I said to them afterward, they know how to prepare for a game. My first couple years, you weren’t sure what you were going to get. I tell them to get your mind right and get ready for a football game. And they did. Our guys walked into Acrisure Stadium and were locked in.
“You don’t know in the grind of fall camp how they’re going to respond. A couple days off during camp has helped our guys stay fresh.”
Narduzzi said the offense won the scrimmage, estimating the score for reporters at 45-11 or 45-13. But the defense was solid, he said.
“The offense won pretty handily,” he said. “The offense should win the scrimmage every week if you don’t turn the ball over. Zero turnovers, protecting the football, you have a chance to win the football game all the time.”
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Of course, he declined to elaborate on the health of his team. “My knees hurt a little bit, but I walked out (of the stadium) good,” he said.
Wide receiver Jaylon Barden was the coach’s scrimmage MVP while quarterback competitors Nick Patti and Kedon Slovis were “efficient and made some plays, did some really good things.”
“Barden had a heckuva day offensively.”
He said there were “maybe five” explosive pass plays. Barden recorded “quite a few,” he said.
Narduzzi also was not prepared to announce his starting quarterback, although the assumption remains that Slovis will get the nod.
“Getting closer every day. Day 2, we were closer. Day 19, we’re getting close,” he said. “Whatever day this is.”
He said he was pleased with Slovis and Patti.
“Both protected the ball. They both did the same thing. Got us in the right play. If it was a productive scrimmage, it’s because the quarterbacks were running the show.”
He insists there is and will be position battles throughout the season, but he did specifically mention the competition between kickers Sam Scarton and Ben Sauls.
“Who can we trust out on the field to do these certain things?” he said, speaking generally. “The competition continues.”
