Pitt's Pat Narduzzi defends Kedon Slovis, warns of 'psychological effects' of making a change

The cries for Pitt to replace quarterback Kedon Slovis get louder after a loss.

So you can imagine the angst and downright ridicule that has erupted on social media since Saturday night. Pitt’s 24-10 loss to Louisville — a team that previously had lost to three other ACC teams while allowing a total of 100 points — set Twitter ablaze.

Even former NFL quarterback and ACC Network analyst Tim Hasselbeck, who called the game with play-by-play man Wes Durham, wondered on the air if coach Pat Narduzzi might make a change.

Yet Narduzzi, who said he doesn’t read anything except his USA Today app, remains firmly in Slovis’ corner, going so far as to say Pitt’s quarterback played “above average” in the first half when he ended up throwing two interceptions.

“I’m not just talking throwing the ball,” said Narduzzi, who noted Slovis completed nine of his first 11 passes for 112 yards. “He’s making great decisions in the run game, as well, getting the right checks.

“Second half, he didn’t play very (well). Why is that? I don’t know.”

In his previous seven seasons at Pitt, Narduzzi hasn’t been forced into making many difficult decisions with his quarterbacks. He doesn’t like change at that position, if he can help it.

Kenny Pickett attempted 90% of the team’s passes from 2018-21, the exceptions occurring because of injury and a trick play or two. Pickett won the job from Ben DiNucci at the end of the 2017 season, but DiNucci was starting because of Max Browne’s shoulder injury.

In Narduzzi’s first season (2015), Chad Voytik opened as the starter after he had thrown for 2,233 yards and 16 touchdowns under then-coach Paul Chryst the previous year. But Nathan Peterman became the permanent starter by the third game.

“You mess with a football team when you (change quarterbacks),” Narduzzi said. “There are psychological effects when you do stuff like that (later in the season), I think. I watch practice every day. No doubt about it, Kedon is our best quarterback to help us win a football game right now.

“Maybe we can have a scrimmage and let you guys (reporters) watch, and you guys tell me afterwards. We can start all over if you guys want to. But it’s not something I’m very fond of. We believe in our guys at every position.

“After he threw the first pick, I said, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ smacked him on the butt and let him go. He doesn’t seem shaken, and that’s the big thing.”

Narduzzi suggested Slovis’ decline in the second half might have been caused by taking a few hits from the Louisville defense. “Maybe,” he said, putting emphasis on that word.

“At the end of the half, he took a couple, not to the point where he had a concussion. But those are still shots, and we have to protect our quarterback.”

Narduzzi said, as a defensive coach, he wants to disrupt the opposing quarterback with pressure.

“We’re trying to get as many hits as we can to try to affect him,” he said. “Because it affects their mindset. They just want to throw it.

“Even in the run decisions. That’s something we have work on and fix and find out why. There are a lot of things flying at you. When you get hit in the back of the head one time, your decisions change a little bit.”

Narduzzi admitted he wants to see better decisions from Slovis, but his patience is partially connected to how Pickett progressed from 2018 after some struggles in his first season as the regular starter.

“It takes time. We all want instant success. I get it,” Narduzzi said. “It’s the same thing for Kenny right now (with Pittsburgh Steelers), compared to where he’s going to be in two or three years.

“We’re happy with what (Slovis) is doing. We have to be more consistent, and that’s across the board. It comes down to execution. We have to do a better job of coaching them on all the details.”