Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Speaks Kent State Win in Season Opener

all right I'm sure you guys got a lot of questions um you know um happy with you know what we did today I thought uh really all three phases did some good things all three phases did some stuff we got to clean up um you know opening day you know issues whether it be a muff Punk by canate trying to make a play um you know just you know some stuff like that that's got to get cleaned up jumping over you know a punch Shield which we can't do uh which we coach every single day the guys are trying to be aggressive um you know too many Rel early in the game all on us but uh you know overall um game one there'll be a lot to teach from the video and U happy with where we are at this point how would you evaluate Eli's performance today you I'll let you guys it won't matter what I say um you know I'm going to go back and watch video tap but I thought early uh should I think his first series you know there was an incomplete pass J sorry didn't see me here got you got the chairs W pulled up really close um but uh um you know Eli played really good I think um I was really happy with where he was you know he had the one um interception you know kind of threw it off his heels I think we'll go back and look and see what he did there but um you know overall he got the ball out his hand when he needed to I think one series we gave up two sacks in a row which you know disappointing you we'll see if he need to get rid of it or uh we had protection problems I think the corner came one time but you know overall 30 or 40 for 300 plus yards uh I would say he looked pretty conf it looked like Eli I think completed four different receivers two tight ends and two running backs and from both Sidelines deep intermediate what was what did you what can you say about his grasp of this playbook for being a red shirt freshman that transferred to you guys in the year I mean he's he's he's a good football player I told you you know so is Nate um but you know you know I think schematically I think coach Bell and the offensive staff does a great job of scheming up and putting our kids in position to make those plays the ball's getting spread out I don't know how many different receivers caught balls here uh today but uh you know when you look at the targets and Kenny there just some good stuff the ball spread out you can't just focus on that guy over there um we got different ways to get the guys balls and and uh we try to get everybody involved pad you had said that you had hop that after the first game was pretty obvious who your starting quarterback would be do you go in next week rest of the season feeling pretty good that elij your starter yeah I mean you know that's something I you know you know we'll talk about that Monday I going to sit down with the offense and and sit down C but you know I think things look pretty good today what we kind of thought out camp and and uh Eli was sharp uh you know uh things didn't look sharp early we probably you know pulled him earlier just to see what you know may had but you know I told you earlier I think I told you on Thursday he didn't have a plan for when and what to do but uh you know the way he you know play with composure obviously it's going to be you know we see a little bit more next uh Saturday 3:30 I think in Cincinnati so just getting locked into that one called Desmond read explosive on Thursday is that kind of what you're talking that's what I was talking about I mean the kid's been like that he's tough you know gets a little Cal down there and he comes right back he just he doesn't say boo he just keeps going he's like ever ever ready battery he just goes um you punt return even the punt return we had a base defense on the field that was just we're a punt safe uh we were keeping our base defense on the field they made some blocks and he made some plays and you know he can pop through I told you can break one you know it happened to be Izzy was here today Pand can was here and uh he's he's that kind of back that can go break not that derck Davis did some good things and U Daniel Carter did some nice things as well so we got you know we got a lot of people involved we got a lot of guys playing football today we got our second offens line in there we got you know shoot I think we got our third you know D line you know juster um you know got in there Winnington you know got in got some good things in I think the last three plays defense we were tfls I did not like the way our defense came out in the third quarter um we'll address that I I didn't like that at all I don't know what they were doing I can't wait to watch video tape but that's not how I wanted to come out in that third quarter you mentioned it but you guys gave up a few big plays especially in that third quarter did you did you notice anything comment anything you guys were no I mean just you know execution and details I don't know I mean I don't know if they felt like you know I don't know what they came out of the second half guys but uh you know I'll get on the defensive coaches it starts with us as coaches make sure their minds are right and they don't think this this game is easy it's in the bag seemed like you guys were I ask out a lot of Kenny out of Kenny Johnson as sophomore whether it was red Red Zone deep ball over the middle catching catching it off the ground what have you seen that allowed him to that's allowed him to make the kind of improvements that you know he didn't practice a lot this fall so I mean I can't tell you it was cuz practice makes perfect you know I mean he was banged up a lot and uh we you know able to get him and CJ lead back you know on game day which is good CJ was banged up more than he was and he had a few few catches today as well but uh you know we continue to uh to get better there are the penalties one thing you're most concerned about today I am you know but we talk about eight things critical to winning and penalties isn't one penalties doesn't lose games you know one thing I you know how many you know legal procedures do we have you know zero unforce there's going to be some aggressive penalties that we had but there were some ones early you know and I don't have I don't have my book on me here um but uh you know there's some early that just you know shouldn't happen um but they were aggressive ones and you know I anticipate those you know I think the first one was that you know blocking the back or holding on pum return uh just shouldn't happen you know we'll get that clean back what is what is your biggest concern in going forward um I have million concerns J million concerns my first concern is that next week EJ gets the seats backed up so I can really see your whole body top of your forehead that's you know concerned I mean look that concerns me that you got the seats moved up closer than they've ever been in 10 years uh but there's I'm going to pick and pick and pick you know there's all kinds of stuff that that we can clean up but um I'm not going to sit and say I'm wored about CU that's not critical to winning um but it can cost you a game um you know we just got to clean that up bad ball one of the concerns uh pass protection four sacks allowed and a couple of those I think coming kind of early with with pressure yeah I mean you know we'll look at that again sometimes it's plays I mean the one thing I can tell you about our offense is we're going to get five receivers out so I mean we like all the exposive plays and guys out of the back field and get it to so the quarterback's got to get the ball out you know at times if if we're putting five I as you guys watch if you're putting five out in the route then quarterback is hot off of somebody and we got to a good job of picking up corners and KN they're coming you know those ones that you can't see that we got to do a better job you know and that sometimes goes with fast tempo as well when fast tempo sometimes you can't see it coming um so you know you know we just got to do a better job of that and that comes with experience I think at the quarterback position and Coach B know one he's got there too what you think about the what did you think about how the linebackers play today especially Kyle Lewis you know what again I refer to the video tape Kyle Lewis had one time he came through there Smack That gu you know quarterback got beat up I hope he's healthy U but he took a beating today by you know our guys we might not have got what we get five sacks you but it was like you know five sacks and another 10 hits after that so it's 15 hits on the quarterback he took a he took some licks and he's a tough kid from cden New Jersey so give him a lot of credit um but U you KY Lewis and you know I think Ma B had the first sack of the year um you know we'll just continue to get better guys you know get a young front talked about it but I think you probably saw a lot of penetration even all the way down to the threes um at the end there um you know but I thought the Lineback did a nice job we'll evaluate it as we gow is a guy you talked about a lot yeah um Jerry tell I understand sorry that I can't help these guys can't help them yeah we hope we hope we get them back but again that's why I sit here you know I can get to put all those ores on there and something happens during the week you know you don't anticipate but he's been healthy all all summer camp was you know uh unfortunate that uh that he wasn't ready to go today but uh hope to have back next week P there was a third and long that you guys converted off a draw spread out the the defense really wide with your wide outs and then Des Reed just gets it he goes 20 28 yards is that something that you guys uniquely design up for him because of his ability or is that just a normal play call in the play it's drawing third and long you know drawing third and long when you're throwing it a lot all sudden you catch it by surprise you had a fourman Twist on and the offensive line did a great job sometimes you know the twist you know will negate the draw sometimes but it's a great job by you know Jeremy Garo offensive line coach getting it picked up and coaching it and and no one to expect but U you know again it comes down to coaching and players making plays it's it's a little bit of both so uh it's it's great play call by coach Bell how about a couple more before we wrap it up else can you uh offer any Clarity of Rudy situation you know we made an announcement about you know about that already you know got nothing further to uh to talk about what vyl how important was it for you to have an exposion first game um really important you I think our kids I mean you know there's a different bounce uh there's a there's a there's a different bounce about the kids I me watching last night coming out of you know offensive meetings last night at 8 8:30 p.m. and it's just like the smiles on their faces they're excited um they had a lot of confidence going in again it's a tribute to our offensive staff and Coach Bell and what he's brought to the offense there's a lot of confidence about what they're doing how they're doing it and um you know it was it was important to come out there and put some points up like they did and you know he's and the great thing about him is he's in the locker all mad because he feels like he left three touchdowns out okay so that's what I like about that okay Coach thank very much coach