PITTSBURGH (AP) — Coach Pat Narduzzi isn’t comfortable. Not even with No. 17 Pittsburgh off to its best start since Narduzzi’s first year on the job in 2015.
Maybe he’s forgotten what happened during the end of that first season. Or maybe he’s blocked it out because he doesn’t have the bandwidth.
The Panthers (6-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) are riding a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s visit by injury-ravaged Miami (3-4, 1-2) and have stamped themselves as the clear Coastal Division favorite after beating Clemson last Saturday.
Though Narduzzi institutes a “24-hour rule” after each game that gives his players and staff a window to either celebrate a win or grapple with a loss, his window is much narrower. Even after a decisive victory over ACC royalty.
“I will go home (after games and) my kids are, ‘Dad, why are you not happy?’” Narduzzi said. “Because I know what’s on the horizon, what’s coming into Heinz Field Saturday at noon.”
Namely, a team that may have started to figure things out in a thrilling upset over North Carolina State last week. After saying he didn’t think the Wolfpack could stop him or the rest of the Hurricane offense, Miami redshirt freshman quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw four touchdown passes, the last a 4-yard strike to Charleston Rambo with less than 10 minutes to play that gave the Hurricanes the lead for good.
Van Dyke admitted he was surprised when N.C. State players started jawing at him during warm-ups. Then again, he’s not complaining either. Not after it galvanized the Hurricanes.
“I think it inspired the whole team,” he said. “It inspired me too. It gave us a bunch of confidence really.”
Still, embattled Miami coach Manny Diaz made a simple request of Van Dyke this week.
“(He) was like, ’try not to say anything (controversial) to the media,” Van Dyke said with a laugh.
No chance. Van Dyke and the Hurricanes are far too wary of the Panthers and quarterback Kenny Pickett. Pitt has won each of its three ACC games by double digits, including a decisive 27-17 victory over Clemson in which Pickett passed for 302 yards and two scores and also ran for a pair of late first downs that let the Panthers drain the clock and stoke the kind of optimism that hasn’t been seen around the program for more than a decade.
The success has brought a lot of attention but Pitt — which has won 10 games in a season just once since 1981 — isn’t getting ahead of itself.
“It’s great and all to have that recognition of being a Top 20 team,” said left guard Marcus Minor, a graduate transfer from Maryland. “But it won’t matter if we can’t produce on Saturdays.”
