When Pat Narduzzi sat down Sunday morning to figure out the bad smell coming from the offensive side of the room, perhaps this thought was swimming in his head:
This season, this team, wasn’t supposed to be like this.
Given how the offseason unfolded, no one could have rightfully expected another 11 victories. But Pitt already has lost to two teams with a combined 4-5 ACC record after Saturday’s 24-10 setback to Louisville. Georgia Tech and the Cardinals are 2-0 against Pitt, 2-5 against the rest of the conference. It probably feels like a punch to the gut, knowing there are good players at every position but a 4-3 record next to their names.
The loss of Kenny Pickett to the NFL and wide receiver Jordan Addison and linebacker Cam Bright to the NCAA transfer portal can’t be ignored. Those losses matter. But there is seasoned talent on both lines, a hand-picked quarterback from the portal and a proven offensive coordinator calling plays.
It shouldn’t be this. Quarterback Kedon Slovis is indecisive or wrong too many times, the line can’t protect him and the wide receivers have all but disappeared.
And the season is spinning out of control. Yes, a one-game losing streak can do that when it happens in the same month as a loss to Georgia Tech.
What specifics did the Louisville video show Narduzzi when he turned on his computer?
—It showed fullback Daniel Carter open a few yards in front of Slovis in the first quarter. Instead of an easy flip and possible first down, he threw into double coverage and was picked off at the Cardinals’ 2. It wasn’t the first time this season Slovis didn’t see — or ignored — an open receiver.
—Video also showed Slovis, hurried by the Louisville rush, throwing another pass into a crowd at the goal line, the ensuing interception preventing Pitt from taking a lead at halftime.
After Slovis’ second interception, ACC Network analyst Tim Hasselbeck wondered out loud if a change at quarterback might be on Narduzzi’s mind. It wasn’t, the coach said.
“The two interceptions have been so bad, I’m not sure (Slovis) stays in the game,” said Hasselbeck, a former NFL quarterback.
But Slovis played the entire game, misfiring on 9 of 16 attempts after halftime.
Narduzzi said he doesn’t plan a change at quarterback, pinning the problems on “11 guys.”
“We don’t point fingers in our locker room,” he said.
“It’s a team game,” wide receiver Jared Wayne said. “That’s our quarterback. That’s our guy.”
Slovis’ 2022 completion percentage has fallen to 60.5% (107 of 177) from 68.4% at the start of the season and 71.9% during his freshman season at USC in 2019. He now has as many touchdown passes as interceptions (five), and he ranks ninth among 14 starting ACC quarterbacks in completion percentage and yards per game (220.8) and 10th in efficiency (127.0).
Of course, it should be noted that Louisville’s pass rush — the best in the ACC with 25 sacks — was credited with seven hurries. Slovis was sacked twice.
“They blitzed more than we expected,” Narduzzi said.
The most egregious error in protection occurred when Slovis lost a fumble that Louisville cornerback Kei’Trel Clark picked up and returned 59 yards for a touchdown.
The play was tied directly to — of all things — a cadence problem among Pitt’s veteran offensive linemen. As the ball was snapped, right tackle Gabe Houy never moved, failing to get in a pass-blocking position. That gave linebacker Yasir Abdullah an unimpeded route to Slovis, who coughed up the ball while attempting to throw.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but Gabe Houy is still out there in his stance,” Narduzzi said, clearly irritated by the sequence of events. “You don’t give a quarterback a chance.”
Check out Abdullah’s stat line: Three quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, two tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, sack and interception. Pitt had no answer for him.
Narduzzi’s defense wasn’t blameless, but it kept Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham in check most of the night. A quarterback with a reputation for making plays with his feet had one 30-yard run and ended up gaining 46. He completed fewer than half of his passes (10 of 21 for only 122 yards).
“Usually when (the defense gives up) 17 points, you have a chance to win,” Narduzzi said.
With five games left, there’s time to save the season if Narduzzi, Slovis and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. can fix the passing game.
A team that this summer had grand ideas of reaching the College Football Playoff must win four of its last five just to finish 8-4. Back in August, that would have been considered an unacceptable outcome. Now, it seems almost impossible to attain, with North Carolina and Syracuse (combined record, 12-2) next on the schedule.
Linebacker SirVocea Dennis believes the players still have a significant stake in the season.
“They’re smart guys. They’re hungry guys. They’re great guys on and off the field,” he said. “I know they want it.
“You have to make sure guys keep their head. Forget all the accolades and College Football Playoffs, whatever. We still want to win every week.
“This loss hurts. It’s a big one, but we still have to keep playing football.”
A gut check after a gut punch.
