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Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi had by far his most successful season as a head coach in 2021. Narduzzi led Pitt to an 11-3 record, an ACC Championship, and a spot in the Peach Bowl.
It was the first time Narduzzi has ever won double-digit games and it was the Panthers first 10-plus-win season since 2009. A large part of that success was Pitt’s offense, which was sixth in the nation in scoring at 38.7 points per game.
Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple helped turn quarterback Kenny Pickett into one of the best in the nation. Pickett threw for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. While wide receiver Jordan Addison, who has since transferred to USC, won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wideout.
Whipple has also left. He’s now the offensive coordinator for Scott Frost at Nebraska. Pickett was a first-round pick in the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he seems to be fitting in nicely.
That just leaves Narduzzi with the Panthers, and eighth-year head coach seems a little bit salty about all that.
https://twitter.com/SchutteSports/status/1549917013253963776?s=20&t=b6j0lc0hlAPhKPMYxVUsuQ
Now, throwing assistants under the bus isn’t anything new for Narduzzi. But calling out the guy who helped lead you to your most-successful season yet seems odd. Especially since Pitt ran the ball more than it passed and scored 45 points in the game Narduzzi is referencing.
Fans And Media Lay In To Narduzzi Over Ridiculous Comments
This wasn’t lost on college football fans, who very quickly pointed out how off-base the criticism was.
Pitt won this game 45-21 and finished 3rd nationally in scoring. https://t.co/JgdhuAyPyG
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) July 21, 2022
Also Pitt averaged 2.9 yards per rush in that game (including 3 sacks), and that included a 58-yard Kenny Pickett run.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) July 21, 2022
That’s a really weird way to thank Whipple for your best offensive season (maybe) ever and an ACC championship ring on your finger.
Also, didn’t Whipple just say in an interview he wants to run the ball more at Nebraska? https://t.co/Z1LJvkGvEk
— Jared Palmgren (@CFF_Jared) July 21, 2022
Narduzzi: the ultimate “Run the damn ball” guy. Btw, they ran the ball more times than they threw it and put up 45 points on the 16th ranked team in the land…but run the damn ball 💁🏼♂️ https://t.co/cVzRj2C5TA pic.twitter.com/BVy3S4aKRn
— Wes Drumm (@WezzzD_15) July 21, 2022
Pitt had a 1st round QB and Jordan Addison. They won the game he is talking about 45-21. And then this guy replaced that OC with Frank Cignetti. https://t.co/pZVMyB4nYu pic.twitter.com/2WdllZotwZ
— BCU AD (@fox_duke) July 21, 2022
Starting to understand why Jordan Addison wanted out https://t.co/IBGBHCDENX
— Greg Flammang (@greg2126) July 21, 2022
"We won the ACC and beat Clemson and reached a New Year's Six bowl, and our QB was a first-round NFL draft pick, but I prefer to run the ball."
What a take. https://t.co/aNNo3kHgMd
— Matt Zemek (@MattZemek) July 21, 2022
Narduzzi also lost highly touted young wide receivers coach Brennan Marion to Texas in the offseason. Marion was expected by many to replace Whipple, but instead Narduzzi chose Frank Cignetti Jr., a Pittsburgh native who most recently served as the offensive coordinator at Boston College.
Good luck, Pitt fans.