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Johnny McGonigal’s Pitt football chat: 09.23.21
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Johnny McGonigal
11:00
Welcome everyone to this week’s Pitt football live chat. Obviously have a lot to talk about this week, so fire away.
Chris
11:01
Hi John- great work as always. Two Q's: 1) Are the defense's problems correctable, and 2) is the culture around the program perhaps not as good as it appears on the surface? In other words, is there a growing sense in the locker room that the players don't have that much confidence in the coaching staff to put them in places to succeed on the field?
Johnny McGonigal
11:04
Much appreciated, Chris. I think they are, only because it was so obvious what adjustments should have been made. Also, facing less than potent offenses in the coming weeks (New Hampshire, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech) should help the unit get back into a groove. As far as the culture, the players have said the right things this week. But one thing that interested me after the game: Narduzzi said the players weren’t mentally focused … and both Kenny Pickett and SirVocea Dennis said they didn't think that was a problem.
Frank
11:06
Randy Bates in an article I read the other day acknowledged he was late in making adjustments to the defense on Saturday? How the heck is that okay? There is no excuse for that John. How does this guy still have a job?
Johnny McGonigal
11:09
It’s not easy to stomach, but sometimes coaches get out-coached. Bates has a job because, on the whole, he’s pretty good at it. The loss against Western Michigan was a bad day for him. No doubt. Some of those blitzes were ill-advised, and the slant patterns weren’t addressed properly. But it was also a bad day for Narduzzi’s scheme. And while Bates was calling the plays and making the adjustments, Narduzzi, who is in on those pregame planning meetings, could have stepped in at any time. It’s on both of them.
TP Hunter
11:10
My memory of your chats is that you seem to be a Narduzzi apologist. You also don't seem to answer a lot of our questions like others holding chats. So hope you answer mine. Should Narduzzi be on the hot seat after that loss to Western Michigan? It's year 7 and this special season is looking like it's gonna be another dud. Pitt won't reach that next level with this guy as their head coach.
Johnny McGonigal
11:13
Sorry if you feel that way, but I try to answer every question that’s asked in here, and I would hardly call myself an “apologist” for anyone I cover. If you listened to our podcast — which, little plug here, everyone should on the North Shore Drive feed — I called the Western Michigan loss “damning” in Narduzzi’s seventh year. In a world where money doesn’t exist, his seat would be on fire. But I’m also a realist. He has a contract that runs through 2024, and the athletic department is coming out of a pandemic that hurt it financially. I could be wrong. But right now, unless the season goes belly up, I don’t see a change happening.
Guest
11:14
Will the Panther's be making adjustment's on defense going forward by adding a few wrinkles or should we expect more of the same?  Surely UNC, Clemson, and UVA can mimic what Western Michigan did last Saturday.  Pat has the horses to get pressure with 4, will he use them?
Johnny McGonigal
11:16
That’s one thing I didn’t understand from Saturday: let your front four do the work against the RPO run and drop your linebackers in zone, at least a few times to make the quarterback think twice. But scheme-wise, I think it’s going to be a lot of the same. This is what Narduzzi rides with. If there aren’t improvements / adjustments, I think Sam Howell torches them, to be honest.
Herman
11:17
21 years since Remember the Titans came out…would you take Gary (pre car accident) or Julius if you were a college coach?
Johnny McGonigal
11:17
What a film. Still don’t think it’s my favorite football movie out there. That would be Friday Night Lights, followed by Waterboy. But as for the question, give me Julius. Tough choice, though.
James from Florida
11:18
is the WMU loss the worst of the Narduzzi era because of how poorly prepared the defense was and the lack of defensive adjustments?  We are in year 7 of the regime and the program is looking very mediocre.
Johnny McGonigal
11:21
Certainly the worst loss of Pat Narduzzi’s tenure. He had bad losses against Penn State in 2018, Miami and Boston College in 2019, NC State in 2020. But Narduzzi never lost to a Group of Five team at home before last weekend. It’s an unacceptable result.
Gman
11:21
75 yards rushing on 24 attempts against a MAC team??? Just how bad is the O line that has players with multiple years of experience?? Abysmal recruiting there ... How will they fare against Clemson/NC/Miami??
Johnny McGonigal
11:23
This is not an excuse by any means because to say the running game is underperforming would be a massive understatement. But Pitt was tied or trailing for 55 of the game’s 60 minutes. And Kenny Pickett was, for the most part, cooking. So I don’t mind them airing it out at the expense of running the football. At this point, it feels like a lost cause, really. Fortunately for Pitt, Miami and North Carolina’s defenses aren’t good.
Gramps
11:24
Because of the Transfer Portal the days of  MAC & Conf USA cupcakes for Power 5 schools is over. 3 & 4 star transfers are making these small schools a tough out. Just ask Notre Dame about Toledo. W. Michigan's first units were every bit as good as Pitt's the difference being they tackled and Pitt didn't. Power 5 better start taking them seriously from now on. D'you agree or not?
Johnny McGonigal
11:26
I agree that smaller schools can be tougher outs this year in particular. I think the reason for that, though, is a lot of schools have super seniors back with the COVID year of eligibility. While some top programs are breaking in new starters, some Group of Five schools aren’t.
And on the topic of Notre Dame, I just don’t think the Irish are very good this year.
Rahn
11:28
Publicly, Heather Lyke is a Narduzzi fan. Extended him, as well. But what do you think her feeling is on the state of the program right now?
Johnny McGonigal
11:29
I’m not going to speculate on how Heather Lyke feels. But anyone who watched the Western Michigan loss couldn’t have been pleased.
Gramps
11:29
Not that our offense is lacking but where is the Go-Go offense the new wide receivers coach was going to bring with him? It might help with ball control when we need to slow down the opposing offense like last week.
Johnny McGonigal
11:31
I am genuinely surprised we haven’t seen any of the GoGo offense yet. Not that it was ever going to be the lifeblood of the offense. But figured Pitt would go to it a little in Knoxville and *surprise* Tennessee.
Matt from LA
11:31
Would Whipple had been retained if Picket did not come back this year?
Johnny McGonigal
11:33
Can’t say for certain. But it’s reasonable to think that Whipple being relieved or retiring would’ve been a topic for consideration.
Tom
11:33
Johnny, I’m not asking this question to “jump on any bandwagon” but do the disadvantages of retaining Narduzzi as coach out weigh the advantages?  His team regularly underperforms.
Johnny McGonigal
11:36
It depends on what you value. If you’re content with 7 to 8 wins every year (with the possibility of a breakthrough and an upset win/loss), if you value stability, then he’s your guy. If you’d rather roll the dice and maybe hit, maybe flop, then I totally get that.
Bill
11:37
Too small upfront, linebackers and CBs too slow, Is superior to Davis
Johnny McGonigal
11:40
I don’t think the linebackers are too slow at all; they were asked to commit to the line of scrimmage to stop the run and WMU just threw it over their heads. But I, too, don’t understand why Izzy Abanikanda had only one carry while Vincent Davis had 11. I’ve said it before, I like Vincent Davis in certain scenarios. But Abanikanda really needs an extended look.
Carbo
11:42
Johnny, How is Pitt recruiting compared to Penn State ?
Johnny McGonigal
11:45
According to 247 Sports, Penn State has the #1 2022 recruiting class in the country, while Pitt is sitting at #55. Of course, Penn State was #21 in 2021 while Pitt was #29. Obviously, Penn State and Pitt are in very different spots as programs right now, and that’s going to show in recruiting. For the most part, they’re going after different levels of prospects. The one thing that stings from Saturday is Tyreese Fearbry, a four-star 2022 defensive end from Perry, committed to Kentucky after decommitting from Penn State in July. He was Pitt’s top target in the class … and he was at the Pitt-Western Michigan game.
kevin in Punxsy
11:45
Hi Johnny.  What is the number of wins now needed, this year, by HC P Narduzzi to keep his job? I say it should be 10.
Johnny McGonigal
11:47
Kevin, I get where you’re coming from. But I really don’t think Narduzzi is going anywhere if this team finishes 8-4, maybe even 7-5. Whether that’s right or wrong, I’ll let you all decide.
Yapper
11:47
JM, I could not believe the lack of attendance at last Saturday's game. It looks like Pitt football can't draw more fans than the Pirates. In your opinion, what's the solution ?? Can they build a stadium on campus ?
Johnny McGonigal
11:50
Will an on-campus stadium bring regular fans and alumni back? Or will they stay away if the product on the field remains mediocre? Because while I think it would be natural to have an on-campus stadium, the excuse of bussing students to Heinz Field really isn’t a valid one, in my opinion. Those students have shown up the first two games, against UMass and Western Michigan, no less. It’s the other empty seats on the North Shore that brings down the attendance.
Guest
11:50
John what is Paris Ford up to?
Johnny McGonigal
11:51
Last I saw he was waived by the Rams in the preseason. Don’t think he’s been picked up by anyone yet.
Doug in Erie
11:52
I'm fine for letting the season play out, and my heart tells me the defense can't be as bad as it looked the last 2 games. Kenny Pickett is reason enough to keep watching. I still see 5 losses minimum. You're thoughts?
Johnny McGonigal
11:54
Oddly enough, I still see this team finishing 8-4. Clearly, that’s not based on what I saw last weekend defensively. But Pitt has scored 40+ points in its first three games for the first time in program history. Miami is a few points away from being 0-3. North Carolina has shown it can’t stop anyone from scoring. And I’m not sold on Virginia Tech. I think Pitt wins 2 of those 4 big games (VT, UNC, Clemson, Miami).
Joe Germ
11:54
Where was Shocky Jacques Louis last week?
Johnny McGonigal
11:55
He got the start, but didn’t record a reception and I don’t remember him leaving with an injury. This is a really deep wide receiver group. Tough to get targets.
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