UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 9, 2024

Pat Narduzzi

Press Conference

Virginia - 24, Pitt - 19

PAT NARDUZZI: Obviously a disappointing outing, disappointed in a lot of different ways. We had our chances to win the football game. We didn't get it done.

Their last touchdown, a 20-yard drive, four plays off of a turnover, or even in the turnover margin. Two interceptions, both teams. So it hurts you when you don't protect the ball. I think we had two interceptions in the second half. Both hurt us. We got an opportunity, two-point plays, converted. And for whatever reason -- we had iPads, I know that, on the sideline. But we didn't get it done.

At the end they got five downs. And haven't seen that many times in my career. And, again, we held them to a field goal there at the end, but it ate up more time on the clock, which would have gave us more time at the end, either the last possession or the second to last possession.

But it starts with me, starts with our coaches putting our kids in position to make plays. We had way too many penalties in the first half offensively.

Again, we got iPads. So I'm seeing a lot of things on iPads.

But we lost as a team. Again, it starts with me. I've got to do a better job getting our guys prepared. I thought we had a great week of practice, but Virginia came in with a week off and did a nice job.

Q. The officials said that they weren't set on the play, but the play was snapped and allowed to be finished. Was there any explanation given as to why, if they weren't set, why it wasn't a penalty on Virginia?

PAT NARDUZZI: To be honest, I have no idea. It's a great question. I'm sure (inaudible) will answer that for us on Monday or Tuesday.

But it's our job to get lined up and get in position. And it's their job to get lined up and get in position as well. We had a stop on fourth-and-1. And no explanation.

Q. Did the official give you an explanation?

PAT NARDUZZI: Absolutely not. I had to call him over to get it.

Q. How do you get some better play out of your quarterback spot, either Nate or Eli?

PAT NARDUZZI: It starts with coaching. It starts with our offensive staff, our head coach, me, and we have just got to get better play. It wasn't good enough overall.

It's not just quarterback, it's everybody involved. We had way too many dropped passes out there today. So it's hard to get in rhythm when you're not catching the ball like we had all year. And that's our job to catch balls. It's our job to get them to catch balls. We've got to do a better job in ball drills and catching the ball and making plays.

Q. To the different offensive line, alignment today, what went into that?

PAT NARDUZZI: Just looking at the tape, we felt we had to make some changes because we weren't getting production off the left side moved Baer to left tackle and Enos inside and Montgomery to right tackle. So just trying to fix the issue since Branson left.

Q. Anything on Holstein since he went down?

PAT NARDUZZI: We don't talk about injuries, but seemed okay in the locker room.

Q. Any explanation on the two-point conversion when they called holding on Ryan?

PAT NARDUZZI: No, no explanation. Not good. He did a technique we called trap his arm, and he knocked his arm down. That's all it was. The guy wasn't even close to the quarterback. You talk about non-factors. But players play, coaches coach and officials officiate.

Q. How difficult is it to keep your team focused when you moments like that where you have a tying play wiped out, you have a momentum-changing play wiped out and obviously you're not getting explanations on questionable moments?

PAT NARDUZZI: Our guys stayed focused. Our guys fought their tails off today. That's a good Virginia football team, we know. And they played some tight games as well. And our guys will stick together; that's what we do.

That's the game of football. Half the teams win and half the teams lose every weekend. We've got two in a row. Gotta bounce back against a really good Clemson football team.

Q. What do you think is causing all the drops lately by the offense?

PAT NARDUZZI: I don't know. Focus, I guess. Maybe we've gotta do more ball drills. I don't know. Gotta catch the ball, catch it in practice, catch it in big moments in big games. That's what players do.

Q. In between the drops and the procedure penalties and things like that, are you a little disappointed that the focus was what it was, especially coming out of last week's game? Did you expect the guys to be more locked in?

PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, again, some of those procedures -- I don't know. We look at the iPad. I'm confused. But, yeah, I wish they were more focused, for sure, and put that on me.

Q. How about the defense performance tonight?

PAT NARDUZZI: We had two interceptions, six sacks. They ran the ball too much on us. They did a nice job running the football. And we'll look at why. But we've got to stop the run better.

Again, the goal was to come in, as you guys know, 10 years of stop the run, and we didn't stop the run good enough on defense.

You can get six sacks. Had two nice interceptions in the first half. Didn't get any in the second half. But 24 points and one of them was a 20-yard drive. And gotta play better.

Q. You brought up the iPads. Is there a point of frustration, you think maybe there's too much emphasis on that, not enough emphasis somewhere else; is there something there?

PAT NARDUZZI: No, I'm just saying I can see what's going on. We can look at the iPads and see. I don't have to tell you -- I just can't really comment too much more. But I've got iPads. It's like mysterious.

Q. The turnaround of the offense, for as good and productive it was five games, it's four games now where it just hasn't been at that level. I know we're right after the game here, but can you put your finger on something what has changed?

PAT NARDUZZI: The teams got better. That's the first thing you've got to say. Give credit to the defenses. They've done a nice job.

And we've got to do a better job creating plays and making plays. Like I said, I don't know how many, six, seven drops, I don't know. So you can't move the ball, you can't move the sticks if you don't catch it and you don't get to the right guy.

We'll sit down and reevaluate where we are, what we're doing, how we're doing it, and try to put a better product out there.

But it's frustrating, it's frustrating for our offense, coaches; it's frustrating for our offensive players. And again, it takes 11, 11 guys out there that have to make plays.

Q. Second time in three games Eli has left the game after getting hit hard on a running play. Has there been any thought about telling him to maybe use his legs less?

PAT NARDUZZI: He's got to make plays. It was obviously a late hit, a targeting call. You hope you don't have that. But it's the game of football, and you have to -- he's going to run it.

You saw him run out of bounds early. You saw him slag. He's trying to take care of his body, and he's pretty smart at that.