Pat Narduzzi calls on Dave Wannstedt to speak to Pitt’s players about Backyard Brawl
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When Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi played at Rhode Island, the football team’s chief rival was Brown, an Ivy League school 30 miles to the north.
“That was your big rivalry? Really?” he said, recalling his collegiate days Monday during the first of his weekly chats with reporters.
He learned quickly and received a much more distinct taste of college football rivalries when Michigan State — he was the Spartans’ defensive coordinator for eight years — played Michigan.
Penn State was a recent Pitt rival (2016-19 before the game died a second death), but that didn’t work out especially well for Narduzzi. He’s 1-3 against the Nittany Lions.
“We won that first one. I guess I did a crappy job on the others. Should have gone for it on fourth-and-1 (from the 1),” he said referencing — with a laugh — the 17-10 loss in 2019 when he decided to kick a late field goal instead of going for a touchdown. “It’s on me.”
A new old rivalry will be reborn Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium when Pitt welcomes West Virginia for the 105th edition of the Backyard Brawl.
Of course, many players on both sides weren’t even teenagers when the teams most recently met in 2011. So Narduzzi will turn to someone who has experienced the Backyard Brawl in good times (Pitt’s 35-7 victory in 1973 and the 13-9 upset in 2007) and bad (four losses in six seasons from 2005-10):
Former Pitt offensive tackle, captain, assistant coach and head coach Dave Wannstedt will be the Panthers’ honorary captain for the game.
“When you have to educate, you try to bring in guest speakers. Bring in the best guest speaker you can,” Narduzzi said. “I couldn’t be more excited. He’s coming back at Acrisure Stadium, and I’m excited to have him here. He’s a Pitt man.
“One of my real idols. I’m not talking because I’m the Pitt head coach, but he’s a guy that I’ve always, always looked up to. We played him at (the University of Cincinnati when Pitt was in the Big East). (When) he was with the Dallas Cowboys, (I was) watching 3-4 (defensive) stuff.
“To have him here, experience who Dave Wannstedt is, former (Pitt) player, former great coach, Super Bowl with the Cowboys. He’s done everything. You’ve got the ultimate captain for this football game.”
Wannstedt’s message will complement what Narduzzi and his staff have been trying to impart to their players.
“Obviously a big game,” Pitt’s coach said, “not just because it’s the Backyard Brawl. Because it’s the first game of the season. (It) would be a big game no matter who it was. Rivalry game adds more to it.
“They just need to know what they’re getting into. As I say, they’re playing for their families. Their families will be up there in the stands. To me, you always got to make it personal. It will be personal.”
Yet, he hopes to control the mayhem that might be developing in his players’ minds.
“You want to have extra juice, but you have to have your composure, too,” he said. “It’s a brawl, a fight. You have to have composure.”
Narduzzi remembers the loss to Miami last season when Pitt was penalized nine times for 107 yards in losses.
“We didn’t have great composure against Miami last year, personal fouls, which drove me nuts,” he said. “I don’t want to get them too hyped because they have to play smart and not get out of control.”
Added defensive coordinator Randy Bates: “We don’t want to be emotional, but we want to play with emotion. We’ve shown them clips of experiences they’ve had in the past. Those kids have been in those situations where they were probably too emotional at some point. So you can show them that and let them learn from that.
“With depth, the kids playing with too much emotion. Take them out for a couple snaps and let them recover and go back in.
“There were some times (in the Miami game) when we made some mistakes after the whistle. They weren’t as egregious as maybe it seemed as you watched the tape. But they were calling the game close.”
Recalling his military background, the retired Naval lieutenant said, “You have to adapt, improvise and overcome every week to how (officials) are calling it. Play within the rules that the officials are playing.”