Phil Jurkovec struggles in Pitt’s Backyard Brawl loss to West Virginia
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Pitt tried to be the bully Saturday night in the 106th renewal of the Backyard Brawl at Milan Puskar Stadium. Instead, the 17-6 loss to West Virginia ended with questions about Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec from everyone but coach Pat Narduzzi.
Whether he’s ready to acknowledge it or not — and you can bet he won’t admit it publicly — Narduzzi has a full-blown quarterback controversy swirling over his team heading into the ACC opener next Saturday against North Carolina.
West Virginia (2-1) and Pitt (1-2) each totaled 211 yards of offense, and the Panthers even looked like the more physical, more aggressive team on their first offensive series.
But the difference in the game was obvious to any of the 61,106 people in the stadium who were paying attention. Jurkovec, the sixth-year senior, threw three interceptions, the first two leading to 10 easy points for West Virginia. He completed 8 of 20 passes for 81 yards. In two weeks, Jurkovec is 18 of 52 (34.6%) for 260 yards in losses to Big 12 teams Cincinnati and West Virginia.
Jurkovec became the first Pitt quarterback to throw for fewer than 100 yards in a game since Kenny Pickett totaled 8 in the 2018 ACC Championship game against Clemson.
Is a change at quarterback on Narduzzi’s mind? If it is, he’s not saying.
“No, no,” he said when asked if he considered changing quarterbacks during the game. “Got a lot of faith in Phil. You have to give defenses credit.”
Then, he chastised reporters for asking the question.
“You guys are fast to want to pull the plug on somebody. That’s not how we do it. I’m a positive guy, try to stay positive. You start dumping people, whether it’s a corner, a tackle, a quarterback, it’s not good for you. It’s never one person. We all had a part in it and it starts with the game plan. We’ll get it right.”
Asked if Jurkovec will start against North Carolina, Narduzzi left a sliver of doubt, “I’m going to watch the tape, but I believe so, yes.”
Pitt ran the ball 10 times in a row to start the game all the way to the WVU 3, trying to establish physicality and dominance over its hosts. But the offense stalled — without Jurkovec throwing a pass — and settled for Ben Sauls’ 21-yard field goal, his first of two.
“It’s hard to win a football game when you kick two field goals and don’t score touchdowns,” Narduzzi said.
Probably the strangest set of stats in the game belonged to Rodney Hammond, who rushed seven times for 41 yards in the opening drive, but ended up with 14 carries for 49 yards.
Related:
• West Virginia backup QB Nicco Marchiol displays cool nerves in Backyard Brawl victory
• West Virginia defense knew Phil Jurkovec ‘wasn’t that good at his job’
“That first drive was a Rodney Hammond drive,” Narduzzi said. “We’re trying to keep those guys fresh.”
C’Bo Flemister ran six times for 34 yards, but Daniel Carter made one of the most critical mistakes early in the game.
On Pitt’s second possession, Narduzzi made a futile attempt to retain possession by calling a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Panthers’ 49 without a huddle. Jurkovec gained the necessary yardage, but Carter was called for a false start and Narduzzi had no choice but to punt.
“We had a first down and who knows what happens after that,” Narduzzi said. “Little things like that can’t happen. That was a critical play in the game.”
Pitt’s conservative game plan resumed from its 1 in the second quarter when the Panthers ran three times without success, leading to another punt and good field position for West Virginia on its 45-yard line.
Pitt appeared to catch a break when quarterback Nicco Marchiol led the Mountaineers into the red zone but botched a handoff. Pitt’s Bam Brima recovered at the 18. Marchiol had replaced starter Garrett Greene, who was injured in the first quarter, but did not return.
The Panthers’ good fortune didn’t last long. Jurkovec threw incomplete to tight end Gavin Bartholomew and then fired into coverage and was intercepted by free safety Aubrey Burks, who returned it 26 yards to the 7. Marchiol quickly atoned for his error on the next snap, hitting tight end Kole Taylor for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead with 4 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first half.
Pitt responded and drove to the WVU 20-yard line, but the offense stalled again and Sauls kicked a 36-yard field goal with 9 seconds left. Jurkovec ended the half with eight pass attempts, three complete, for 38 yards and an interception.
Jurkovec’s second interception in the second half led to Michael Hayes’ 42-yard field goal. Two of West Virginia’s three scoring drives included one play for 7 yards and four plays for 6.
“I was proud of our defense, 13 yards to score 10 points,” Narduzzi said. “We can’t put them in that position.”
Running back C.J. Donaldson scored in the third quarter on a 1-yard burst, a score that came at the end of a 13-play, 61-yard drive that took 7:48 to complete. It was West Virginia’s only sustained offense that led to points.
What Pitt’s defense didn’t do while mostly keeping the WVU offense in check was give its offense good field position. Pitt has now played three games and collected only one interception and one fumble recovery.
But all eyes will be on Pitt’s quarterback position this week while the Panthers enter ACC play against North Carolina and its Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, Drake Maye.
Pitt’s last desperation attempt failed in the fourth quarter when Jurkovec’s sneak was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Mountaineers 27. Long before that, however, Pitt’s small gathering of fans seated in a corner of the upper deck near one goal line made sure Jurkovec has been booed in two stadiums this season.
Jurkovec did not speak to reporters after the game, but there seems to be support for him among coaches and teammates.
”Phil’s doing great,” said center Jake Kradel, who helped hold the WVU pass rush to one sack. “We just have to protect better. Phil will deliver.
“Phil is a natural leader. He didn’t waver one bit. That dude, there is no question about him. He keeps us up. We keep him up. I have so much confidence in that guy. If we just continue to block for him, give him time to throw, he’ll make plays. We have to play better for him.”