Pitt loses injured offensive tackle Carter Warren for season
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The news emerging from Pitt’s off week couldn’t have been worse for a coach who loves developing and sustaining a solid ground game.
Pat Narduzzi announced Monday that senior offensive tackle Carter Warren, who has appeared in 40 games (39 starts) since 2019 while anchoring the left side of the line, is lost for the season with an unspecified injury.
Warren, one of four team captains, left the Rhode Island game Sept. 24 and did not play in subsequent games against Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech.
Narduzzi said Warren (6-foot-5, 325 pounds) has tried to recover in time to get back on the field this season.
“This guy wants to play bad,” the coach said. “And I really feel bad. We’ve done everything in our power as trainers and doctors to try to get him as close as he could and try to get him back on the field to play. And, again, his future is important, as well. I can’t thank him enough for all the efforts he’s made. It’s sad to think that he’s played his last ball game in that Pitt uniform. I don’t even want to think about it. He didn’t want to think about it.
“That’s why he’s tried so hard. He’s tried to rehab it, tried to get back. It doesn’t feel good enough. And we need to get him prepared for his next journey in the NFL. It’s only fair for him to be able to do that.”
Narduzzi added that Warren started his draft prep “as of (Monday).”
Thank you Pittsburgh‼️Forever a Pitt Man #H2P https://t.co/Dyhn4I9rsx
— CARTER⚡️ (@CarterWarren79) October 17, 2022
“It’s been painful for him to even make that decision. It’s, like, ‘Carter, you’ve got to. We’ve got to make a decision here soon. You can’t just keep (going) week by week. We need to go get yourself better.’ ”
Carter, who was invited to the 2022 Senior Bowl before deciding to return to Pitt, was given a third-round grade for the 2023 NFL Draft by si.com, which labeled him an “NFL-ready” pass blocker.
Warren’s injury and those of two others mean the five linemen who returned to the team as a group — Carter, Marcus Minor, Owen Drexel, Jake Kradel and Gabe Houy — never lined up together in any game this season. Drexel has missed the past four games, and Houy was out for the first three and hasn’t made his first start of 2022.
Narduzzi said line coach Dave Borbely will use a three-man rotation at left and right tackle. Taylor will man the left side — the quarterback’s blind side — while Matt Goncalves and Houy play on the right. Goncalves, however, can play on the left, if necessary.
Without Warren, running back Izzy Abanikanda still found a way to set a Pitt single-game rushing record Oct. 8 by gaining 320 yards against Virginia Tech.
The trick for Narduzzi, Borbely and sophomore replacement tackle Branson Taylor is to at least approach the level of success that has lifted Abanikanda to the top of the ACC rushing list. He is averaging 138.3 yards per game for a total of 830, fourth among all Power 5 running backs.
Although Taylor has played the past two games, the timing of Warren’s injury isn’t good. With six games remaining, each one becomes more important, starting Saturday night at 8 at Louisville. Pitt (4-2, 1-1) trails first-place and 22nd-ranked North Carolina (6-1, 3-0) in the ACC Coastal standings and is tied in the loss column with Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1) and Miami (3-3, 1-1).
Plus, Pitt has failed to achieve consistency on offense beyond Abanikanda, who has gained all but 46 of his rushing yards in four games. Narduzzi, offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. and quarterback Kedon Slovis spent much of the off week working on the aerial game that is a middle-of-the pack seventh in the ACC (237.5 yards per game) but tied for 10th in touchdowns (seven) and 12th in attempts (180).
Asked to access Slovis’ efforts in his 4 1/2 games since transferring from USC, Narduzzi was critical and complimentary at the same time.
“It’s maybe above average. I wouldn’t say it’s a winning effort every time,” he said. “It can be better. He thinks it can be better, as well.
“Sometimes, it comes down to over-coaching stuff. I think he’s a pleaser. He’s trying to do everything exactly the right way.”
Narduzzi also suggested having the coaching staff simplify matters for Slovis.
“Sometimes, I think you can over-think things,” Narduzzi said. “Maybe don’t over-coach him as much and let him play football. Sometimes, you can clutter his mind with useless details. Maybe we can do a better job as a staff, and he can do a better job in seeing stuff.”
The passing game might be the missing piece of the puzzle Narduzzi is trying to assemble in his quest to repeat as ACC champion.
“Everyone wants to talk about, ‘How’s Kedon doing?’ But everybody wants both (run and pass), right?” he said. “Last year, we don’t have a run game. (Reporters) talk about the run game. This year, we’re running the ball better than we’re throwing it. We like to be two-dimensional. We like to be great at everything.
“But I know you guys aren’t great at everything. Neither am I. If you can run it, I’ll take that any day. You guys, doom and gloom, (say) why can’t we throw for 400 yards every weekend? I would rather rush for 400.”
Note: Pitt sophomore wide receiver Jaden Bradley, who caught two touchdown passes in the loss to Georgia Tech, announced on Twitter his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Bradley, who was in the starting lineup in Pitt’s most recent game against Virginia Tech, is fifth on the team with 10 receptions for 130 yards. … The ACC announced Pitt’s game at North Carolina on Oct. 29 will begin at 8 p.m. That will be Pitt’s third 8 p.m. kickoff of the season, second in a row and fifth in eight games to begin after 7 p.m. “I think we’re the 8 p.m. darling team on the road,” Narduzzi said. “So, I guess we’re the only ones fit to run a game at 8 p.m.”
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— Jaden G Bradley (@JadenBradleyyy) October 17, 2022