The only answer Pat Narduzzi could offer was something about post-Halloween magic.

For whatever reason, Pitt hasn’t lost a game in November (8-0 the past two seasons) since Nov. 28, 2020, a 52-17 setback at Clemson. The Panthers haven’t lost a November home game since Nov. 30, 2019, a 26-19 loss to Boston College.

The streak is on the line Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, where No. 4 Florida State (8-0, 6-0 ACC) will try to remain in the four-team College Football Playoff mix. Pitt (2-6, 1-3) is a 21½-point home underdog.

While you’re trying to figure out how Pitt can win, here are the five storylines to ponder:

1. One that got away

The first order of business for the Panthers will be keeping Florida State defensive end Jared Verse away from quarterback Christian Veilleux.

Verse is one of the most feared defenders in the ACC, and he grew up within Pennsylvania borders, graduating in 2019 from Central Columbia, where his greatest accomplishments were three forced fumbles and running on the school’s 1,600 state championship relay team.

No one paid much attention to him, except Albany coach and former Pitt assistant Greg Gattuso. Verse collected 21½ tackles for a loss (14½ sacks) in two seasons at Albany.

He transferred to Florida State last year and had 16½ TFLs (nine sacks), a fumble recovery and blocked field goal. Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema thought he would have been a top-10 choice in the 2023 NFL Draft. So far this season, he has six quarterback hurries and 6½ TFLs (4½ sacks).

“Obviously, everybody in the country made a mistake on him,” Narduzzi said. “He’s a heckuva football player. We’ve been to that high school. I don’t know how we missed on him, but we made a major mistake, but so did a lot of people on Aaron Donald.”

2. Sit or play

Steel Valley graduate and Pitt freshman safety Cruce Brookins hasn’t played a snap this season. But with only four games left in the season, Narduzzi sounds like that soon will change. Perhaps as soon as Saturday.

“He’s going to be a phenomenal football player. We like how he plays fast. He just keeps getting smarter every week.”

The problem with using freshmen too early is an NCAA rule that mandates a player lose a season of eligibility when he competes in five games. Narduzzi would like to see the limits go away and have the NCAA give everyone five years.

“Why not just let the guys play? We probably would have played Cruce last week just to get him in the game and see how he reacted instead of waiting until the No. 4 team in the country (Florida State) comes in.

“I don’t want to wait until 2024 to figure out, ‘Is this guy going to make a play when the time comes? Or, does he need more reps and more time?’ ”

Pitt has used five freshmen in six or more games this season: wide receiver Kenny Johnson, guard B.J. Williams and linebackers Braylan Lovelace, Jordan Bass and Rasheem Biles. But Narduzzi will disagree if you tell him he “burned” one year of their eligibility. Johnson has returned a kickoff for a touchdown, and Williams has started four games.

“I wouldn’t call it burning,” the coach said. “Burn means you wasted someone. That’s what we’re not doing. We certainly didn’t burn (Williams’) redshirt year. We played him.”

Narduzzi wants to use freshmen, but strategically and not at the expense of winning games, he said.

“I’m not taking (safety) Donovan McMillon out to put someone in to get experience. I’m trying to win a football game.”

3. Charlie’s rules

Pitt’s defensive linemen don’t sack the quarterback like their 2022 predecessors did. They have 14 sacks in eight games, compared to 28 in 13 games last season. But the expectations set by position coach Charlie Partridge remain the same.

“There are four things that it takes to play for me,” he said. “This will forever be what it is.

• “I have to trust you, which includes on and off the field.

• “You have to minimize mental errors on the field.

• “You have to produce.

• “You have use technique that we talk about.

“All those things tie in equally like spokes of a wheel what it takes to play and how much you play for me.”

Look for redshirt freshman defensive end Sam Okunlola to get increased playing time. He doesn’t start and has played in only seven games, but he leads the team with four sacks.

4. Don’t forget the tight end

There’s been a lot of talk throughout the season about Pitt’s inability to get the ball to tight end Gavin Bartholomew. Now, Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. are joining the chorus. Good to know they are paying attention when the tight end not only makes no catches against Notre Dame but is not targeted even once.

“I need to do a better job getting Gavin touches. Hopefully, this week he gets some touches,” Cignetti said. “Ultimately, the defense will determine where the ball goes, based on their coverages. The ball doesn’t always go to the primary receiver. They might take it away.”

That means Bartholomew, who has caught only 17 balls this season, is a targeted man — by everyone, except his team’s quarterbacks.

Narduzzi took the situation one important step further when he called Bartholomew on Monday morning to explain the situation.

Later, the coach told reporters that Pitt rotated its tight ends “maybe more than we should have. But we try to keep those guys fresh. I’d like to see Gavin, obviously, get more targets and play more plays. I think we’ve got to keep him on the field.”

5. Searching for the right QB

Even after throwing four interceptions against Notre Dame, Veilleux remains Pitt’s starting quarterback, but the final four games will determine if and how aggressively Narduzzi will attack the transfer portal. He has struck out twice the past two offseasons, and it’s too soon to tell if Veilleux is the long-term answer.

With Phil Jurkovec and Veilleux at quarterback, Pitt is last in the ACC (116th in the nation) in average total offense per game (312.6) and 10th and 89th in passing yards (208.4). That must improve for Pitt to become relevant again in the ACC.

Still, Narduzzi said he is pleased with how Cignetti interacts and instructs his quarterbacks, including redshirt sophomore Nate Yarnell and freshman Ty Dieffenbach.

“They love the culture in that room. He’s done a great job,” Narduzzi said of his coordinator. “They feel really good with what they’re getting coached to do and how they’re being coached.”

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