Pat Narduzzi takes another apparent shot at Penn State’s offense

Pat Narduzzi takes another apparent shot at Penn State’s offense

You have to love talking season, especially when Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi gets in front of a microphone. While Penn State was going through the Big Ten media day fun in Indianapolis, the ACC football kickoff was showcasing its programs in North Carolina. And Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi almost couldn’t help taking what was perceived by some as a shot at Penn State’s offensive system and quarterback play.

Asked about his quarterback options and depth for the season, Narduzzi commented on Christian Veilleux, the former Penn State backup quarterback who transferred to the Panthers this offseason. Narduzzi praised Veileux and suggested he was coming along with getting used to a new offensive system, suggesting Pitt’s is more advanced than what Penn State operates with.

“Christian is a guy that, well, things are brand-new for him,” Narduzzi said in a one-on-one interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He’s coming from a one-word offense to a real offense.”

Ahh yes, there is the subtle shot at the Penn State offense that Narduzzi just couldn’t help unloading. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted Narduzzi stressed this was not intended to be disrespectful of Penn State, but that won’t stop many from believing Narduzzi knew what he was doing with his quote. He is not one to typically hold back with his comments. But it is fair to suggest Pitt and Penn State run two totally different offenses, and there is a wide range of offensive styles found throughout the world of college football.

For example, Pitt’s “real offense” is coming off a solid season in which the passing game ranked 79th in the nation with 223.5 yards per game with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions thrown.

By contrast, Penn State’s “one-word offense” struggled with the nation’s 46th ranked passing offense with 252.5 yards per game and just 29 touchdowns to seven interceptions. And all that culminated in a Rose Bowl victory over Pac-12 champion Utah to close the season. Sean Clifford was named the game’s offensive MVP in his swan song with the Nittany Lions.

Narduzzi seems to be riding on the coattails of the one season in the past decade in which Pitt had a top-30 passing offense, with Kenny Pickett electrifying the ACC and leading Pitt’s eighth-ranked pass offense in 2021. But outside of that one blip on the radar, there has not been much to crow about with the success of the Panthers’ pass attack over the years under Narduzzi. Perhaps the 2021 season was the exception to the norm in western Pennsylvania.

But maybe we shouldn’t be too hard and overreact to this line from Narduzzi. Because he does have a point in saying that Pitt’s offense is designed differently than what Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has cooked up in State College.

“But it’s a totally different offense,” Narduzzi said. “This offense is NFL-style with sophisticated terminology. We’re going to see a different version of Christian.”

And this is a very good point to consider. Veilleux, who backed up Sean Clifford the past couple of seasons and saw the writing on the wall with the addition of five-star Drew Allar in the Class of 2022 (even though James Franklin insists there is actually a quarterback competition for this season). Veilleux will have a great chance to thrive at Pitt, one that he likely was not going to have at Penn State.

And we’ll all be watching to see how Veilleux does with the Panthers, even if out of just pure curiosity. Meanwhile, a reminder one last time that a one-word offense can do some serious damage against the right opponent. And Narduzzi is well aware of that.

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