Pat Narduzzi discusses Pitt’s season opening win over Kent State

happy with you know what we did today I thought uh really all three phases did some good things all three phases did some stuff we got to clean up U you know opening day you know issues whether it be a Muth Punk by Kate trying to make a play um you know just you know some stuff like that that's got to be clean up jumping over you know punch Shield which we can't do uh which we coach every single day but guys trying to be aggressive um you know too many penalties early in the game uh all on us but uh you know overall um game one there'll be a lot to teach from the video and uh happy with where we are at this point how would you evaluate uh D's performance today you know I'll let you guys it w matter what I say um you know we go back and watch the video tape but I thought early uh sh I think his first series you know there wasn't incomplete pass very sorry you can't see me here J that the chairs all pulled up really close um but uh um you know Eli played really good I think uh I was really happy with where he was you know he had the one um interception you know kind of thre his I think we'll go back and look and see what he did there but U you know overall he got the ball in his hand when he needed to I think one series gave up two sacks in a row which you know disappointing you see if he need get rid of it or he had a protection problem quarter came one time but you know overall 30 or 40 for 300 plus yards uh I would say he looked pretty gar it looked like you he completed the four different receivers two tight ends and two running backs and both Sidelines deep intermed what was what what can you say about his grasp of this playbook for being a red shirt freshman that transferred to you guys in the I mean he's he's he's a good football player I told you you know so is Nate um but you know you know I think schematically I think could Bell on the offense that does a great job in scheming up and putting our kids in position to make those plays the ball's getting spread out I don't know how many different receivers caught balls here uh today but uh you know um you know when you look at the targets and Kenny it was just some good stuff the ball spread out you can't just FOC on that guy over there uh we get different ways of getting guys balls and and uh we got try to get everybody involved P you had said that You' hope that after the first game was pretty obvious who your starting quarterback would be do you go in next week rest of the season feeling pretty good that heiz your start yeah I mean you know that's something you know you know we'll talk about that Monday I going to sit down with the offense and sit down K but you know I think things look pretty good today what we kind of thought coming out of camp and uh Eli was sharp you know look sharp early probably you know pulled him earlier just to see what you know Nate had but you know so I told you earlier I think I told you on Thursday didn't have a plan for when and what uh to do but uh you know the way he you know play with composure obviously he's going to be you know we're going to see a little bit more next Saturday 3:30 I think in Cincinnati so just getting locked into that one you called Desmond Reed explosive on Thursday is that kind of what you're were talking about his performance today that's what I was talking about I mean the kid's been like that he's tough you know it's a little Cal down there he comes right back he just he doesn't say boo he just keeps going he's like ever ever ready battery he just goes um you the punt returned even the punt returned we had a base defense on the field that was just we were punt safe uh we were keeping our base defense on the field they made some blocks and he made some plays and you know he can pop through I told you he can break one you know it happened to be Izzy was here today B can was here and uh he's he's that kind of back that can go break one and you know that Derek Davis did some good things and um Daniel Carter did things as well um so we got you know we got a lot of people invol we got a lot of guys playing football today we got our second offens line in there we got you know shoot I think we are thirds you know D line you know juster um you know got in there Winnington you know got in got some good things in I think the last three plays defensively with tfls I did not like the way our defense came out in the third quarter uh we'll address that I I didn't like that at all I don't know what they were doing what they were thinking I can't wait to watch the video tape but that was not how I wanted to come out in that third quarter you mentioned it but you guys gave up a few big plays especially in that third quarter did you did you notice anything common anything that you guys were no I mean just you know execution and and details I don't know I mean I don't know if they felt like you know I don't know what they came out of the second half as but uh you know I'll get on the defensive coaches it starts with us as coaches make sure their minds are right and they don't think this this game is easy and it's it's in the bag see like you guys asked out a lot of K of Kenny Johnson at the sophomore whether it was red Red Zone deep ball over the middle catching catching it off the what have you seen that allowed him to allowed him to make the kind of improvements you know he didn't practice a lot this fall so I mean I can't tell you was because practice makes perfect you know I mean he was banged up a lot and uh we're you know able to get him and CJ lead back you know on game day which is good CJ was bagged up more than he was and I think he had a few few catches today as well but uh you know we continue to uh to get better there are the penalties one thing you're most concerned about today I am you know but we talked about eight things winning and penalties isn't one penalties doesn't lose games you know one thing I you know how many you know legal procedures do we have you know zero unforced there's going to be some aggressive penalties that we had but there were some ones early you know I don't have I don't have my book on me here um but uh you know there's some early that just you know shouldn't happen um but they were aggressive ones and you know uh I anticipate those you know I think the first one was a you know blocking the back or holding on a pum return just shouldn't happen you know we'll get that cleaned up I what is is your concerned um I have a million concerns Jer got a million concerns my first concern is that next week EJ getsy seats backed up so I can really see your whole body not the top of your forehead that's you concerned I mean that concerns me that we got the seats moved up closer than they've ever been in 10 years uh but there's I'm going to pick and pick and pick you know there's all kinds of stuff that that uh we can clean up but um I'm not going to sit and say I'm worried about penalties because that's not critical to winning um but it can cost you a game um you know we just clean up just bad ball one of the concerns pass protection four sacks allowed a couple of those I think coming kind of early and with with pressure yeah I mean you know we'll look at that again sometimes it's plays I mean the one thing I can tell you about our offense is we're going to get five receivers out so we like all the exposive plays and guys out of the back field and get the two so the quarterback's got to get the ball out you know at times if we're if we're putting five I me as you guys watch if you're putting five out in the rout then the quarterback is hot off to somebody and we got to do a good job picking up the corners and knowing they're coming you know those ones that you can't see that we got to job you know and that sometimes goes with fast tempo as well when you fast tempo sometimes you can't see it coming um so you know you we just got to do a better job of that and that comes with the experience I think at the quarterback position and Coach Bell know what he's got there too Francis brw what you think about how the line backers play today especially Kyle Lewis you know what again you I refer to the video tap Kyle Lewis had one time he came through there smack that you know quarterback that beat up today I hope he's healthy U but he took a beating today by you know our guys we might got we get five sacks you but it was like you know five sacks and and another 10 hits after that so it's 15 hits on the quarterback he took a he took some licks and he's a tough kid to camp in New Jersey so give him a lot of credit um but uh you know Kyle Lewis and you know I think rine B had the first sack of the year um you know we'll just continue to get better guys you know got a young font we talked about it but I think you probably saw a lot of penetration even all the way down to the threes um at the end there um you know but um I thought the Lineback did a nice job evaluated as we go Francis Brew was a guy you talked about a lot throughout the fall is there any reason you didn't play today yeah um Jerry tell I I I understand Sor I can't help these guys can't help yeah we hope we hope we get a back but again that's why I sit here you I can get to put all those ores on there and something happens during the week you know you don't anticipate but he's been healthy all all summer camp was you know uh unfortunate that uh that he wasn't ready to go today but uh hope to have back next week there was a third long that you guys converted off a draw spread out the the defense really wide with your wide outs and then de re just gets it he goes 20 28 yards is that something that you guys uniquely design up for him because of his ability or is that just a normal play call Play It's draw third and long you know drawing third long when you're throw it a lot sudden you catch him by surprise and had a fourman Twist on and the offensive line did a great job sometimes you know the twist you know will negate the draw sometimes but again it's a great job by Jeremy darau offensive line coach of getting it picked up and coaching it and no one had to expect but uh you know again it comes down to coaching and players making plays it's a little bit of both so uh it's great play call by Coach B how about a couple more before we wrap it up anyone else can you uh offer any Clarity or any situation you know we made an announcement about you know about that already and you know got nothing further to uh to talk about what the V how important was it for you to have such an offensive explosion in put B first game um really important I mean I think our kids I mean you know there's a different bounce uh there's a there's a there's a different Bounce by the kids I mean I watched him last night coming out of you know offensive meatings last night 8:30 p.m. it's just like the smiles on their faces they're excited um they had a lot of confidence going in they're again contribute to our offensive staff and Coach Bell and what he's brought to the offense there's a lot of confidence about what they're doing how they're doing it and um you know it was it was important to come out there and put some points up like they did and you know he's and the great thing about him is he's in the locker ball mad because feel like we left three touchdowns out there okay so that's what I like about that okay Coach thank you very much