Ron Cook
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Ron Cook
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
(TNS)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Pitt thought it turned the corner as a football program in 2021. It had lost at least five games in each of Pat Narduzzi’s first six seasons before Heisman Trophy finalist Kenny Pickett led it to the ACC championship. Pitt was ranked No. 13 in the final Associated Press poll, its highest finish since 1982.
Bigger and better days were ahead, right?
Wrong.
Last season, Pitt went 9-4 but needed a strong defense and running game to overcome below-the-line quarterback play. There was a terrific 38-31 home win against West Virginia but also a hideous 26-21 home loss to Georgia Tech, a 21 1/2 -point underdog that had fired its coach earlier in the week. Kedon Slovis transferred out before the Sun Bowl and landed at BYU.
This season, Pitt is going to be lucky to go 6-6 and make a bowl, based on its quarterback play in the brutal 17-6 loss to West Virginia here Saturday night. Phil Jurkovec doesn’t appear to be — how do I put this nicely? — the answer. He doesn’t even remotely resemble Pickett.
Or Slovis, for that matter.
Pitt had to be hoping Jurkovec’s poor play in the 27-21 loss to Cincinnati last week was an outlier. He completed just 10 of 32 passes. He and his offense were so bad that the Acrisure Stadium crowd booed him, which, you might have heard, he didn’t like one bit.
But Jurkovec was even less productive against West Virginia, his offense failing to produce even one touchdown. He completed 8 of 20 passes for 81 yards. Even worse, he threw three interceptions.
Jurkovec wasn’t available for comment after the game.
Jurkovec and his offense gave Pitt no chance to win on a night West Virginia lost its starting quarterback, Garrett Greene, to a leg injury after he was hit on West Virginia’s fifth offensive play. Backup Nicco Marchiol passed for only 60 yards but managed to get his team into the end zone once.
Imagine that, a touchdown!
One of two things seems true for Pitt now:
Narduzzi has a quarterback controversy on his hands. Or he doesn’t have a quarterback.
This was a game that begged for Narduzzi to turn to backup Christian Veilleux, a transfer from Penn State.
Doesn’t Narduzzi have to try Veilleux against North Carolina at home next Saturday night rather than running out Jurkovec again in front of what could be an angry crowd?
Apparently not.
Narduzzi said he will study tape of this debacle but said he believes in Jurkovec and expects to start him against North Carolina.
Really?
Jurkovec’s first interception was the killer Saturday night. Pitt, leading 3-0, had just recovered a fumble when Marchiol botched a handoff to running back CJ Donaldson Jr. on a 2nd-and-8 play at the Pitt 14 with 4:50 left in the second quarter. On Pitt’s second play after the recovery, Jurkovec threw a ball up for grabs that was intercepted by safety Aubrey Burks and returned 26 yards to the Pitt 7. Marchiol threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kole Taylor on the next play.
Pitt trailed just 7-3, but it felt like the game was over.
It really was over after Jurkovec’s second interception late in the third quarter. Cornerback Bernie Bishop picked off his errant overthrow for wide receiver Konata Mumpfield and returned it 40 yards to the Pitt 30 to set up a field goal that pushed West Virginia’s lead to 17-6.
All that was left for West Virginia and its fans was the playing of their victory song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” which had Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium throbbing.
All that was left for Narduzzi and his Pitt team was a long bus ride home up Interstate 79.
___
(c)2023 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Bigger and better days were ahead, right?
Wrong.
Last season, Pitt went 9-4 but needed a strong defense and running game to overcome below-the-line quarterback play. There was a terrific 38-31 home win against West Virginia but also a hideous 26-21 home loss to Georgia Tech, a 21 1/2 -point underdog that had fired its coach earlier in the week. Kedon Slovis transferred out before the Sun Bowl and landed at BYU.
This season, Pitt is going to be lucky to go 6-6 and make a bowl, based on its quarterback play in the brutal 17-6 loss to West Virginia here Saturday night. Phil Jurkovec doesn’t appear to be — how do I put this nicely? — the answer. He doesn’t even remotely resemble Pickett.
Or Slovis, for that matter.
Pitt had to be hoping Jurkovec’s poor play in the 27-21 loss to Cincinnati last week was an outlier. He completed just 10 of 32 passes. He and his offense were so bad that the Acrisure Stadium crowd booed him, which, you might have heard, he didn’t like one bit.
But Jurkovec was even less productive against West Virginia, his offense failing to produce even one touchdown. He completed 8 of 20 passes for 81 yards. Even worse, he threw three interceptions.
Jurkovec wasn’t available for comment after the game.
Jurkovec and his offense gave Pitt no chance to win on a night West Virginia lost its starting quarterback, Garrett Greene, to a leg injury after he was hit on West Virginia’s fifth offensive play. Backup Nicco Marchiol passed for only 60 yards but managed to get his team into the end zone once.
Imagine that, a touchdown!
One of two things seems true for Pitt now:
Narduzzi has a quarterback controversy on his hands. Or he doesn’t have a quarterback.
This was a game that begged for Narduzzi to turn to backup Christian Veilleux, a transfer from Penn State.
Doesn’t Narduzzi have to try Veilleux against North Carolina at home next Saturday night rather than running out Jurkovec again in front of what could be an angry crowd?
Apparently not.
Narduzzi said he will study tape of this debacle but said he believes in Jurkovec and expects to start him against North Carolina.
Really?
Jurkovec’s first interception was the killer Saturday night. Pitt, leading 3-0, had just recovered a fumble when Marchiol botched a handoff to running back CJ Donaldson Jr. on a 2nd-and-8 play at the Pitt 14 with 4:50 left in the second quarter. On Pitt’s second play after the recovery, Jurkovec threw a ball up for grabs that was intercepted by safety Aubrey Burks and returned 26 yards to the Pitt 7. Marchiol threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kole Taylor on the next play.
Pitt trailed just 7-3, but it felt like the game was over.
It really was over after Jurkovec’s second interception late in the third quarter. Cornerback Bernie Bishop picked off his errant overthrow for wide receiver Konata Mumpfield and returned it 40 yards to the Pitt 30 to set up a field goal that pushed West Virginia’s lead to 17-6.
All that was left for West Virginia and its fans was the playing of their victory song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” which had Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium throbbing.
All that was left for Narduzzi and his Pitt team was a long bus ride home up Interstate 79.
___
(c)2023 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.