Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi Shares Sharp Criticism of Former OC Mark Whipple

Panthers head coach rips former assistant, now at Nebraska, for failure to run the ball effectively.

University of Pittsburgh head football coach Pat Narduzzi joined the Bazzy’s Black and Gold Banter podcast this week, and former Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple was brought up in the conversation.

Whipple worked as the OC at Pitt under Narduzzi from 2019 to ’21, and he now serves in the same role at Nebraska.

During that time, the Panthers succeeded through the air, but Narduzzi thinks the offensive struggled in the running game under Whipple. (Pitt ranked eighth nationally with 337.4 passing yards per game last season, but the Panthers ranked 74th in the nation with 150.5 rushing yards per game.)

“Our old offensive coordinator had no desire to run the ball,” Narduzzi said. “Everybody knew it. He was stubborn. Wake Forest was 118th in run defense, and we threw the ball every down. When we ran it, we ran it for 10 yards, but that wasn’t good enough.”

Bazzy's Black & Gold Banter Episode 38 https://t.co/9GGDJl6T34

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This specific reference produced some backlash from fans, as the game Narduzzi mentions (the ACC Championship Game against Wake Forest) last season resulted in a 45-21 win. Additionally, the offense finished with more rushing attempts (38) than pass attempts (34) in that game.

Regardless, Narduzzi will work with a new offensive coordinator this upcoming season: Frank Cignetti Jr.

On the same podcast appearance, the head coach’s comments about Michigan State, the Big Ten and Kenny Pickett also made headlines.

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