Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Discusses Florida State Matchup, Challenges Of Defending Jordan Travis

The Panthers need an upset against the Seminoles on Saturday to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Robert Malcom | Nov 1, 2023

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The Florida State Seminoles are coming off an impressive road win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and as they remain undefeated in the 2023 season, they will once again find themselves facing a test on the road this week against the Pitt Panthers.

While Pitt is currently 2-6 (1-3 in ACC), the Panthers' lone conference win was over the Louisville Cardinals in Acrisure Stadium, so they are no strangers to upsetting ranked teams at home.

Pitt head Coach Pat Narduzzi spoke on the talent of this FSU team, and acknowledged that this will be a major challenge for his team as FSU has proven week after week why they have a claim to be the best team in the country.

“I think they're ranked fourth in the country. On my USA Today coaches poll, I’ve had them at 2 for a long time. And I watched them earlier in the year. I've had a chance to peek at them. And, you know, Jordan Travis -- Mike Norvell has done an outstanding job there in his time there. And he's an excellent coach. He's also the offensive coordinator. I think Jordan Travis is playing about as high level as any quarterback in the country,” Narduzzi said. “We've got a great football team (to play) and that's kind of where our focus is going, right to them. We focused on that last night after our team meeting. We break up and go offense/defense again and just get onto the new page. I think that's always a good way to end our meetings. So we're ready to go."

While the Panthers have been one of the lower-ranked teams in the ACC this season, they found themselves at the top of the conference just two years ago after defeating Wake Forest in the 2021 ACC Championship game. That year, Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett became the first Panther quarterback to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft, and Narduzzi sees a lot of Pickett in FSU quarterback Jordan Travis.

“We can talk Kenny Pickett but we can talk him (Travis) as well. He's playing at a high level. What's he got? 18 TDs and 2 interceptions? The guy doesn't make mistakes. And he's confident. The guy plays with swagger too. He gets a run, he looks like he's a linebacker, just the emotion. He plays with emotion and passion. He is the leader of that football team, guaranteed.”

While the FSU offense has been very productive with Travis at the helm, having scored 30+ points in 14 consecutive games, the Seminoles' defense has been equally important when it comes to winning football games. In the month of October, opposing teams have not scored a single touchdown pass against Florida State. Additionally, the Seminoles are the only team that has allowed less than 50% completions.

“Every good secondary has a good D-line. Right? They've got some athletic ends that rush up the field, one from the University of Albany that's a game wrecker. He's special. But they’ve got athletes all over the field. They're athletic. They're well-coached. And I've had great conversations with Mike Norvell through the years. And he-- his team plays with toughness, physicality, and they believe. And they play hard. And that's what our football team is like. And I think he's got the same kind of thing,” Narduzzi said.

While Pitt’s chances of making a bowl game are slim as they would need to win the remainder of their games to be bowl eligible, Narduzzi noted that the team isn’t focused on bowl games right now, but rather just winning each week.

“1 and 0. 1 and 0. You know, hey, we played a great team last week. We're playing a greater team this week. Our focus is on Florida State. We get them at home. I hope it's 32 degrees out and the field -- I think we're going to let the grass grow because it's a fast football team. And, you know, we're playing one at a time. And I'm not worried about bowl eligibility. I care about winning a football game. And I care about coaching our football team and getting them prepared to play that game physically, mentally, and emotionally,” Narduzzi said.

With FSU having high hopes for the 2023 season, the team is treating this Pitt matchup with the same level of intensity they have been since week one against LSU. Players and coaches understand that there is no national championship without a win on Saturday.

The Seminoles and Panthers will play in Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, November 4th. Kickoff is set for 3:30 and the game will be shown on ABC.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.

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Published Nov 1, 2023

ROBERT MALCOM