Pat Narduzzi Recaps Pitt Football's Second Scrimmage

Jaylen Bardon fueled the Pitt Panther offense to a dominant win over the defense.
Pat Narduzzi Recaps Pitt Football's Second Scrimmage
Pat Narduzzi Recaps Pitt Football's Second Scrimmage /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are ten days from kickoff and, according to head coach Pat Narduzzi, the depth chart is still far from settled. There is, most obviously, an ongoing a battle for the starting quarterback job as well as competition at placekicker and cornerback. 

While there isn't necessarily competition for starting jobs at wide receiver, it is one of the biggest areas of concern for the Panthers after they lost 2021 Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison to the transfer portal and fellow starter Taysir Mack to the NFL. But on Saturday, junior wideout Jaylen Bardon helped put some of those concerns to rest. He accounted for multiple big plays and giving Pitt faith in the depth of its offensive weapons. 

"Jaylen Bardon had a heck of a day offensively," Narduzzi said on Monday. "He made some plays. He was the MVP of the scrimmage to be honest with you."

Narduzzi said the offense won by at least 30 points even though he couldn't remember the exact score and credited his quarterbacks Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti with god stewardship of the football. 

"Both protected the ball. They've got the hardest job. Id say they both did the same things - protect the ball, get us in the right play. ... It was a productive scrimmage because those quarterbacks are running the show."

This scrimmage also added a new wrinkle to the daily grind of camp and reminded them of the approaching regular season opener. The Panthers played at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday, giving it a somewhat more gameday-like feel. Narduzzi said he was pleased with how his players reacted to that new environment. 

"One of the first things I said to them after was that they know how to get prepared for a game," he said. "Sometimes you never know what you're going to get but our guys walked into Acrisure Stadium and they were locked in like they were the week before. So that's a thing that I think you're looking for. You didn't know, in the grind of camp, how they were going to respond."

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work: