Pitt Believes in Phil Jurkovec's Bounce Back
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers left Week 2 with a bad taste in their mouths after losing in underwhelming fashion to Cincinnati at Acrisure Stadium. It's been a particularly rough week for starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who after completing just 31% of his passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns, called fans who booed him and the offense "pathetic."
While externally there are some questioning whether or not Jurkovec is the right man to lead the Panthers, those inside of the team have full faith in his ability to bounce back from a bad game. And in no one is that faith stronger than offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, who has been through thick and thin with Jurkovec as his position coach and play-caller at Boston College.
“It’s not the first rough game Phil and I have been through together, so I know how he responds," Cignetti said. "He loves football, he loves his teammates, he is an unbelievable competitor, he always looks at himself first and I know he’s really looking forward to getting out there and playing again.”
Cignetti said he saw confidence - in both himself and the offense - from Jurkovec when he came back to watch the film following the Cincinnati loss.
Konata Mumpfield, who caught two of Jurkovec's touchdown passes last weekend, hasn't seen the quarterback deviate from his routine and maintain the same demeanor that inspired confidence in him during spring ball and training camp.
“You can definitely tell he’s locked in and he’s the same guy week in and week out," Mumpfield said. "He continues to be him.”
Tight end Gavin Bartholomew has seen the same thing. Jurkovec hasn't backed down from his responsibility as a leader and took responsibility for a lackluster game while helping everyone get to where they need to be.
“He’s being a leader," Bartholomew said. "He’s taking care of the team. He’s putting our needs first. Not everyone played great, everyone knows that and everyone’s got places they can step up in. But right now [Jurkovec’s] just leading the offense and he’s been doing a great job with it.”
Cignetti said it plainly - he did not consider benching Jurkovec during the game. The work of getting this offense back on track falls to more people than just Jurkovec and it will take a team effort to make sure the unit reaches its full potential.
"When I came in here the next morning and I saw certain things, I felt a lot better about our quarterback play," Cignetti said. "Not one time did I ever think about changing quarterbacks. We have a starting quarterback and we have a backup and a third and I treat them all the same. … As the course of the game went, there was no reason to change.”
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