Inside The Panthers

Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Takes Jab at Penn State Offense

Pat Narduzzi believes the Pitt Panthers have a more complicated offense than their rivals to the east.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Takes Jab at Penn State Offense
Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Takes Jab at Penn State Offense /
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PITTSBURGH -- One of the biggest additions of the offseason for the Pitt Panthers was a move for the future. Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux followed Phil Jurkovec to Pittsburgh this offseason and created one of the deepest quarterback rooms this program has had in a while. 

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi labeled Jurkovec the starter during spring practices and maintained that he is the first-stringer as things stand now, but left the door open for Veilleux and Nate Yarnell to push him. Still, Narduzzi believes the transition from State College to Pittsburgh will take some time for Veilleux. 

"Christian is a guy that, well, things are brand new for him," Narduzzi told Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He's coming from a one-word offense to a real offense. But it's a totally different offense. This offense is NFL-style with sophisticated terminology." 

Narduzzi added that he didn't intend for his comments about the Nittany Lions' offense to be disrespectful, but fans had a hard time reading it another way. 

Narduzzi's Panthers have faced current Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurich's offense before in 2016 and 2017 when he was calling some of Oklahoma State's best offenses in school history. Pitt lost both games while surrendering an average of 52 points to the Cowboys over that two-game series. 

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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:

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