PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s 23-20 win over Louisville at Heinz field Saturday afternoon was tough.
And not just in the hard-hitting, rough and tumble, nerves of steel kind of way. Sure, the game had all those elements, but it also featured some things you hate to see: dropped passes, missed tackles, multiple turnovers, and completely empty stands.
The barren stands are by COVID design, but the other issues are just normal imperfections, according to Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“Nobody’s perfect,” said Narduzzi when asked about his wide receivers drop percentage. “I don’t know about your percentages, but receivers are making plays when they need to. You look at some of the catches they did make, like Jordan Addison and that catch on the sideline on third down – that was a critical third down. So no, I’m not concerned. It’s called win, just win.”
Narduzzi is right. Everybody makes mistakes, even the media, as he jokingly pointed out. But limiting the damage is key and something the Louisville Cardinals just couldn’t do today. Quarterback Malik Cunningham threw three interceptions, including one on the last drive that prevented the Cardinals from mounting a possible game-winning comeback. He was hit hard on that play and was carted off the field.
“Our prayers go out to Malik (Cunningham) as well,” said Narduzzi. “Never like to see a game end like that with 1:15 left on the clock .”
Pittsburgh was able to put continuous pressure on Cunningham, recording seven sacks and five quarterback hurries. Junior safety Paris Ford and Senior defensive end Patrick Jones led the Panthers with six total tackles. Jones led the team with three sacks.
“I know Patrick (Jones) had three,” said Narduzzi smiling. “He was upset a week ago, he practiced like an animal this week, and he did a great job.”
Offensively, Pittsburgh started strong, scoring 13 points in the first 13 minutes before Louisville finally got on the board.
The Cardinals then went on to score 17 unanswered points before the Panthers finally stopped the bleeding with a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kenny Pickett to Taysir Mack. The senior wide receiver managed to roll over a Louisville linebacker without touching the ground and continue his run into the endzone. The review later showed Mack’s knee landed on Yasir Abdullah’s foot, confirming the touchdown and putting the Panthers back on top.
Pickett finished the game 23-of-38 for 220 yards and two touchdowns. The senior QB utilized nine receivers with freshman slot receiver Jordan Addison leading the way, finishing with seven catches for 77 yards and one touchdown.
But the real MVP, according to players and coaches, was kicker Alex Kessman, who finished 3-3 (45, 41,42). He was able to reflect on the last two weeks, going 0-1 against Austin Peay and 0-2 against Syracuse, and reset his internal kicking philosophy.
“I just cleared everything out because I know how to kick the ball,” clarified Kessman. “So, I told myself just go out there and kick the ball.”
Kessman credits the change in his perspective to talking with his sports psychologist Dr. Rosen on Wednesday, sharing that Rosen told him to “stop thinking.”
Pittsburgh registers its first 3-0 start since 2014, and Narduzzi is proud of his team.
“They just continue to fight and find different ways to win football games, and that’s what good teams do. Doesn’t matter if we don’t get a first down, doesn’t matter.
Like coach said, just win.
The Panthers ( 3-0) host NC State next Saturday while the Cardinals (1-2) regroup and take on Georgia Tech October 9th in Atlanta.
Featured Image Courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference
