Pat Narduzzi And Pittsburgh Not Focused On ‘Big Upsets’
When it comes to Notre Dame football history, Pittsburgh is quite the familiar foe.
Saturday marks the 71st meeting between the programs, which makes Pitt the fifth most familiar foe for the Irish behind Navy, USC, Purdue and Michigan State. The Irish lead the all-time series 48-21-1, but have won just six of the last 10 meetings. Notre Dame took the last matchup between the two programs, posting a 42-30 victory at Pittsburgh in 2015.
Under head coach Pat Narduzzi, the Panthers are 24-20 and have built quite the reputation as the “giant killer.” In 2016, Pittsburgh took down the eventual national champion and then-No. 2 Clemson Tigers 43-42 on the road. The following year, Narduzzi’s group defeated then-No. 2 Miami 24-14 at home to derail the Hurricanes' chances at a College Football Playoff berth.
Pittsburgh will aim to make it three straight seasons with a victory over a top-five opponent when they arrive at Notre Dame on Saturday against the No. 5 Irish.
“We’re not thinking about big upsets, we’re thinking about us,” Narduzzi said on Monday. “We’re thinking about the guys in this room and us doing the details of what we need to do to be good on the first play of the game, and then as soon as the first play of the game is over, we go to the next play and play one play at a time. That’s how you win football games.
“We’re not talking any upsets. We never do. We’re talking us and being a better football team and executing.”
Narduzzi extended high praise to several members of the Fighting Irish and the team overall.
“I’m looking forward to Notre Dame, and when I say I’m looking forward, I don’t know if I’m looking forward to playing the No. 5 team in the country because they’re awful good,” Narduzzi said. “Maybe as good of a football team as you’re going to see, that Notre Dame has ever had, I think.
“[Junior quarterback] Ian Book is making things click. He can run. He’s tough. He’ll run you over. … He's got the whole package. I think they've found their guy. … Defensively, [senior defensive tackle] Jerry Tillery, the [fifth-year senior Drue] Tranquill kid at linebacker. They've got a football team.
“Their receivers are big. I can't tell the difference between their tight ends and the receivers. I think our guys are going to get confused. They put them all in 80 numbers and you can’t tell. They’re all big. They’re all fast, and we’ll have our hands full when we get out there Saturday.”
Pittsburgh has already faced its fair share of quality opponents in 2018, squaring off against rival Penn State and Central Florida, both top-25 teams. The Panthers lost those games by an average score of 48-10.
“[Notre Dame has] guys from all over the country, first of all,” Narduzzi said when asked the difference between the Irish, Nittany Lions and Knights. “Obviously they’ve got some great Pittsburgh kids, PA kids on their football team. But they recruit all over the country, so they’ve got flavor everywhere.
“They’ve been recruiting long enough to have what they want in their offense and their defense, and I think they walk into high schools, they get what they want. Let’s put it that way. You know, they’ve got a beautiful place to sell, and it'’s a great product and kids love it.
“They walk into a high school — I don’t want to say it’s easy because nothing is easy — but it’s easy to recruit, and they get some players.”
Heading into this matchup, Narduzzi isn’t focused on the history of the Notre Dame football program.
“How about the history of Pittsburgh?” Narduzzi said. “We’ve got some great history here. Notre Dame is a great institution, great place. I’m Catholic, I love Notre Dame, but this is a football game. We’re going to walk in there, it’s a business trip.
“We’re going to stay in the hotel, we’re going to get them up in the morning, we’re going to drive our bus to the stadium, we’re going to get out, we’re going to go through some cement walls to a locker room, and we’re going to put our gear on and we’re going to go out and go.
“I don't know if there is a difference. It’s all about the football game. We’re not going to go to the Basilica or go see Touchdown Jesus. We’re not taking any tours. We’re going to play a football game.”
If history is any indication, Saturday could be a closer matchup than some may think. Of the previous 10 meetings, only two have been by more than one score (2005 and 2015). The last time the Irish faced Pittsburgh as a top-five team? A 29-26 win in a triple-overtime thriller at Notre Dame Stadium in 2012.
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