Pitt football prepares for season with a new style, new roster and, hopefully, a new record

With Pitt football’s season opener against Kent State less than a week away, head coach Pat Narduzzi wants to ensure that his Panthers are grounded in preparing for the season ahead.

Kent State was arguably the worst team in the FBS last season, finishing with a 1-11 record. No matter what the sportsbooks may think as Pitt enters the season-opener as a 23.5-point favorite, the Panthers will not assume anything until the clock hits zero.

“Last year, we assumed too much,” Narduzzi said. “The offense assumed. We did a bad job and I put that on me.”

No matter the reason, the Panthers and Narduzzi took their time with several key starters for the upcoming season. When the Panthers’ most recent depth chart was released, readers found an “OR” between the two quarterbacks. 

The Panthers took their time with naming their starting quarterback between redshirt junior Nate Yarnell and first-year Alabama transfer Eli Holstein. However, with less than 48 hours until kickoff, Narduzzi announced that Holstein would start over Yarnell. Although Holstein won the competition for now, Narduzzi announced earlier that both quarterbacks will play on Saturday.

“Both have been outstanding,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t think [the fans] will be disappointed with whatever they see out there. I don’t think that our defense is easy to go against.”

Narduzzi sold the competition as one that could be decided week-to-week.

“We’re looking for that consistency,” Narduzzi said. “We will see during game plan week. How do you pick up the game plan? How do you adjust to a different defense? The older guys adjust to a new game plan every week better than the young guys too.”

Yarnell, of course, is the older guy. 

Despite the main talk at the helm of the offense, the quarterback is not the only position still in flux. Several starting spots on the offensive line are not yet solid.

Former NC State center Lyndon Cooper battled with junior Terrence Moore for the starting spot in summer and fall camps, and Narduzzi hinted that Cooper is the likely starter heading into the contest against Kent State. 

“Lyndon Cooper has got the lead on the center spot,” Narduzzi said.

Moore started at center for much of the 2023 season, but the transfer Cooper has leapfrogged him for the starting job. Nonetheless, Cooper said that the competition made both players better.

“I feel like throughout this whole process, we made each other better,” Cooper said. 

Cooper mentioned in the same presser that he, Moore and the rest of the offensive line had a “pancake competition” amongst each other throughout camp. The nod to the popular breakfast item refers to a pin that an offensive lineman makes on a defender — a huge brag in locker rooms. 

“At the beginning of camp, coach Darveau wanted us to bring some competition,” Cooper said. “We were just going in every day getting pancakes.” 

Cooper won the pancake competition over Moore 26-25 and was rewarded with a maple syrup bottle labeled “Pitt Football 2024 Pancake Champion” for his efforts. 

The coaching staff was also asked about the pace and setup of Kade Bell’s new offensive scheme. In his introductory presser, Bell promised an up-tempo, no-huddle offense, a far cry from Frank Cignetti’s slow and methodical approach to offense. 

Narduzzi said that the defense has adapted well to the change, which gave them some additional looks against spread hurry-up offenses that the team might see more of this season. 

“I think we’ve done a pretty good job against tempo. We get a better look at all the stuff that all the offenses we’ll face on a daily basis do,” Narduzzi said. “Going into the season, we are much more prepared for these spread offenses.”

Of course, this new style is a big change for the offense as well — a total modification from the complicated techniques that brought a lack of scoring to Acrisure — with returning players adjusting to a more streamlined method of calling plays and audibles. 

Cooper commented on the adaptation phase, praising strength and conditioning coach Michael Stacchiotti’s workout routine for the offensive lineman, and how that has translated to the field.

“Throughout spring ball, coach [Stacchiotti] was able to see how our offense was running,” Cooper said. “So throughout the summer, he made our workouts kinda towards that.”

Cooper also commented on the change in how they hear and translate their various blocking schemes, run fits and pass protections for the season ahead. 

“It is a very fast-paced offense,” Cooper said. “As soon as the play is over, we’re lined up and ready.” 

For everyone involved with Pitt football, this off-season has been a pivotal learning moment. Coaches, players and fans have many questions about what this team will look like and what its identity will be. No matter what happens, it should serve as a gripping season ahead, and potentially usher in a new era of Pitt football.