What Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi said about Notre Dame football

Much of Pitt (2-5) head coach Pat Narduzzi‘s Monday press conference was spent lamenting the Panthers’ 21-17 loss to Wake Forest last weekend, seven days before they travel to South Bend to face Notre Dame. The Demon Deacons scored twice in the final 3:02 to walk away with a win.

“What happened in that fourth quarter is not something I’m accustomed to,” Narduzzi said. “Usually at Pitt we finish… We just didn’t play like we should play — not like a Pitt football team.”

Narduzzi got into some Notre Dame specifics later in the presser. Here’s what he said about the No. 14 Fighting Irish (6-2).

General thoughts on the Fighting Irish

“Marcus Freeman has done an outstanding job here in his second season. They have got a talented team. When you put the tape on and watch those shiny gold helmets, they fly around, they look good. They are probably as good looking a team as you are going to walk out on game day and see, and they play fast.

“All the receivers look like tight ends. They wear 80s numbers, too, which disguise them. You’re not sure how many tight ends there are. They play with four tight ends at times in formations and they will go all the way to play with four wideouts. Tailbacks are athletic and you have got [Sam] Hartman.

“And defensively Al Golden is running the defense, and you guys know Al from back in Miami. Was in the league for a while. But a great coach. He’s done a great job with their defense. Four down, they are all physical, they are all fast. I can’t sit there and focus on one guy because there’s 11 of them. They are as talented a football team as you’re going to face out there. So we’ll have our hands full.

“Have a lot of guys on that staff I know. Start with Mike Mickens, coached him at corner. You guys saw him. So it will be a nice little reunion there. Max Bullough, one of our linebackers, is there on that staff as well. And Gino Guidugli, old Cincinnati quarterback is the quarterback coach. So there’s some familiarity with their staff as well. It will be a great challenge for our guys to go into South Bend. I think they were fired up last night to close the chapter and move on.”

On preparing to go against the Notre Dame offense after giving up too much against Wake Forest

“We’re looking at everything. But you know, every offense gives you a little bit different. And again, give Wake credit. They did some different things that we really didn’t prepare for. They lined up in the pistol more than we’ve seen them.

“New quarterback. They did some things different that we didn’t practice as much for. We practiced a little bit more more on other things that they didn’t do. We didn’t know who the quarterback was going to be. Didn’t know there was any issue with their starting quarterback. So prepared for him and then had really a totally different guy in there. And again, they switched the run game up a little bit.

“But we’ve got to execute. We haven’t forgot how to coach defense and how to stop the run. It’s what we do. We’ve got to coach better. We’ve got to get it out of them. And they have got to learn better and execute better. That’s what it comes down to.”

On facing Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman after he was at Wake Forest for five years

“Obviously a totally different offense. He’s in a pro-style offense. He’s actually huddling up and taking snaps under center. If he’s going to play in the NFL, it’s going to be in that type of offense, not what they are doing at Wake Forest. I think he’s probably enjoying it. I think it’s every childhood kid’s dream to play in the National Football League, and he’s going to have an opportunity just by being able to make run checks, sit underneath the center and do all the things that they ask him to do there. I think he’ll obviously have a better opportunity in that atmosphere and circumstances. He throws the ball well. He’s a calm guy. He can run. He can scramble. He’s still a great athlete. You don’t see anything abnormal there”

On former Irish running back C’Bo Flemister

“C’Bo has been playing well the last couple weeks. He’s also helping to lead our football team as far as just being a leader. I think he’s stepped up with the absence of Matt Goncalves. He’s kind of got some natural leadership skills to him. Our guys have really bought into what he’s all about. He plays his tail off. I mean, he’ll be on any special teams. So he’s played hard.”

“He’s gotten better. I think he’s obviously grown up a lot on and off the field. But yeah, he’s doing what we thought he could do. He had a motor last year. He understands the offense more now. I think he’s more comfortable just like anybody would be in their second year of a new offense that’s totally different from what they were doing at the other place. So you know, he’s done a nice job. I’m impressed. Like I said, you’re never going to question that guy’s effort. He has got a motor. As good a motor as anybody on our football team.”

On running back rotations

“It’s like anybody in the country. Notre Dame plays four tailbacks. They play four of them and they all got 20-some-plus snaps at tailback. They have got two really that are getting the majority of them. I don’t think we’re different in any way. You want to get your tailbacks reps, and you want to make them all feel comfortable. They are all ballplayers. You never know. If you have one tailback that’s getting 200 snaps and the other guy gets three and all of a sudden the first guy gets hurt and you’ve got a guy that’s never rushed the ball before, we won’t have that problem. I think it’s a natural thing. You have to play who is hot and blocking well, and who you feel comfortable with based on the flow of the game.”