Carpenter Crunch Time Week 10: Narduzzi’s comments come back to haunt Pitt as Panthers skid

BUCKHANNON — If you grow up in West Virginia, disliking Pitt is almost a rite of passage. And while I’m not a fan of the current WVU coach Rich Rodriguez, I’d take him over Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi any day of the week.

Confidence comes with the territory when you’re a Power Four head coach. Arrogance is another matter.

Narduzzi raised eyebrows Oct. 2 after Pitt’s 35-33 victory at Virginia Tech pushed the Panthers to 5-0. Frustrated with his team’s position in the Associated Press Top 25, he took aim at voters.

“Wow, we got a heck of a football team, any of those voters out there, if they’d wake their a– up, they might figure that out,” Narduzzi said. “I tell you what, we beat a damn good football team in Virginia Tech.”

During that same week, while West Virginia was struggling, Narduzzi couldn’t resist taking another shot, publicly asking how “the school down the road” was doing.

Since those comments, the Panthers have fallen flat.

Pitt has dropped three straight games, tumbled out of the national rankings and watched its season lose momentum. Meanwhile, West Virginia has steadied itself and finds itself moving in the opposite direction.

To be fair, the Panthers suffered a significant blow when starting quarterback Mason Heintschel sustained a season-ending torn ACL following the Virginia Tech game. Injuries matter.

Still, both teams now sit at 5-3, and only one appears to be trending upward.

West Virginia may be enduring a decade-long stretch of inconsistency, but the Mountaineers remain better positioned moving forward than their rivals to the north.

Pitt no longer attracts top-tier talent with the same regularity, and its home-game environment remains a challenge. Playing at Acrisure Stadium, which it shares with the Pittsburgh Steelers, often prevents the Panthers from creating the intimate college atmosphere found at many major programs. Unless a rival such as West Virginia or Penn State is visiting, the stadium frequently lacks the energy and identity recruits want to experience.

In a professional sports town where the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates command much of the spotlight, Pitt often finds itself fighting for attention.

Crunch Staff & Friends Leaderboard

Name	Overall	Last Week
Duane	49-14	5-2
Bobbie	49-14	6-1
Corrie	49-14	6-1
Brian	46-17	5-2
Katie	38-25	5-2
Monica	32-31	5-2

My gamble on Fairmont Senior upsetting Elkins proved costly last week, resulting in a three-way tie atop the Crunch leaderboard.

Bobbie and Corrie each posted 6-1 marks to pull even with me at 49-14 overall. Brian remains within striking distance at 46-17, while Katie continues to hold fifth place. Monica climbed back above the .500 mark and remains sixth.

Ten readers submitted 6-1 records in Week 9, and the competition came down to Sean Coberly and James Brown, who both chose 56 points in the tiebreaker. For the first time this season, the contest required a second tiebreaker, which awards the win to the earliest entry.

That honor belonged to Sean Coberly, earning him the Week 9 title and a $20 gift certificate to a local restaurant.

Todd Ware continues to lead the overall reader standings with 53 points, while William Parker owns the best record at 51-12.

As always, readers will pick seven games each week, with Game 7 serving as the tiebreaker. Selections are due by 7 p.m. Friday before kickoff. Click here to see this week’s games.

Now, onto the fun stuff.

Week 10 Games

Buckhannon-Upshur (3-5) at Preston (2-6)

This may not be a true elimination game, but it feels close. The Buccaneers sit 15th in the playoff ratings, while Preston occupies the 16th and final postseason spot.

The winner will take a significant step toward securing a playoff berth while the loser will have work to do in Week 11.

Buckhannon-Upshur has three wins, but is just 13th out of 20 Class AAAA teams in bonus points playing a predominantly Class AAA schedule. Of course B-U should be in Class AAA, but that is a story for another day.

Picks:
Duane: Buckhannon-Upshur
Bobbie: Preston
Corrie: Buckhannon-Upshur
Brian: Preston
Katie: Preston
Monica: Preston

University (9-0) at Morgantown (7-1)

The Mohawk Bowl has produced some memorable showdowns, but few can match the stakes attached to this year’s matchup.

University enters undefeated and ranked No. 3 in Class AAAA. Morgantown sits directly behind the Hawks at No. 4.

A University victory could strengthen its rating for the top overall seed in the playoffs. For Morgantown, a win would position the Mohigans for multiple home playoff games and possibly a push toward the top of the bracket.

Picks:
Duane: Morgantown
Bobbie: University
Corrie: University
Brian: Morgantown
Katie: Morgantown
Monica: Morgantown

Charleston (4-4) at West Virginia Wesleyan (3-6)

Charleston enters the weekend second in the Mountain East Conference standings at 4-1 in league play, trailing only unbeaten West Liberty.

Wesleyan has an opportunity to play spoiler but faces a daunting challenge in Charleston quarterback Matt Frye. The sophomore was named MEC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 16 of 20 passes for 358 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-49 victory over Fairmont State last week.

Picks:
Duane: Charleston
Bobbie: Charleston
Corrie: Charleston
Brian: Charleston
Katie: Charleston
Monica: Charleston

The Final Four

Elkins (7-1) at Brooke (4-4)

Picks:
Duane: Elkins
Bobbie: Elkins
Corrie: Elkins
Brian: Elkins
Katie: Brooke
Monica: Elkins

Bridgeport (7-2) at Fairmont Senior (2-6)

Picks:
Duane: Bridgeport
Bobbie: Bridgeport
Corrie: Bridgeport
Brian: Bridgeport
Katie: Bridgeport
Monica: Bridgeport

Oklahoma State (5-2) at Iowa State (3-4)

Picks:
Duane: Oklahoma State
Bobbie: Oklahoma State
Corrie: Oklahoma State
Brian: Oklahoma State
Katie: Iowa State
Monica: Oklahoma State

Marshall (4-3) at Old Dominion (2-6)

Picks:
Duane: Marshall
Bobbie: Marshall
Corrie: Marshall
Brian: Marshall
Katie: Marshall
Monica: Marshall

Monica’s picks were not received before publication and will be added when submitted.