UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 5, 2026

Cruce Brookins

Press Conference

Pitt 59, Miami (OH) 14

Q. Cruce, I think they had a big touchdown in the second quarter but they didn't score after that. What changed there, and what do you think you guys did well in the second half?

CRUCE BROOKINS: Just had to lock in on the details and play our brand of football. We just had to lock in. That was it.

Q. Facing the receivers you have all camp, I imagine you were not surprised by what you saw out there offensively?

CRUCE BROOKINS: Yeah, definitely. They're definitely an explosive offense. They showed it today for sure.

Q. Talk about that takeaway.

CRUCE BROOKINS: Oh, that was crazy. That might be one of the best picks I seen since I been at Pitt. That was crazy; I ain't gonna lie.

Q. What did you see from the guys up front, specifically Nick James? Seemed like he had one of his better games today.

CRUCE BROOKINS: He played a great game, dominant game. He came out there and played his brand of football. Played good.

Q. What was it like to see Mason do it against someone else? You guys have seen it for a few months now.

CRUCE BROOKINS: It was great; I ain't going to lie. I already knew he had it in him. Last year he showed it. This year he's going to keep showing it, so it was good to see.

Q. What did you see from those linebackers, the newcomers today?

CRUCE BROOKINS: They looked good out there. Warren was shooting his gaps. Alex was too. They played a great game today for sure.

Q. You guys have some younger guys, some inexperienced guys, even some of the transfers that are here for the first time. How much progress and growth is there or can there be between week one and week two? How important is the development this week?

CRUCE BROOKINS: It's definitely important. I'd just say we've got to get more in the film room, correct the mistakes we made, and it's going to show next week. We're going to play a great game.

Q. From your perspective, why do you think Coach Narduzzi's teams continue to have so much success stopping the run?

CRUCE BROOKINS: I'd just say he harps on it a lot. That's one of the main things we focus on, stopping the run, so we show that every week.

Q. What's it like playing a quarterback who's making his college debut and you don't have a lot of film on him?

CRUCE BROOKINS: It was kind of hard. Yeah, it was just hard. We had to go out there and adjust like we always have to do. Just adjust.

Q. How did it feel tackling someone other than your own teammates?

CRUCE BROOKINS: It felt good, man. Definitely felt great. It felt good. That's all I've got.

Q. What did you see from Scoop Smith out there on the other side?

CRUCE BROOKINS: He looked good today; I ain't gonna lie. Scoop looked good. Very explosive player. He's small but he's explosive for sure.