UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 26, 2026

Pat Narduzzi

Press Conference

Pitt 59, Bucknell 0

PAT NARDUZZI: Good to get a win. I think our guys went out and played the way you expect them to play against the opponent you're playing, in Bucknell.

Good football team. Well coached. I think they just keep getting better and better every week. If you'd have watched them in the opener, not so good, but new coach. Coach Behrman is doing a good job of getting them back, and I think little by little he'll get them to continue to improve.

I thought we started slow offensively and defensively. Obviously penalties hindered us a bunch, which really annoys the heck out of me. Not happy with the penalties.

We'll go back and look at them. From the few that I saw up on the big screen, I wasn't happy.

But a win is a win, and we move on to Virginia Tech.

Q. As the game went on, missed the touchdown early, but then you saw him settle in.

PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, he was shooting them a little high early, it seemed like. Just getting into the rhythm of the game. Everybody wants to be perfect. He was a little high, and I think some of the balls should have been caught, too. High or not, I think they still gotta be caught. Disappointed in some of those guys that didn't catch the ball when it's a little high.

He's not going to be perfect. It's not easy out there, but I think overall you gotta be happy with really all three quarterbacks.

We were able to play a lot of guys today. I think after we turned it over, blue turned it over in the third quarter, second half, first series. We're just going to give him one series. I said, no, forget that. We're not finishing with a turnover. Gave Mason one more series in the third quarter and then put the twos and threes out there for the rest of the game, which is good.

Again, defense went one series, went three-and-out early, and we subbed those guys out and got the twos out there as well and played with some threes as well, a lot of threes.

Q. What do you think the guys need to clean up before you have a big prime time match?

PAT NARDUZZI: I'll let you know when I see the videotape, but we can't do it. Some are on special teams. We got some young guys out there subbing in and just not doing things right. And, again, if they can't do it -- we get into ACC play, we're playing for it all. I mean, every one of those ACC games matters.

We'll have stars on them, we'll just get them off, whoever it is.

So when I go back look at the tape, there will be guys that won't be out there. They don't deserve the right to go out there and do it if they can't do things right. And, again, we'll look at the quality of the call. So I thought there were some that I just, you know, wasn't happy with.

Q. When you play a team like Bucknell, you're obviously not expected just to win, but to win big, and to win in a style-ish fashion. Were you pleased with the manner in which you won today and did you get what you wanted out of this win?

PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, I think so. We've all been around those games where you're supposed to and you don't.

I think offensively every drive in the first half ended in a touchdown.

Again, defensively, obviously it's a shut-out. So what am I whining about? However, just the penalties and them keeping drives alive, seven-play drive, seven-play drive, punt, whatever it is, ten-play drive, I think, in the first half. And, again, they were based on penalties.

So sometimes that happens when you're playing against a slower team. We'll look at it, getting off press and all that stuff. It's just something our guys aren't used to maybe.

So we'll look at it, but maybe we got them all out of our system, but we can't certainly go down to Blacksburg on Friday night and do what we did today.

Q. Just working with Alanzo a lot more this week.

PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah. Him and TK over there at the X. And Demetrice has been like that all camp. I mean, I was mad at the penalty he got. I don't know what caused that down in the end zone, but he's a football player. He's got great ball skills. He's fast. He doesn't look fast. I think it's number 87 that makes him look slower. But the guy can run, and he'll catch contested. If you ask any of our guys on defense, like, meat shop -- I called him meathead today after that penalty. I called him a meathead. I said you have new nick babe. But he goes up and makes plays and gives Mason another target.

Q. Impressive offense showing today, especially after Syracuse and before Virginia Tech?

PAT NARDUZZI: How many did we rush for? I don't know how many we rushed for. 192, I guess.

So you guys aren't mad about the passing yards or the rushing yards today. That's good.

I don't know. Again, taking what they're giving us, I mean, at the end, they're blitzing the nickel back, and his read is to key that guy and he's throwing it out there. Like if you're going to keep blitzing, we're going to keep throwing it out there.

Whether it's a run or a pass, I'm happy with where we worked, except the slow start really offensively and defensively.

Q. Guy like CJ stepping up.

PAT NARDUZZI: He's a good football player. They better step up.

We talked Thursday, a small group in there just about the go-to guy. I don't care who the go-to guy is. You're supposed to throw it to the guy that's open. It's good to see Tyreek catch a touchdown pass.

Again, a lot of guys in, Bryan Hamilton caught the last touchdown. We got some young talented receivers that can go make plays. And, again, it's good for their confidence.

Going back to CJ Lee, I'm happy for him. He made some plays, and that's what he's supposed to do. That's his job. I feel great.

Q. You feel great after feeling how cohesive this team is.

PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, I mean he just continues. Some of the most impressive plays, besides him throwing it, we expect him to throw completions, but just how he moves around. That last touchdown pass, I shouldn't say last, but that one touchdown pass to Carson in the corner by the pylon there, just the way he creates and makes plays. He's special, scrambling with his feet and all. Obviously throwing dimes out there.

Q. Made more history today, not just on the field, but for the second time ever (indiscernible) undefeated in nonconference.

PAT NARDUZZI: Second time ever?

Q. Both times you were the head coach. What does that say about this team and also having you reflect on that?

PAT NARDUZZI: Just, again, these guys, they listen. The talk all week was like, listen, we're going to play up. Can't play down.

I think it's hard to get guys pumped up when you watch the videotape and go, okay, who are we playing against? But I told you that was my job last week was to make sure they're ready to go mentally and physically, and we physically prepared well, and I think they came in. So you gotta appreciate them listening and taking coaching. Again, our leaders and captains making sure when they talk to the team that they're sending the same message, and obviously they did.

Q. We heard from Mason and Demetrice. They all talked about staying late this week multiple practices, getting their timing down, working on the rhythm. Did you see those extra work sessions? What did you think of those and the initiative they took?

PAT NARDUZZI: Not only the work sessions, but the extra videotape. Sometimes -- I talk about routines and our guys watching tape. I don't care if it's Virginia Tech or Syracuse, I mean, watching the same tape.

It doesn't matter, just because you're playing Bucknell doesn't mean -- I think they may have spent more time in the film room this week, which is great. Again, they're buying in to what we're talking about, and I think that's the most impressive thing.

Q. Assess how your quarterbacks did behind Mason today.

PAT NARDUZZI: You watch Holden come in there, Holden threw some nice balls. He's accurate. I think his decision making was good.

That last throw by Corey Dailey, I'm not sure why they called a timeout. But just to watch Corey go out there, that was a shot he threw down the middle to Tyreek. That was like, whew. And that's what we've seen out of him.

So just to see those other guys come in there and be able to make plays, I thought Holden and Corey Dailey did a nice job.

Q. How did Allen Bryant show today?

PAT NARDUZZI: Obviously he played in place of Brookins. And, again, we had a couple of tailbacks out as well, La'Vell didn't go, and Bop's in there.

But AB, he earned the right to be a starter based on what he did on special teams. We sell all the time about like special teams starts it. And AB, Allen Bryant did a nice job. I was happy for him to go out there and play the game he did. He started with special teams last week, and then to go out there, it's just another guy that you know you can go out and trust and he's got game action now, which is great.

Q. Bucknell taking that timeout late, was it your plan to kind of run that out or did you want to see from Corey what he could do?

PAT NARDUZZI: Yeah, I mean, if we'd wanted to run it out, we'd have kneeled down. But these guys work too hard not to get reps.

To put your third string quarterback in there and have him hand it off every time it's not fair to him. He's worked at it, and we need to see him play and make those decisions and see, hey, the backer blitz, I gotta throw it. It's an RPO. So I think I was excited about him.

Q. Some of those guys you held out to be available?

PAT NARDUZZI: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

Q. Based on the performance of Kent these past few weeks, has he proven to you that he is basically the top tight end?

PAT NARDUZZI: No question about it. I think we knew that coming in, and Elijah is really good, too. So we're going to keep them both fresh. Our plan was to keep them fresh and kind of split the reps there. I don't know how the numbers came out.

But Carson is a good football player. So is Elijah. And, again, I don't care, we can talk depth and the number one guy. You need two. You need three. You need four. We'll take as many as we can get.

Q. Starting out at home, how excited are you to go on the road and getting tested that way?

PAT NARDUZZI: I'm excited to go on the road. I love being on the road. Excited to go down to Blacksburg and play Virginia Tech on a Friday night.

Another short week. The work starts as soon as I walk out that door. Can't wait to start watching some Boston College-Virginia Tech tape, probably in a monsoon like we played in -- probably worse than what we played in a couple weeks ago.

But excited to go on the road. I think our kids are. They seemed pumped up in the locker room after the game.

I mean, it's fun to play at home. It's also fun to go on the road and play in a different atmosphere and see our guys face that adversity.

Q. The last three weeks without (indiscernible) out there. You guys continued to run the ball. Seemed like Damon and everyone.

PAT NARDUZZI: We'll see how they read their blocks and all that stuff today. But it's been impressive.

I like Bop out there. I like watching him. He's a slippery little runner. We watched him. He fell down a couple times, which I think he could've been on his feet. But he did that in practice, too. So he'll learn from that.

JBo got out there as well. We've been shorthanded in the back field, if you want to call it that, but not real shorthanded. We got guys that can make plays, and we done a good job of recruiting that position.

Q. Pitt rushed for a record today. He's the first quarterback in Pitt history got multiple six-touchdown games, and he's the first player in ACC history to have six-plus touchdowns in multiple games in the same season.

PAT NARDUZZI: Threw six TDs. I'm looking at this. It says he threw six. It's got Holden, but it doesn't have Corey Dailey on there. I don't know how many touchdown passes we scored today. But eight?

Q. That's a program record, too. Mason doing that and this is his 13th start.

PAT NARDUZZI: Again, Mason is a good football player. He does what he's supposed to do and end up doing pretty good.

Didn't have any rushing Ts today, so mad about that. Eight touchdown passes. Geez. I thought seven was good. Anybody got anything else? Sure? All right. Hail to Pitt. Appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend. I'm going to work.