Even before first-year Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi started watching Georgia Tech game video, he already had a healthy knowledge of the Yellow Jackets offense.
Prior to his hire at Pittsburgh, Narduzzi was the defensive coordinator at Michigan State. Last December, prior to the bowl selection process, it was widely thought that the Spartans would play Tech in the Orange Bowl, so the Michigan State staff began game planning for Tech and even spent practice time on the Jackets before they were chosen to play in the Cotton Bowl against Baylor. Tech, of course, ultimately played Mississippi State.
It was the first time coach Mark Dantonio and his staff had ever anticipated their bowl opponent like that.
“That’s how sure we were playing them,” Narduzzi said. “Our kids looked at us like we were crazy on Monday after the bowl selection, like, what did we practice Georgia Tech for?”
Narduzzi has given the Jackets another review this summer, watching five or six games.
“Obviously, Coach (Paul) Johnson is a heck of a football coach,” Narduzzi said. “He’s had a lot of success offensively running the spread option, the triple option. They do a great job.”
Narduzzi bemoaned the difficulty in preparing for the unorthodox option-based spread scheme, a common lament among Tech opponents. He said the Panthers will devote some time to it during preseason camp. Narduzzi said he also planned to review the video from the Tech-geared practice at Michigan State last December.
“Things happen for a reason,” he said.
Tech plays Pittsburgh Oct. 17 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
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