Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi

After losing to North Carolina 34-31 on Thursday night, Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi talked about how his team's mistakes ultimately cost them the game during his post-game press conference. Below are some of his post-game comments and a Panther247 reaction to those comments.

Coach Narduzzi on "giving away" the game to North Carolina:

“Obviously, it’s a disappointing game. I really don’t know how to explain it. We talk all the time about taking it. We found a way to give it away. Allowing seven points on the opening kickoff, when you lose the game by a couple points, that doesn’t help you. It’s kind of a gift. I give them credit, but it’s not what they did, it’s what we did. We took the ball to the goal line and fumbled the ball at the one-yard line. They return it and get three points before halftime. Seventeen points we gave away. We’re not there yet where we can overcome these things.”

Panther247 reaction: Having your opponent return a kick for a touchdown to start the game is never ideal. However, Pittsburgh found a way to rebound from that and stayed close with North Carolina for the majority of the game. The fumble by Pittsburgh's Quadree Henderson towards the end of the first half that turned into a North Carolina field goal was a momentum killer. Instead of possibly heading into halftime with a 24-21 lead, the Panthers ended up being down 24-17.

Coach Narduzzi on the success of Pitt's rushing game:

“We did a great job running the football. Darrin Hall was the man again today, I think. I was impressed with Darrin and the way we ran the football.”

Panther247 reaction: Darrin Hall ran 23 times for 121 yards scored four touchdowns against the Tar Heels. Hall averaged over five yards a carry and once again showed up big for the Panthers.

Coach Narduzzi on getting a better balanced offensive attack:

“We’re not throwing it well enough. We gave up three sacks. Obviously, that is really going to hurt you and put you behind the sticks.”

Panther247 reaction: We definitely don't disagree with him here. North Carolina came into the game giving up 240 yards per game in the air. We thought Ben DiNucci would be able to crack the 200-yard mark, but he able to only throw for 142 yards. There were times that he had time to scan the field, but he was unable to to find open receivers downfield. Dinucci completed 11 out of 17 passes for 142 yards. Going forward, Pittsburgh is going to have to find a way to get it's passing game going. It has not been effective in that past several games.

Coach Narduzzi on the performance of his defense:

“I told you, North Carolina is a good football team and that they don’t turn it over. When they lost games, it was turnovers. We didn’t get any. It’s disappointing. They rushed for less than one hundred yards, but we gave up yardage in the middle. We’ll have to look at the tape. It didn’t help any not having Avonte Maddox out there, I can tell you that.”

Panther 247 reaction: North Carolina was able to complete passes for yardage in the middle of the field against Pittsburgh. North Carolina was also able to complete passes to receivers on slot routes. What was most bothersome was North Carolina wide receiver Anthony Ratliff-Williams complete a 35-yard pass for a touchdown off a trick play.

Coach Narduzzi on trying to stop the North Carolina offense on the last possession of the game:

“At the end of the game, I thought we could punt it and hold them. We didn’t get that done.”

Panther247 reaction: Coach Narduzzi pretty much sums it up.

Coach Narduzzi on the match up against North Carolina in recent seasons:

“It’s not a match up problem. Not at all. We’ve just got to make plays.”

Panther247 reaction: Coach Narduzzi and Pitt are still winless against North Carolina in ACC play (now 0-5). North Carolina played Miami (now No. 7 in the College Football Playoff rankings) tough the week before and lost 24-19. Coach Narduzzi knew that North Carolina wouldn't come to Heinz Field and just lay down for Pittsburgh. The Panthers (4-6 overall, 2-4 in ACC play) will now have to win two straight games against Virginia Tech and Miami (FL) to become bowl eligible.