Pat Narduzzi 'about as happy as you can be' with Pitt's first spring scrimmage
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, 3/20/18
Pat Narduzzi after Pitt spring football practice No. 5, recalling that and the scrimmage the team staged Saturday.
For the fourth, seventh, 12th and final sessions of Pitt's spring-practice schedule, the Panthers are heading to Heinz Field for intrasquad scrimmage action.
With only the spring-ending April 14 edition open to the public — or even the media — for impressions of the first such scrimmage this past Saturday, coach Pat Narduzzi's assessment will have to suffice.
"It was back and forth. There were a lot of good things on both sides of the ball," Narduzzi said after Tuesday morning's practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "There was nothing ugly about it, so I liked that. There were not as many explosive plays that I'd like to see from the offense, but that is a good thing for the defense. Defensively, I would say they weren't as stingy as I'd like them to be as far as 5-yard gains here and there. I would like them to be 2-yard gains.
"So as a head coach, that is about as happy as you can walk away at a scrimmage. Things are just good on both sides, but nothing is great. If the defense is doing a great job, you are upset and miserable because you don't know what's wrong with the offense and vice versa. So all in all, it was a good day."
Lock the Gates✅ Great Practice at Heinz Field #H2P pic.twitter.com/4jtCscxq2b
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) March 17, 2018
The only other representative of the team to speak about Saturday's scrimmage was running backs coach Andre Powell.
How did he think it went?
"OK," Powell said.
"OK," he repeated. "The bar is high, so what I am trying to do is push them. Trying to get them to go ... where the bar is."
After another more traditional practice Thursday on the South Side, Pitt's next scrimmage-style practice at Heinz Field is scheduled for Saturday.
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.
