Take 5: By any name, Pitt and Virginia Tech need a victory desperately

You are probably under the impression that two schools named Pitt and Virginia Tech will play a football game Saturday night in Blacksburg, Va.

You’re not wrong, but if one of the founding fathers of those schools heard those names, they might ask, “Sir, of what do you speak?”

The University of Pittsburgh — Pitt to you and me — was founded in 1787 as the Pittsburgh Academy, renamed Western University of Pennsylvania in 1819 before it was given its present name in 1908.

To be totally accurate, it was renamed in 1966 the University of Pittsburgh of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education. But that probably wouldn’t fit on a scoreboard.

Virginia Tech’s history is too long and complicated to retell all of it here, but just know that the school’s official name — bestowed upon it in 1970 when it reached university status — is Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI, for short).

You could look it up.

Meanwhile, there’s a football game to be played, and you can bet coaches Pat Narduzzi of the Pittsburgh Academy and Brent Pry of VPI don’t know and couldn’t care less about their schools’ history. Both are 1-3 and desperately seeking their first victory against a Power 5 team.

1. A good bet?

For those of you inclined to consider history when betting on college football, this bit of information might be helpful.

Pitt is a 2½-point favorite in many gambling establishments, and Narduzzi’s record when his team is giving points on the road is 17-2 (16-3 against the spread), with a 10-game streak of winning and covering.

The most recent time a Narduzzi team lost when favored on the road, Pitt offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. and quarterback Phil Jurkovec teamed up at Boston College as 10-point underdogs in 2020 to defeat the Panthers, 31-30, in overtime.

Worth noting … https://t.co/MnfrA2fRLQ

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) September 28, 2023

2. Covering punts critical

When Pitt played North Carolina last Saturday, a game tied 14-14 midway through the second quarter took a turn in the Tar Heels’ favor when Alijah Huzzie returned a punt 52 yards for a touchdown.

Narduzzi said North Carolina double-teamed Pitt’s gunners — the fast guys who line up wide to cover punts — to give Huzzie more room to run. It was the first time the Tar Heels used that strategy, he said.

“We’ve worked a lot on the double gunners. We’re ready this week,” he said. “We had not seen it coming into that game.

“We did not attack it very well. Poor job coaching. You can’t work everything in a week. All you can do is take what you see on tape, and they had a totally different look. They felt like they had to do something different to stop us from covering punts.”

Before Saturday, Pitt had allowed only 20 yards on four punt returns by Cincinnati and West Virginia.

Special teams was a Virginia Tech specialty when Frank Beamer was coach, and Pry’s team has respected that legacy.

The Hokies’ 17.9-yard average leads all ACC teams that have more than two punt returns. Tucker Holloway’s 24.2 average (5 for 122) is No. 1 in the conference and second in the nation.

“They do a good job of holding up the gunners. Beamer Ball,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t know if Frank’s been around coaching up the jammers or not.”

3. Time to run?

Even if Phil Jurkovec plays after missing the second half last week with an unspecified injury, Pitt is taking a big quarterback question mark on the road. This might be the week for Pitt to play it safe and lean on its running game.

Virginia Tech is 13th in the ACC in run defense, allowing an average of 212.5 yards per game. That includes non-Power 5s Old Dominion and Marshall rushing for 201 and 214 yards, respectively. Pitt is averaging only 135 yards on the ground (12th in the ACC).

Narduzzi said Rodney Hammond will get the bulk of the workload early.

“Hope so,” he said, “as long as he’s doing it right. He’s going to get the workload to start. C’Bo (Flemister) has been really good, too.”

Hammond is 23rd in the ACC with 178 yards on 39 attempts in four games. Sounds almost like numbers Shady McCoy used to generate in one game.

With starters and seniors Ryan Jacoby and Matt Goncalves lost for the season and center Jake Kradel hobbled, Pitt hasn’t found the right rhythm on its offensive line.

4. Is it Bub’s time?

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season is wide receiver Bub Means catching only six passes for 71 yards among the 22 times he has been targeted.

Narduzzi said the problem has been “a little bit of everything.”

“Sometimes, he rushes his work. (He says), ‘I’m fast. I’m just going to get there,’ instead of doing it with technique.

“Some of the coverages (opponents have) run have taken him out of it, as well. We have to get Bub going because he’s a big-play threat.”

The coach finds nothing wrong with Means’ work ethic, however.

“He’s such a great kid. He’s enthusiastic. He’s positive all the time. He loses 10 pounds a day. I looked at him (Wednesday) and he’s just got sweat rolling down his legs. This guy works his tail off, and I want to see better results for him.”

5. Losing turnover battle

Pitt’s turnover ratio has been deficient during its three-game losing streak, with a zero, minus-2 and minus-3. Only 13 teams in the nation have gained fewer turnovers than Pitt’s three.