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Pitt’s Bub Means drops a touchdown catch against Cincinnati at Acrisure Stadium Saturday, Sept. 9. 2023.
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Ron Cook: Pitt gets a healthy dose of reality in loss to Cincinnati

Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette

Ron Cook: Pitt gets a healthy dose of reality in loss to Cincinnati

We wondered how good Pitt was last weekend after it blew out Wofford at Acrisure Stadium. The competition was subpar, so it was difficult to tell.

We’re not wondering about Pitt this morning after its 27-21 home loss to Cincinnati on Saturday night. Can we agree? Pitt isn’t very good.

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Cincinnati was a 7½-point underdog.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi of the Pittsburgh Panthers looks on in the fourth quarter during the game against the Wofford Terriers at Acrisure Stadium on September 2, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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This loss was so Pitt.

A win would have given Pitt a lot of momentum heading into next Saturday night’s rivalry game at West Virginia. Instead, Pitt is looking at the real possibility of a painful 1-2 start in what figures to be a raucous atmosphere in Morgantown.

Pitt has a quarterback issue. It has offensive line troubles. It has front-seven problems on defense.

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Other than that, Pitt is solid.

Correct that:

Pitt also missed a 42-yard field goal attempt by Ben Sauls late in the first quarter. A make there would have come in handy late in the game.

But I’m thinking the field goal team is the least of Pat Narduzzi’s problems.

Pitt’s Donovan McMillon, No. 3, stops Cincinnati running back Emory Jones in the first half at Acrisure Stadium Saturday, Sept. 9. 2023. The tackle helped hold Cincinnati to a field goal on the drive.
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Quarterback Phil Jurkovec completed just 10 of 32 passes against Cincinnati. He failed to deliver when he had two chances to lead a winning drive in the final seven-plus minutes. He and his best receiver, Bub Means, didn’t hook up even once despite Means being targeted 11 times.

No, Narduzzi said, he didn’t consider going to backup quarterback Christian Veilleux in the second half despite the obvious wishes of the crowd of 49,398, which often booed Jurkovec and his offense with some serious venom.

Me?

I was looking for Kenny Pickett to come to the rescue, but they tell me he is out of eligibility.

I might have settled for Kedon Slovis.

“It’s not on one guy — ever,” Narduzzi said. “[Jurkovec] is a great quarterback. Got a lot of faith in him.”

It didn’t help Jurkovec that Pitt played from behind all night. Cincinnati led 10-0 before half of the first quarter was played. It led 20-7 at halftime and 27-7 starting the fourth quarter. That meant that Pitt couldn’t run the ball. It rushed for just 83 yards on 29 carries, a silly-bad average of 2.9 yards per carry. I thought Rodney Hammond Jr. was going to be a star this season, but he had only six carries for 21 yards.

Playing with the lead also enabled the Cincinnati defense to get after Jurkovec. Its ferocious rush produced five sacks and numerous hurried throws. An interception by Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire gave Pitt the ball at the Cincinnati 43 with 5:44 left, but that possession ended with the final sack of Jurkovec on a 4th-and-9 play at the Cincinnati 28.

“There was too much pressure,” Narduzzi said. “That can’t happen. When was the last time we won a game with five sacks of our quarterback? We’ve got to shore up the protection. One of our goals coming in was protecting our quarterback. We did not do that.”

Yes, Pitt’s offensive line took a brutal beating.

But that whipping was no worse than the one taken by Pitt’s defensive front seven.

Cincinnati rushed 42 times for 216 yards, a silly-good average of 5.1 yards per carry. Back Corey Kiner had 20 rushes for 153 yards and a touchdown. Pitt couldn’t keep Cincinnati from running out the final 4:10 of the game.

“If you don’t stop the run, it’s hard to win the game,” Narduzzi said. “We like to stop the run. We didn’t do it. We didn’t make any plays on defense. We’ll look at the tape. There will be a lot to look at. ...

“It starts with the head coach. I guess I didn’t have them ready to play.”

Hard to argue with the coach about that.

“We’ll be ready for this week,” Narduzzi promised.

Hard to believe the man there.

Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Joe” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.

First Published: September 10, 2023, 9:30 a.m.

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