Inside The Panthers

Pat Narduzzi Has One Demand for Pitt Fans vs. Notre Dame

The Pitt Panthers have a major test against Notre Dame this weekend, and the head coach has given the fans a directive
Karl Ludwig|
Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi (middle) leads the Panthers to the stadium to play the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi (middle) leads the Panthers to the stadium to play the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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PITTSBURGH - With the biggest game at Acrisure Stadium in at least a few years coming up this weekend, Pat Narduzzi sent a message to the fanbase.

"It's noon," he said about the 12 p.m. kickoff vs. No. 9 Notre Dame, "get liquored up."

With the parking lots opening at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, it will give fans plenty of time to get "liquored up" before kickoff. And with College GameDay in town, set up just off the main stretch of bars and restaurants on the North Shore, it's a good bet that there will be fans hanging out well before the lots open.

Typically, students start to line up for the College GameDay very early in the morning.

It's shaping up to be one of the most intense game day atmospheres in some time. With both College GameDay and ACC Huddle in town, the local and national landscape will have a look inside the rivalry game, and the game has already been announced as a sellout.

Narduzzi has downplayed the importance of the game when compared to his team's ACC aspirations (although, he did say he misspoke when he said he'd take a 100 point loss if meant winning out in the conference), and all he's worried about is the Panthers playing their game.

"You talk about the stage," Narduzzi said this week. "You could play this game at 7 a.m. over at the field house on campus. You could play at Carnegie Mellon or in the parking lot out here or in our indoor facility. Doesn't matter what time. Doesn't matter who we're praying against. Our guys are coming to play, period. 

"All the hoopla, the game day and all that stuff, that's great for the city of Pittsburgh, it's great for the University of Pittsburgh, it's on a big stage, but we're insulated in here as far as that goes. It's just a game. Once that kickoff starts, our guys got to be locked in, play one play at a time to be focused. That's what it comes down to."

Notre Dame is 7-2, riding a seven game winning streak after dropping the first two games of the season to Miami and Texas A&M, and it will be a tough test for the Panthers. The Fighting Irish boast the best running back duo in the country, and the defense has rounded into form.

The Panthers are as healthy as they've been all season, with Rasheem Biles a game-time decision and Desmond Reid ready to go, and a win would go a long way in the CFP race.

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Karl Ludwig
KARL LUDWIG

Karl Ludwig is a Pittsburgh Panthers on SI sportswriter. He has spent the past three years covering the Pitt Panthers for a couple of platforms. While he did not attend Pitt, he grew up in the Pittsburgh area, attending North Allegheny Senior High School and Slippery Rock University. As a student at SRU, he served as the sports editor of SRU’s student-run newspaper, The Rocket, and provided award-winning coverage in football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer. It was at SRU that his love for sports journalism blossomed. Karl spent three seasons as the Pitt football beat writer for Pittsburgh Sports Now, following time as an intern for the Sports Now Network. His most recent coverage of the University was for Pitt Sports News of the On3/Rivals network. He’s also contributed to Athlon Sports and SB Nation’s Behind the Steel Curtain.

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