Pat Narduzzi Previews Pitt's New Offense
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' new offensive coordinator, Kade Bell, gave his boss a taste of what life with him running the offense would be like right away.
"He got here on Tuesday, I offered him the job on a Sunday and I’ve never seen a guy get here so fast and get on the road and get working and he did a heck of a job for us," Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. "I got a bunch of text messages like ‘New guys here, got some things going here.' He’s a grinder that way.”
That attitude is reflected in his coaching and scheming as well. Narduzzi said that one of Bell's trademark phrases is "hit the gas" and that's exactly what he's hoping his new offensive coordinator will do as he tries to kickstart what was an anemic Pitt offense.
“We’re probably going to go faster than what we have," Narduzzi said. "Probably won’t see a huddle out there much, so when you’re going faster out there, you’re going to use more guys in there. Get six or seven plays fast, run those skill guys out there, then get another six in there and let's go.”
Narduzzi claimed that hiring Bell has created some buzz around the program that's been reflected in recruiting. His up-tempo offenses that ate up yards and lit up scoreboards with ease at Western Carolina have become well-regarded over the years and attractive to offensive players looking to for a new school.
"I had people calling me from outside saying ‘We want to come’ and we didn’t have spots," Narduzzi said. "We have guys committed to other schools calling asking, saying we want to be a part of this. So I think it spiked recruiting a little bit, the freshness, the newness of what we were going to do and I guess they read about what we got.”
Narduzzi is excited to see his new offense put together on the field and come together in real life, but for now he's encouraged by the work Bell has already done and the promise he brings to a Pitt offense that has some talent, but desperately needs direction and a shot in the arm.
"I wanted to get a guy that could score points, a guy who had an attitude that we’re going to score and we’re going to go and have fun doing it," Narduzzi said. "I think part of it is having fun and I think we’ve got that. ... His little term is hit the gas so we're going to hit the gas.”
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