Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Calls Chip Kelly 'Guru of College Football'
PITTSBURGH -- It's been a while, but there's a shared history between the Pitt Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi and his counterpart at UCLA, Chip Kelly.
Their first meeting as head coaches will come later this month, when the Panthers and Bruins meet in El Paso, Texas to play the 87th Sun Bowl, but they have coached against one another before.
Kelly pent nine years as the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator for the Wildcats' then-record-setting offenses. For two of those nine years, Narduzzi was the defensive coordinator at Rhodie Island. Both schools were members of the now-defunct Yankee League.
"Back in the old days - He’s a New Hampshire grad," Narduzzi said. "I’m a University of Rhode Island grad … We have faced each other, I think only in the old Yankee Conference when he was the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire and I was the defensive coordinator at Rhode Island."
The Wildcats' gained 400 or more yards of total offense per game in seven of his eight seasons. And in 2004, the school broke 29 offensive school records. But Narduzzi had an answer for Kelly in their first matchup.
In 1998, Narduzzi and the Rams held the explosive Wildcats to just nine points but lost by two on the road. The following year was much uglier, with Kelly and New Hampshire walking away as 37-14 victors. Narduzzi said former Steelers fullback Dan Krieder and Bears running back Jerry Azumah were the stars of those New Hampshire teams.
"I think they had NFL guys and we didn’t," Narduzzi said.
Narduzzi has loads of respect for Kelly, who's produced efficient offenses at all of his stops around college football.
"Chip Kelly is an outstanding football coach," Narduzzi said. "Very creative. Going to do a lot of different things offensively. Just a spectacular football coach. I can’t say enough good things about what he’s done in his career, whether it’s in college or the NFL. We’re facing a real guru of college football.”
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