Pitt's Pat Narduzzi Addresses Trash Talk vs. Florida State

There was some alleged trash talk concerning the talent of the Pitt Panthers' offensive line ahead of their 34-31 win.

Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi looks on from the sidelines against the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Pitt Panthers just defeated No. 25 Florida State 34-31 to advance to 4-2 and 2-1 in the ACC.

The Panthers mounted a second half comeback and outscored the Seminoles 20-10 to get the first ranked road win since 2018.

After the game, Pat Narduzzi said that there was some trash talk on the field prior to kickoff, with most of the language concerning the talent of Pitt's offensive line. Some Florida State players were allegedly saying that the offensive line "wasn't any good."

"I guess they're pretty damn good. ... I'll take them any day," Narduzzi said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Stephen Thompson. "'l'll take them over [Florida State's] o-line for sure."

Both offensive lines seemed to struggle with pass protection in this game. True freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel was sacked five times, and Tommy Castellanos was pressured several times and was sacked twice.

But the Panthers' line did pave the way for 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while the Seminoles' No. 2 rushing offense had 170 yards and one touchdown. Their rushing offense was averaging 295.4 yards per game entering this contest.

“O-line did their thing ... The big talk about Florida State was their defensive line and our o-line did their thing," said Pitt's star running back Desmond Reid "I’m super proud of them boys. I can’t even say too much about it, but I’m just so happy for them.”

Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Desmond Reid (0) is held back as he reacts to a big play in the first quarter against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Pitt was also dealing with a plethora of injuries on both sides of the line. The Panthers were missing two starting offensive linemen and four defensive ends in the two-deep rotation.

Keith Gouveia suffered a season-ending injury two weeks ago against Louisville, and Jeff Persi was injured on the first drive of last week's game against Boston College.

Ryan Carretta and Kendall Stanley have filled in for the injured starters. Carretta made his first career start last week and Stanley made his first start at Pitt in this game. Stanley made 13 starts last season at UNC Charlotte and allowed just 14 pressures and two sacks.

Jaeden Moore, Joey Zelinsky, Blaine Spires and Zach Crothers were all ruled out before the game. The Panthers only had Nate Temple, Maverick Gracio and Jimmy Scott as the only three ends. They also had Isaiah Neal, who had to switch from defensive tackle to end.

No matter who said what after the game, no one can take away from the fact that Pitt went into Doak S. Campbell Stadium with an 18-year-old freshman quarterback and left with a conference win.

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