Panthers preparing for first ACC game at UNC

During his regular Monday news conference, Pat Narduzzi was as welcoming as you might expect from any undefeated coach, especially when his most recent game was a 73-17 victory nine days ago.

“Good to see you again, missed having you guys in here (last week). I did,” Pitt’s coach told reporters Monday at the outset of the question-and answer session.

But Pitt’s next game isn’t until Saturday — noon kickoff in Chapel Hill, N.C., against North Carolina — and Narduzzi knows there’s plenty of work ahead for coaches and players.

Meanwhile, the intensity and expectations have been elevated and will remain so over the next two months, or at least as long as the Panthers (4-0, 0-0 ACC) keep winning.

They will play all eight of their ACC games over the next nine weeks when Narduzzi, the national and local media, and, perhaps, even the College Football Playoff committee will see if the fast start to the season has legs.

Pitt has a long way to go before anyone can start thinking about the 12-team CFP, but there is a bit of national recognition pointing toward the Panthers:

• In the weekly Associated Press Top 25 poll, Pitt received 42 voting points (28th overall), including a No. 17 ranking from Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Towers ranked Pitt higher than all but two ACC teams (Miami and Clemson) and ahead of nationally recognized brand names Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

• Veteran ESPN reporter Andrea Adelson’s ACC power rankings slotted Pitt third.

• The Athletic’s rankings of 134 FBS teams placed Pitt 34th, behind Miami, Clemson, Boston College, SMU and Louisville. Pitt fans should not be distressed by that apparent snub: All but Miami are among Pitt’s November opponents, so the truth is somewhere in the weeks ahead.

With the stakes getting higher, Narduzzi was careful not to reveal too much information Monday. Three times, he answered with some variation of “I’m not going tell you what I found out” when asked about the North Carolina/ Duke game last Saturday and what was revealed when he and his staff self-scouted their own team during the open week.

“I’d like to give you a detailed answer,” he said when asked how North Carolina squandered a 20-0 third-quarter lead in a 21-20 loss to Duke, “but I’m probably not going to share that with you. It’s a game of football. You have to come out 60 minutes.

“I’m not going to say what it is. Who knows? There are all kinds of things. What happens when we have issues? You can’t put your finger on it. If you could, you’d fix it real quick and be done with it “North Carolina’s a talented football team. They have players. But, guess what, the other teams do, too. We’re going to bring in some talented players as well this week. Duke’s undefeated. It’s not like they got beat by a poor Duke team.”

Narduzzi spoke glowingly about North Carolina coach Mack Brown — “One of my favorite guys,” he said — and a Tar Heels defense that has struggled, starting with the 70-50 loss to James Madison on Sept. 21.

He called North Carolina “a talented football team from the D-line to the back end. Best D-line we faced to this point.”

“Everybody wants to talk about two weeks ago and their loss. Everybody forgets they put up 50 on them, and James Madison is a talented football team. Any given week, with the transfer portal, you can have a football team that goes out there and gets it done.”

Of third-string quarterback Jacolby Criswell, pressed into service by injuries to two players ahead of him on the UNC depth chart, Narduzzi said he’s wary of his “cannon arm.”

“We’re going to have to change things up on him. He can put it in small windows.”

Pitt’s coach did have some information about two Pitt players on both sides of the ball. The news on running back Desmond Reid, who missed the Youngstown State game with an injury, is good and not unexpected. As Narduzzi suggested a week ago, Reid will play Saturday.

“He wasn’t 100%. He’s 100% now,” the coach said.

Also, sophomore defensive tackle and Central Valley graduate Sean FitzSimmons, who hasn’t played this season, is nearly ready to return.

“Fitz is almost back 100%,” Narduzzi said. “I’d like to see (No.) 55 out there this week. He looked pretty good last week.”

Safety P.J. O’Brien, who was ejected for targeting in the second half of the YSU game, must sit out the first half Saturday, by rule. That opens up additional playing time for Steel Valley’s Cruce Brookins, who has been part of the safety rotation anyway.

“We have a ton of confidence in Cruce,” Narduzzi said. “He’s made plays this year already. You better watch out. If he goes out there and lights it up, he may be seeing more and more time as the year goes on.”

Note: Pitt’s game against Cal on Oct. 12 will kick off at 3:30 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium. It will be televised by ESPN or the ACC Network.