University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Narduzzi Notebook: Panthers Focused on Week Two Jump Ahead of UCF
9/7/2026 1:51:00 PM | Football
After a 49-14 win to open the season, the Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi used Monday's press conference to close the book on game one and turn his attention to a much different test: a Big 12, Power Four opponent in UCF.
"You make your biggest improvements come from week one to week two, and we'll need to do that," Narduzzi said.
That jump, he explained, comes down to correcting the small things a season opener tends to expose.
He said the team showed maturity and competed hard against Miami (OH), but the film revealed the usual first-game wrinkles — awareness lapses, young players still finding their footing, and a few miscues on special teams that are common when new faces get their first taste of game action.
Limiting Explosive Plays
Both of Miami (OH)'s touchdowns came on explosive plays, including a 75-yard touchdown strike that stuck with Narduzzi long after the final whistle. It's always a goal for the Panthers to limit explosive plays while also knowing at least some are inevitable.
"Our goal is to have five or less," Narduzzi said. "So we give up two and feel pretty good. But the 75-yarder makes my stomach hurt."
Players Who Stood Out
Narduzzi singled out a handful of players who made an impression in their first extended look under the lights.
Malik Knight scored the first touchdown of his Pitt career and finished with 53 receiving yards, showing no hesitation stepping into a Power Four atmosphere.
Narduzzi also praised Bryce Yates for his instincts in the passing game, Jeremiah Marcelin for his physicality up front and DeMarco Ward for his ability to make plays in space during his Pitt debut.
"You think about Malik Knight, coming from FCS, playing in front of a big crowd, a Power Four ball game — the lights weren't too bright for him," Narduzzi said. "You just watch how he went out there and caught the ball."
A Similar Look Offensively
Narduzzi sees some familiar traits in UCF's offense, which should work in Pitt's defense's favor heading into Saturday.
The Knights, coming off a 73-6 win over Bethune-Cookman that featured 200 passing yards and 360 rushing yards, lean on tempo, motion and shifts — much like Pitt's own offense does in practice every day.
"They're explosive on offense. They can make big plays," Narduzzi said. "But they're very similar on offense with all the motions and tempo that they like to do. I think our defense is used to seeing a lot of stuff that they do in practice, so that's a good thing."
A Different Kind of Challenge on Defense
Where UCF may present a tougher matchup is on the other side of the ball. Pitt's offense was pass-heavy in the opener, with Mason Heintschel throwing seven touchdowns while the run game accounted for just one score.
That could be a tougher sell against a UCF defense that was stingy against the pass a season ago, holding opponents to 185.1 passing yards per game compared to Heintschel's 480 yards against Miami (OH)
"They've got speed. You don't want a bunch of stiff guys that can't run in the back end," Narduzzi said. "They have the athleticism. They got football players back there."
