The big questions that need to be answered after Pitt’s Blue Gold game Saturday at Heinz Field are these:
What did all the positive signs mean?
• Can they be sustainable through the summer, into training camp and during the season when the games count?
• What about the improved look of the running game? Was it a mirage, or did coach Pat Narduzzi finally find linemen who can block and runners who can find holes?
• Does the accurate passing of backup quarterbacks Nick Patti and Davis Beville (a combined 13 for 16 for 235 yards and a touchdown) and Joey Yellen’s strong spring mean an injury to starter Kenny Pickett won’t be the disaster it became last year?
• Are there productive tight ends in Pitt’s future? Lucas Krull and Kyi Wright combined for four receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.
• How much better can the defense be when defensive end Deslin Alexandre, linebacker SirVocea Dennis and safety Erick Hallett recover from the minor injuries that kept them on the sideline Saturday?
The Gold team rolled over the Blue, 30-0, but the final score is meaningless in this exercise where there is no continuity of units and teams are assembled through a draft conducted by the players themselves.
What mattered just as much (perhaps more) to Narduzzi were the previous 14 practices. He said they produced more player development than the six previous springs in his Pitt tenure.
The reason is a matter of mathematics. There are more bodies, including 12 freshmen who enrolled early and 12 so-called super seniors who returned thanks to the NCAA’s gift of a bonus year of eligibility.
“We got a lot of work done,” Narduzzi said. “It made it possible to get a lot of reps in our scrimmages. The guys laughed. (Saturday) was the shortest scrimmage of the year.”
But it was not without some interesting moments.
The star of the show was sophomore running back Izzy Abanikanda, who shared the Ed Conway Award with linebacker John Petrishen as the most improved players in the spring. Abanikanda carried six times for 77 yards, including a 42-yard run.
Narduzzi is so pleased with Abanikanda that he compared him to his buddy from their Michigan State days, Le’Veon Bell.
“He almost looks like Le’Veon Bell — running, the vision and finding holes,” Narduzzi said. “Izzy’s been strong all spring. He’s bigger. He put 80 pounds on his squat (weightlifting), 40 pounds on his bench. He’s jacked up and playing fast.
“I’m surprised (freshman defensive back) P.J. O’Brien tackled him on the sideline (on the 42-yard run). I thought he was gone. Maybe he had an angle on him.”
Abanikanda, who still must compete with Vincent Davis for the starting job, said he’s a different runner after a 2020 freshman season hindered by quarantine and his lack of experience as a pass blocker.
“I see the holes developing,” he said of his new running style. “When I get the ball, I don’t usually run to the hole. That used to be the old me. Now, I run behind the O line and be patient, try to set up a block and cut the other way.”
He also doesn’t lack confidence, nearly a must in such a demanding position as running back.
“Coach (Andre) Powell, he tells us, `Who’s going to be the one to separate today? Who’s going to be the one to be great today?’
“I feel like that guy every day.”
The five starting offensive linemen backs need to succeed won’t be assembled until training camp, but Narduzzi likes what he’s seen so far.
Asked about left guard Marcus Minor and left tackle Carter Warren, he said, “Both of them have been great all spring. They’re going to be better when we get to September.
“There were a lot of questions about what our offensive line is going to be going into this spring. I’m happy where our O line is. I really am.
“They’re getting push. They’re playing physical. They’re attacking people. They’re playing with a lot of confidence.”
While the running game must continue to gain traction, coaches are well aware of what quarterback Kenny Pickett and wide receiver Jordan Addison can do.
Pickett took off his shoulder pads after one series and two attempts; Addison caught four short passes and spent the rest of the day on the bench, free from injury risk.
That left most of the important quarterbacking duties to Patti, Beville and Joey Yellen, who started two games last year when Pickett was injured.
“I thought (Beville) did a great job moving the team down the field,” Narduzzi said of the sophomore who was 6 for 6 for 102 yards, including a 25-yard score to Jared Wayne.
Patti was 7 of 10 for 133 and a 26-yard touchdown pass in which he stepped away from the rush and found Krull in the corner of the end zone.
“He led me perfectly and I was able to track it down,” Krull said.
“(Beville and Patti) made plays with their feet when they were looking to get out of trouble, made people miss,” Narduzzi said.
Yellen was on the Blue team with Addison, so he didn’t have the same supporting cast as the other two.
“He didn’t have his tools,” Narduzzi said. “Yellen had a great spring. He really did. His most important scrimmage was a week ago because he had all his people with him.”
Narduzzi said he’s not ready to name a backup quarterback.
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Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at jdipaola@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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