How is Pitt off to a 4-0 start? By being the least Pitt-like team in recent history - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Pat Narduzzi likes to score on offense.

Honestly, he's annoyed that this needs to be spelled out so bluntly. Until last season's 3-9 implosion, Pitt had been among the most consistently good programs in the country. Under Narduzzi, Pitt took home the ACC title in 2021, while scoring 41 points per game and sending QB Kenny Pickett to the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Still, it's hard to ignore Narduzzi's inherently defensive vibe. He's a blunt, blue-collar, Western Pennsylvania coach with a long history of creating innovative defensive schemes and demoralizing opposing quarterbacks. He may not hate offense, but he's certainly not opposed to winning a bunch of games 13-7 either.

This was the image that haunted Kade Bell when he first spoke with Narduzzi about Pitt's vacant offensive coordinator position last December. Bell didn't want to scare Narduzzi away from a job offer by admitting he hoped to completely reimagine Pitt's offensive game plan, so he sanded down the more progressive edges of the playbook.

«You want to be careful with your words,» Bell said. «We go fast and are really aggressive, but I was telling him how we change tempos and all that.»

After about 15 minutes of talking, Narduzzi interrupted.

«Look,» Narduzzi said, «I just want to score points.»

Bell took a deep breath and started his pitch over again.

«Now,» Bell said, «he was talking my language.»

True to his word, Narduzzi has eagerly embraced Bell's up-tempo style, even if it took a while for all the pieces to click into place. But amid a surprising 4-0 start to the season — including back-to-back come-from-behind wins — Pitt seems to have found a strange alchemy with its aggressive, young coordinator, a QB transfer from Alabama and a 5-foot-6