Pitt's Pat Narduzzi suggests playing injured Kenny Pickett might be 'risky' choice - TribLIVE

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After barely a nudge from reporters, Pat Narduzzi — a coach who stubbornly avoids discussing players’ injuries — quickly turned the topic toward quarterback Kenny Pickett’s sore left ankle Thursday afternoon.

The initial question concerned tight end Lucas Krull and middle linebacker Wendell Davis and whether they might play Saturday at Florida State after missing most of the season with injuries.

“Not right now, but they’re getting better day by day,” the coach said.

Then, he wasted little time in discussing Pickett’s week on the practice field. Pitt’s senior quarterback has missed the past two games.

“To answer your next question,” he began, “because I know you’re probably going to ask about Kenny: “(Wednesday), he didn’t take many snaps. Joey Yellen took most of them.

https://t.co/UFdVj5wonE pic.twitter.com/Bk1ZBgJKmp

— Seminole Headlines (@NolesHeadlines) November 5, 2020

“Today, all of a sudden, he looks a little bit better. Who knows? (Wednesday), I was thinking Joey’s the guy. (Thursday), Kenny (says), ‘Hey, coach, I feel a little bit better.’ “

Narduzzi also said, when asked, the snaps Pickett took Thursday were his first serious ones since injuring the ankle Oct. 10 at Boston College (other than casually playing catch with Narduzzi).

It appears Pickett, who has accounted for 60% of Pitt’s offense in only five of seven games, will miss his third in a row, especially since he took limited snaps at practice this week. Playing Pickett might not be worth the risk.

“It’s kind of risky, but we’ll see where it is,” Narduzzi said. “Today’s only Thursday. You get scared putting a guy out there without a whole lot of reps. But at least Joey’s gotten a lot of reps this week.”

Kid’s gonna drop 400 yards on our secondary https://t.co/6fn0NbvxUV

— JK (@jfk11_) November 5, 2020

Yet, by triggering the discussion, he might plant a seed of doubt among the Seminoles as they prepare for the game. Other coaches, not Narduzzi, have advanced the theory that forcing a team to prepare for multiple quarterbacks might divert its focus.

Pitt QB situation for this weekend’s game vs. #FSU. https://t.co/YQnIYvOqSS

— Matt Murschel (@osmattmurschel) November 5, 2020

Narduzzi said, however, that theory is worthless.

“They’re going to find out pregame, anyway,” he said.

Yellen, a redshirt freshman, has struggled in his two starts against No. 11 Miami and No. 4 Notre Dame. He threw three interceptions against the Irish and was pulled in favor of Beville and Nick Patti, but Narduzzi favors him at the moment.

“He looked good this week and last week (when Pitt was off),” Narduzzi said. “But when the fire gets lit, it’s just so hard for young guys to go out there.

“And, again, give credit to Notre Dame’s defense and even Miami’s defense. They’re a little different than the scout team guys we’re playing against (in practice).

“Joey’s looked good. He’s confident. He makes good decisions. But you get into a game, and you feel like things aren’t going well, and you start to try to make things happen. Our defense does the same thing, so it’s not just the quarterback. Sometimes, you start pressing, and bad things happen and it makes it bad for everybody.”

Elsewhere on offense, Narduzzi made it clear running backs A.J. Davis and Vincent Davis have risen to the top of the depth chart.

“Right now, I feel good with the Davis guys,” he said. “A.J. has really had one of his better weeks in weeks. Maybe he’s feeling better, I’m not sure. Vincent Davis has been that guy all year.

“It will be those two guys back there, and we’re going to ride those guys for a while.”

Vincent Davis leads the Panthers with an average of 37.6 rushing yards per game. A.J. Davis is next among running backs at 17.7.

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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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