With Eli Holstein still not cleared medically, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has high praise for Nate Yarnell

Two days after one of the most crushing defeats among the 125 times he has walked the Pitt sideline, Pat Narduzzi emphasized two points important to him under unfortunate circumstances.

One was expected.

“They’re playing their tails off,” he said of his players’ effort during the 24-20 loss to Clemson on Saturday. “Nobody should look and say they didn’t play hard. We were down the entire game until we kicked that field goal and go up (20-17) at the end of the game. And our kids kept fighting. That’s what I love about this football team. They’re fighters. They’re going to give you everything they’ve got.”

The other point was not as predictable and was presented by the coach unprompted. It also raised an important question while Pitt (7-3, 3-3 ACC) is preparing for the penultimate game of the regular season Saturday at Louisville (6-4, 4-3).

In the next breath after he praised Clemson, Narduzzi said, “But I’ll make a special note that (quarterback) Nate Yarnell played his tail off, threw for 350 (yards), the most passing yards thrown on Clemson this year.”

Narduzzi’s research is correct. No team had thrown for even 280 yards against Clemson this season, with Virginia and No. 8 Georgia having the most success through the air (278 yards).

“Nate did a nice job of playing his game,” the coach said. “And I thought he really came on in the second half after he hadn’t played for a while. He played a fast defense, one of the best defenses we faced all year, and (his) first real game experience. I think it took awhile for him to get going.

“I thought in the second half he was outstanding, took hits (including eight sacks). It’s hard to stay in that pocket and trust that you’re going to be OK and throw those balls. I mean, he took some hits and did it like a pro. So I love Nate for that. That’s kind of who Nate is. He’s a tough son of a gun.”

What’s even more interesting is Narduzzi’s answer to the question of whether Yarnell will be considered for the starting job at Louisville.

“We’ll find out when Eli is cleared (medically),” Narduzzi said of Eli Holstein, who suffered two head injuries in three weeks and didn’t play against Clemson. “He hasn’t been cleared yet. So there’s no question, as we talked all August, we’ve got two really good quarterbacks, and both of them have an opportunity. Nate did a heck of a job out there, like I thought and knew he would. He prepares like a pro.”

The question left unanswered: Was Narduzzi merely trying to make Yarnell feel wanted and keep his morale up? Or is he thinking of giving Holstein another week off after he threw for an average of only 152 yards with two total touchdowns in his past four starts?

Yarnell was not as prepared when he was inserted into the second half of the Virginia game Nov. 9 because Holstein, as QB 1, got the majority of the snaps in practice. Saturday was Yarnell’s first start of the season.

“But Nate certainly with a week of practice and getting all the reps (was better prepared against Clemson),” Narduzzi said. “Just talking to him after the game, it was like, ‘Coach, I knew every blitz that was coming except for two.’ He knew it was coming. He knew where it was coming (from). He was able to get protection where he needed to. His intelligence goes a long way.”

But injuries on the offensive line have played havoc with the desired continuity during the week of practice and in games. Linemen going in and out have affected both quarterbacks.

Narduzzi said there was a “poor job communicating” during the goal-line sequence in the fourth quarter when three penalties turned a first-and-goal at the 2 into a field goal, a devastating series of missteps in a four-point defeat.

“Got loud down there for some reason,” he said. “I don’t know what it was. That was chaos. So we’ll fix that this week. We haven’t had it before. And, again, that’s on us as coaches. It starts with us, period.”

Another issue: Narduzzi said there were pass catchers open on the final play of the game, but Yarnell didn’t have to time to see them and the result was an interception.

“But anytime you make a change, whether it’s at center, whether it’s at tackles, moving guys around, (it’s a problem),” he said. “I mean, we’ve had that for a few weeks. And it’s not easy, but we’ve got to get it done. That’s our job as coaches to get it done, so that’s not an excuse.”