UCLA Football Preview: Bruins to Play Pitt for the First Time in 50 Years

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has the second-most wins in Panther history and is known for his tough defensive schemes.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has the second-most wins of any coach in Panthers’ history. (Photo Credit: pittsburghpanthers.com)

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With the Christmas holiday now past us, we begin our previews for UCLA football’s final game of the season, the 89th annual Sun Bowl game. This year’s Sun Bowl will take place on this coming Friday, December 30th at 11 am PT and the game will once again be broadcast by CBS. This year’s game will be the 54th consecutive Sun Bowl game to be broadcast by the network.

This is also the fifth time that the UCLA Bruins have played in the game. UCLA is 3-1 in their previous four trips to El Paso, dating back to the 1991 Sun Bowl.

This year’s game will feature the Bruins against the Pitt Panthers, who UCLA has not played since 1972. Back in those days, Pitt was a regular on the Bruins’ schedule. UCLA played Pitt every year from 1958 until 1972 with the only exception being 1965. The last time these teams played, Mark Harmon was the starting quarterback for the Bruins who amassed 402 yards on the ground to just 53 in the air.

In fact, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly was just eight years old the last time these teams played while Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi was just six.

Speaking of Narduzzi, let’s take a look at him and his coaching staff.

Since taking over from Paul Chryst after Chryst left Pitt to become the head coach at Wisconsin, Pat Narduzzi has amassed the second-most wins of any head coach in Panther football history. He tied the legendary Pop Warner for second on that list when the Panthers beat Duke this season. The following week, he took over sole possession of the honor when they beat Miami, 42-16. Only Jock Sutherland, who won five national championships at Pitt and who won 111 of 143 as the Panthers’ head coach, has more wins at the school.

Before coming to Pitt, Narduzzi was the defensive coordinator for Mark Dantonio at Michigan State. The Spartans led the Big Ten in total defense in each of his last two years in East Lansing. So, Narduzzi comes from the defensive side of the ball and Bruin fans should expect Pitt to have a solid defense on Friday.

Despite the fact that Narduzzi came to the Panthers as a defensive guy, Pitt will have a defensive coordinator. In fact, Pitt’s current defensive coordinator could be a guy that Chip Kelly might look to if he needs to hire a new DC after this season. That’s because Narduzzi’s defensive coordinator is Randy Bates and Bates is an old colleague of Chip Kelly. Bates was the linebackers coach at New Hampshire when Kelly was an offensive assistant there back in the 90s.

The trademarks of Bates’ defense at Pitt have been a swarming pass rush and a smothering run defense, which is what UCLA seemed to be building before Bruin defensive coordinator Bill McGovern became ill and Clancy Pendergast started filling in this season.

On the offensive side of the ball, Frank Cignetti, Jr. began his third stint with the Panthers this season. It’s the second time he’s served as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Before coming back to Pitt, Cignetti spent the previous two seasons at Boston College and he had been the quarterbacks coach for the Packers, Giants and Rams in the NFL from 2012 until 2018. He also served as the Rams offensive coordinator in 2015. Cignetti was also the offensive coordinator at Fresno State when Pat Hill’s Bulldogs defeated Karl Dorrell’s UCLA Bruins in the 2003 Silicon Valley Football Classic, 17-9.

Let’s look at the Panthers’ special teams.

Pittsburgh Panthers Special Teams

Sophomore Ben Sauls will handle all of the placekicking duties for the Panthers. Sauls is the only member of the Panthers to attempt a field goal or kick the ball off this season. When it comes to field goals, Saul is a typical college kicker. He’s made 15 of 19 attempts this season, making 78.9% of his tries. Interestingly, there isn’t really one particular distance where he’s best, or worst, from. He’s missed kicks of all distances this year, which is what makes him a typical college kicker. As far as kickoffs go, only 52 of his 71 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks and he is averaging 62.4 yards per kickoff. As a result, the Bruins should have a chance for some big returns on Friday.

While the official Pitt depth chart lists a punting committee of Caleb Junko, Cam Guess and Sam Vander Haar, only Vander Haar has punted in at least ten of the Panthers’ games. Despite that, Vander Haar appears to have the weakest leg of the three with a punting average of just 39 yards per kick. Only one kick has gone for at least 50 yards. More recently, Pitt has been turning to Junko, who has averaged 43.3 yards per punt with one of his nine punts going for more than 50 yards. Personally, I’d expect to see Junko handle most of the punting duties unless a shorter kick is called for when Narduzzi will likely turn to the Australian Vander Haar.

Over the last six games, Rodney Hammond, Jr. has solidified himself as the Panthers’ primary kick returner. This season, he’s returned six kickoffs for 107 yards. He hasn’t exactly torn the field up to this point. His long is just 28 yards and he’s averaging 17.8 yards per return. Vincent Davis will join him on the return team, just don’t expect Davis to take many kickoffs, if any.

M.J. Devonshire has taken more than 75% of Pitt’s punt returns this season. He is averaging 9.9 yards per return and he has one punt return for a touchdown. That one went for 82 yards against Rhode Island, meaning that the junior defensive back from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania can be a dangerous return man if the Bruins aren’t careful. Davis and Konata Mumpfield are listed as the backup tandem on the Pitt depth chart behind Devonshire.


Go Bruins!!!

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