The Pittsburgh Panthers are oozing confidence as they gear up to take on North Carolina State for their Homecoming clash and fifth ACC matchup of the season. After dominant 30-13 victory against Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome, the Panthers have turned their season after a rough start. This positive turnaround has certainly got Coach Pat Narduzzi fired up as he again sent out two zingers at Mike Norvell and Florida State University.

The recent battle between these two veteran coaches was an instant classic. The Panthers secured a 34-31 win after mounting a stunning second-half comeback, where Pittsburgh outscored the Seminoles 20-10. This victory also marked the first ranked road win for Pitt since 2018. But despite this win, Coach Pat Narduzzi had a few shots at FSU as called their upcoming opponent the “most talented football team.”

This seems like a clear shot at the Seminoles, who had some serious talent in the likes of transfer wide receiver Squirrel White and defensive back Devin Wilson, among others. Similarly, FSU has quality players all across the board. But in the presser ahead of the NC State game, Narduzzi expressed, “I can guarantee you that they (NC State) are the most talented.”

Explaining his claim, Narduzzi highlighted how NC State is “well coached.” Further, he also pointed out that his Panthers will “have to play a complete game,” to win. Coach Pat Narduzzi didn’t even leave the Seminoles’ fans alone as he fired a second jab at Florida State. Famous for their iconic “War Chant”, FSU supporters have a reputation of being one of the loudest fanbase around CFB.

But as per Coach Narduzzi, that wasn’t the case when the Panthers showed up at the Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Rather, the 59-year-old retorted by claiming the crowd for the Syracuse game was the loudest. He also described JMA Wireless Dome as “the noisiest place we’ve been in.”

Pat Narduzzi on Pitt O-line criticisms after win over FSU

As tempers flared during the FSU-Pittsburgh match as there were reports that Pitt’s offensive line “wasn’t any good,” as per Florida State players. Quarterback Mason Heintschel, who threw for 321 yards and connected with Desmond Reid on a pair of touchdown passes, led the Panthers.

The offensive lines from both teams struggled as the opposing team sacked Pitt’s Heintschel five times. Similarly, FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos was also pressured and sacked twice. But it was the Pitt O-Line that paved the way for 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Hence, Coach Pat Narduzzi confidently expressed, “I guess they’re pretty damn good. … I’ll take them any day,” to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He further shared, “He will take them over [Florida State’s] o-line for sure.” With the team firing on all cylinders, the Pittsburgh Panthers have an outside chance of making a deep playoff run.