Jordan Rodgers pushes back on Pat Narduzzi’s mindset ahead of Notre Dame matchup

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi made headlines this week. Not for strategy, but for his surprisingly casual approach toward the Panthers’ looming showdown with Notre Dame.

With ESPN College GameDay set to descend on Pittsburgh and the spotlight squarely on the 7-2 Panthers, Narduzzi downplayed any suggestion that the matchup is a “must-win,” delivering a tongue-in-cheek response that quickly went viral.

“Absolutely not,” Narduzzi said at his press conference. “It is not an ACC game. I’m glad you brought that up. It’s not an ACC game. I’d gladly get beat 103 or 110-10 in that game. They could put 100 up on us as long as we win the next two after that.”

The comments are on-brand for Narduzzi’s blunt style, but they didn’t sit well with ESPN analyst Jordan Rodgers. Ahead of Pitt’s meeting with Notre Dame, a program Narduzzi is 0-4 against, Rodgers argued that mindset could come back to haunt the Panthers.

“If they show up and don’t have the attitude that Pat Narduzzi had in the press conference,” Rodgers said, regarding how Pitt can defeat Notre Dame via Get Up. “He got up there and said, ‘This game doesn’t really matter. We could lose by 100, as long as we win the next two.’ I’m sorry. I’ve been around a lot of the best coaches ever — Kirby Smart and Nick Saban.

“Never once, even if they’re playing Central Southeastern Mississippi Community College, do they say a game doesn’t matter. That’s what the best do.”

On the flip side, Rodgers believes Notre Dame’s mentality, which they’ve forged since their 0-2 start, is the key difference: “If Notre Dame shows up with their do-or-die mentality, they’re going to win this football game.

“As soon as Pitt starts to struggle, or as soon as something goes wrong, in the back of those players’ minds, they’re going, ‘Well, this one doesn’t really matter,’ right? So Notre Dame just has to show up, in my opinion.”

Fellow analyst Joe Fortenbaugh backed Rodgers’ point, adding that mindset becomes even more critical late in games: “Jordan’s absolutely right,” Fortenbaugh said. “If late in the game this one’s starting to get away from you, how much are you putting on the line and how much are you looking to next week? I’d go Notre Dame. I think Jeremiyah Love runs all over Pittsburgh.”

Fortenbaugh also noted that the Irish still need style points with a soft schedule ahead for the CFP Selection Committee. Pitt, meanwhile, sits at No. 24 in the CFP rankings and faces a long shot at an at-large bid, making their most realistic playoff path a run to the ACC title.

But with GameDay in town and one of the sport’s premier brands across the field, Rodgers is making it clear that this moment demands more urgency than Narduzzi is projecting. We’ll see if his players sing a different tune against the Irish in Week 12.