page_title: Pittsburgh Panthers football
section_title: Pat Narduzzi era (2015–present)
hierarchical_section_title: Pittsburgh Panthers football / History / Pat Narduzzi era (2015–present)
caption_attribution_description: English: Pat Narduzzi, head coach of the Pitt Panthers football team
context_page_description: The Pittsburgh Panthers football program is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football competition, now termed the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, since the beginning of the school's official sponsorship of the sport in 1890. As of the 2013 season, Pitt competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
  Pitt claims nine national championships and is among the top 20 college football programs in terms of all-time wins. Its teams have featured many coaches and players notable throughout the history of college football, including, among all schools, the 12th most College Football Hall of Fame inductees, the 12th most consensus All-Americans, and the fifth most Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees. The Panthers are currently coached by Pat Narduzzi.
context_section_description: On December 26, 2014; Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi was named the 37th Pitt head coach. Although he didn't have any head coaching experience, Narduzzi was regarded as one of the country's best defensive minds and assistant coaches who had recruiting strong ties to the northern United States and, specifically, east Ohio and west Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh signed Narduzzi to a five-year contract.
  Pitt went 8–5 in 2015. The Panthers began the Narduzzi era on September 5 with a 45–37 victory over FCS opponent Youngstown State. Pittsburgh won their second game of the season the following week, defeating Akron by a score of 24–7. After a 27–24 loss to Iowa, Narduzzi's squad defeated Virginia Tech by a margin of 17–13. In the season's fifth game, the Panthers defeated Virginia by a score of 26–19. A third straight win came on October 17 with a 31–28 victory over Georgia Tech. After a 23–20 victory over Syracuse, Pittsburgh suffered its second defeat of the season with a 26–19 loss to North Carolina. On November 7, Narduzzi's Panthers lost to #8 Notre Dame by a score of 42–30. That was followed by a 31–13 victory over Duke. After a 45–34 victory over Louisville, Pitt fell to Miami in the regular season finale by a score of 29–24. The Panthers accepted an invitation to the Military Bowl, where they lost to #21 Navy by a margin of 44–28. During the 2015 season, Pitt was ranked in the AP top 25 for the first time since 2010. Narduzzi's first full recruiting class, in 2016, was ranked 30th in the country, Pitt's highest ranked class since 2008. On December 10, 2015; Pitt signed Narduzzi to a two-year contract extension and raised his pay.
  The Panthers finished with another 8–5 record in 2016. In the season opener, they defeated in-state FCS opponent Villanova by a score of 28–7. After a 42–39 victory over archrival Penn State, Pittsburgh suffered their first loss of the season, dropping a 45–38 contest to Oklahoma State. After a nailbiting 37–36 loss to North Carolina, Narduzzi's team won a 43–27 contest over Marshall on October 1. A second straight win followed one week later when the Panthers defeated Georgia Tech by a margin of 37–34. Narduzzi's squad won a third straight game On October 15 when they defeated Virginia by a score of 45–31. Pittsburgh then suffered consecutive defeats, falling to #25 Virginia Tech by a margin of 39–36 and Miami by a score of 51–28. On November 12, the Panthers traveled to Clemson, South Carolina and knocked off #3 Clemson by a score of 43–42 on a late field goal. Pitt followed that huge upset victory with a 56–14 blowout win over Duke and a high-scoring 76–61 shootout victory over Syracuse to finish the regular season. Pittsburgh accepted an invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl, a game they lost to Northwestern by a score of 31–24.
  Pittsburgh slipped to a 5–7 record in 2017. The Panthers kicked off the season on September 2, defeating FCS Youngstown State in overtime by a score of 28–21. One week later, Pitt lost the Keystone Classic to archrival #4 Penn State by a margin of 33–14. In the season's third game, Narduzzi's squad lost its second straight contest with a 59–21 defeat at the hands of #9 Oklahoma State. After a 42–10 victory over Rice, the Panthers lost another two straight; falling to Syracuse by a margin of 27–24 and #20 NC State by a score of 35–17. Pitt then won their next two; defeating Duke by a margin of 24–17 and Virginia by a score of 31–14. After a 34–31 loss to North Carolina and a 20–14 defeat to #17 Virginia Tech knocked the Panthers out of bowl contention, Narduzzi's team finished the season with a big upset victory, stunning #2 Miami by a score of 24–14. On December 6, 2017, the University of Pittsburgh administration signed Narduzzi to another contract extension and raise, extending his deal by seven years.  Narduzzi led Pitt to its first ACC Coastal Division Championship in 2018.
caption: Coach Narduzzi
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