Could the curse of Pat Narduzzi help RichRod redeem himself against Pitt on 9-13-2025?
MORGANTOWN, WV—-It’s possible that returning WVU football coach Rich Rodriguez may have a little help redeeming himself when he faces the Pitt Panthers on September 13 thanks to former coach Neal Brown. When Brown made some ill advised comments following the loss to Iowa State at home this past season, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi mocked the WVU coach on X. Brown made comments about the nice weather and tailgating fun for the WVU fans despite losing an important Big 12 contest. Brown felt the fans should still have enjoyed the atmosphere and gameday experience despite the loss. That comment came back to haunt Brown because rival Pitt coach Narduzzi used the verbal mistake to mock Brown. It made it all the way to national sports news.
Pitt was 7-0 and undefeated on its way to a possible ACC title game. However, after beating Syracuse 41-13 on October 24 the Panthers lost six in a row including their bowl game. The jinx started the next week against SMU when the Panthers lost to SMU 48-25 on Nov. 2 and continued the remainder of the season losing to Toledo in six overtimes 48-46 in their bowl game.
Maybe the Pitt losing streak will continue when the Panthers face Rodriguez and the Mountaineers next September. Rodriguez really needs a victory against Pitt when he returns as head coach for his second stint. He departed after losing to the Panthers in that critical contest 13-9 on December 1, 2007 for a coaching job at Michigan. Rodriguez said he wants to set the record straight and getting a win against Pitt later this year will go a long way in securing his future at WVU.