Former Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi is now the head coach at Pitt.

By Danny Payne   |  [email protected]

Iowa’s familiarity with Pittsburgh exists on numerous levels. Saturday’s game will mark the third time the Panthers and Hawkeyes have faced off since 2011. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz also went to high school at Upper St. Clair in Pittsburgh and coached at the university in 1980.

Saturday, another layer of that familiarity will be born between the two teams; former Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi is now at the helm of the Panthers. Not only did he and Ferentz coach against each other in the Yankee Conference in the 1990s, but the Hawkeyes have a very good idea of what they could see from Pittsburgh.

“If you look at especially the last two games or last year’s game and this year’s game, there was a real Wisconsin flavor to the ball club a year ago, and now you throw the film on there’s a real Michigan State flavor to it,” Ferentz said.

Should the film hold true — and there’s no real reason to think it won’t — the Hawkeyes should expect a very physical contest. In East Lansing, Michigan, Narduzzi-led defenses put as much pressure on opposing offenses as possible.

At Michigan State, and through two games in Pittsburgh, Narduzzi cornerbacks played pressed coverage on wide receivers, and the defensive fronts were geared toward pressuring the quarterback using blitzes and other stunts.

“You can expect [blitzing],” said quarterback C.J. Beathard, who led Iowa to a come-from-behind victory at Pittsburgh last season. “They do blitz, and we’re prepared if they do blitz, but we’re prepared if they decide not to blitz.”

Pittsburgh has played Youngstown State and Akron, and although they’ve combined for 44 points against the Panthers, they’re still not the most formidable of opponents. Teams usually don’t show their entire playbook in the first two games, so Beathard could feel more pressure than he did against Illinois State and Iowa State.

And if the last time the Hawkeyes took on a Narduzzi-led defense is an indicator, they should expect the heat. Yes, Michigan State is a better program with better talent than Pittsburgh, but in 2012, the Spartans held Iowa to only 23 rushing yards on 16 carries. The Hawks scored 14 points and gained 140 yards on those drives but only managed 124 the rest of the game.

“Going through the tape, there’s a lot of Michigan State cut-ups,” center Austin Blythe said. “They do a lot of the same stuff … we have to be focused and on top of our assignments to pick that stuff up.”

Beathard has a similar belief. The junior quarterback has been Iowa’s MVP through two games but has not faced sustained pressure. There were occasions he felt the heat against Iowa State, but Iowa quarterbacks have only been sacked three times in this young campaign

“As long as my eyes are where they need to be and receivers, backs, and the line knows whom to protect and whom to block, we should be fine,” Beathard said.

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