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Pat Narduzzi reprimanded, Pitt fined by ACC for criticism of officials after Backyard Brawl win
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Pat Narduzzi has received a “public reprimand” and Pitt has been fined $5,000 by the ACC after Narduzzi criticized officiating following Pitt’s wild 38-34 Backyard Brawl win over West Virginia on Saturday.
The Panthers improved to 3-0 with the win over the archrival Mountaineers at Accrisure Stadium, taking 2 of the last 3 meetings between the 2 teams after a last-gasp drive ended in a touchdown with 30 seconds left.
Following the game, Narduzzi wasn’t shy about commenting on what he thought was biased officiating against the Panthers. Pitt was whistled for 12 penalties for 112 yards while West Virginia was flagged 7 times for 67 yards.
“Some of the calls we got … I’ve never seen anything like it. Wow! We beat West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl and we beat the officials too in one game,” he said on ESPN.
Those comments naturally made their way to the league office, eventually leading to Sunday’s punitive action from the ACC.
Meanwhile, Pitt will look to improve to 4-0 as it hosts Youngstown State in Week 4.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
