Carter, Kamara, Mumpfield shine amid Pitt QB battle in Blue-Gold game

It was a competitive contest in Pitt's Blue-Gold spring game Saturday at Heinz Field, where the Gold team defeated the Blue team 10-7 as kicker Sam Scarton missed a 56-yard field goal that would've tied the game as time expired.

The final score of the game wasn't as much the story of the afternoon, but instead how several Pitt players gave their first displays of how they would fill in important positions while replacing players who left after last season.

Chief among those was the quarterback battle between new transfer quarterback Kedon Slovis and returning senior Nick Patti. Slovis had risen as a starting quarterback known for a strong arm at USC over the past three seasons while Patti had become Pitt's solidified backup behind Kenny Pickett in recent years and started against Michigan State in the Peach Bowl.

Slovis completed 10 of 21 passes for 64 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception for the Blue team while Patti completed 4 of 9 passes for 104 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. But the raw numbers couldn't show how both quarterbacks looked prepared going into the game, nor how Slovis had two touchdown passes dropped by Gavin Bartholomew and Jaylon Barden that were well thrown balls into tight passing windows.

"It's comfortable and difficult at the same time," Slovis said. "You know all the reads and progressions, that stuff's easy. Jonathan DiBiaso (graduate assistant coach) was our OC today, so we had to figure out what personnel packages could work with who we had. We have a lot of great plays, but when you cut the team in half you have to find the strengths of what you can and can't run."

Despite not throwing a touchdown, Pat Narduzzi said he liked what he saw from both Slovis and Patti, noting how with split rosters and Jordan Addison not participating (coach's decision), he felt "good" about their performances. Slovis credited his level of comfort in an offense he just started learning a couple months ago to new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.

"It's really comfortable," Slovis said of the offense. "(Cignetti)'s a great mentor. I've got to spend so much time with him in the film room watching our practice cut ups but also NFL quarterbacks and the best guys in the world to see how they do it. That's been great to see them to the same things that I'm doing the same concepts I'm using on the field every day. You see Eli Manning running drive or Aaron Rodgers throwing another concept. It's really cool that we're being taught the same things."

Part of what's helped Slovis get comfortable within in Pitt's program has been the players he's been around who've helped him, including Patti.

"I try not to set certain expectations so the game can come to me," Slovis said. "You have to let it come to you. Everyone's really impressed me here from teammates to coaching staff. I didn't know how it was going to be until I got on campus, but everyone has really impressed me. I didn't even know who the OC would be until I got to campus."

Patti could have seen Slovis as a nemesis for coming onto the roster where Patti was backup quarterback for years behind Kenny Pickett and a person who ruined his chance to be the starter. But that hasn't been his approach to their relationship as competitors for the starting quarterback job.

"I didn't think much about it," Patti said about Pitt adding Slovis. "I'm a competitor. More competition for me is better. I like it. When you get complacent because you don't have someone pushing you, that's when you don't see (growth). I did that for Kenny last year to push him every day, ask him questions and give him my input."

Not having to worry about anyone in the quarterback room being a malcontent is a bonus for Slovis coming from USC. It's allowed him to focus on himself while developing positive relationships with teammates 

"My mindset is just to be the best player I can be," Slovis said. "You can't control how others compete, so you compete with yourself. In terms of relationships, that's the most impressive thing out here. All the guys have been great. Nick's been awesome and it feels like we're a bunch of friends out there being awesome. In some rooms, that's definitely not the case. It's a really good room, Nick's great, Joey (Yellen)'s great and they're all really good guys. It's really easy for a football team to get cliquey. But here it's one big family."

There were also plenty of players who stepped up in the game beyond the quarterback position. Two players who especially made their impact in spring practices and during the Saturday game were the Ed Conway Award winners for most improved spring players in running back Daniel Carter and linebacker Bangally Kamara.

Carter split snaps between both teams as Pitt was missing Rodney Hammond II and didn't want to overload either Israel Abanikanda or Vincent Davis. Between running for both teams, Carter took ten carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, also catching a pass for nine yards. 

"Daniel's had a really good spring," Narduzzi said of Carter. "He's run the football on his opportunities and blocked when he's had the opportunities to be the lead back for Vince (Carter). He's unselfish, we appreciate that and he can do a lot of different things. He's playing at a high level and he's a hard guy to tackle being 240 lbs. running downhill."

It was impressive for Carter to battle through spring knowing that Pitt brought back all three of its primary running back rotation in Davis, Abanikanda and Hammond in 2022. 

"I wanted to be versatile," Carter said. "I wanted to show I could run block, pass block, run the ball and catch the ball. Getting the offense down pat this early was a big step and that's why the coaches wanted to put the ball in my hands."

Pitt had several new faces step up on the defensive side of the ball for big plays. Returning super senior and starting defensive end John Morgan made the most noise with two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, but he wasn't alone. Kamara tied Morgan, Nate Temple, P.J. O'Brien and Shayne Simon for five tackles, all the most on either team for the day.

Kamara also added 1.5 tackles for loss, and showed off more of the speed his teammates and coaches have been excited to see added to the defense this year. Between Kamara, Simon, who intercepted Slovis, and Solomon DeShields, who had a nice pass breakup while covering Bartholomew, Pitt's linebackers look to have new athletic additions.

"Solomon, Bangally, Shayne and SirVocea have all been good," Narduzzi said. "I didn't see any big runs, so I think the linebackers played OK. Linebacker might be a weakness, if you had to say there was a weakness, but I'm not disappointed with where they are and what they've done this spring. We'll be fine, and you saw that today."

Kamara's first taste as a starter for Pitt wasn't something he was shy about.

"Being out there today, it was fun," Kamara said. "We knew it was coming and we were prepared. I wasn't shocked to be out there. This is something I've matured to be, helped by the coaches. There was no pressure. I always knew I would be out there."

Part of his motivation to be the most improved defensive player on Pitt's roster was a player who earned the Ed Conway Award last year and is currently preparing for the NFL Draft.

"I saw John Petrishen win it last year," Kamara said of what winning the Ed Conway Award meant. "I wasn't able to participate in last year's spring ball. I knew when I came back that I was aiming for that award. I put in the work over the last 14 practices to get the award. I was very happy and honored for coach Narduzzi and the defensive coaches to see that in me."

Kamara's biggest challenge was putting his game together so that he could play more instinctively without worrying about mental mistakes. After two years of being a reserve linebacker who played mostly on special teams, he feels ready for his new starting role.

"Athletically I felt like I had it all, but mentally I've improved," Kamara said. "The coaches have always been on me. They've been pushing me to be together mentally. I just needed to grow in mentally picking up the game, understanding stuff and not being too hard on myself. I play the best when I'm fast. See ball, get ball. That's how I play and that's why I came here. This is the only defense that plays this way at a high level."

Kamara was joined by Dayon Hayes and Nahki Johnson as players stepping into bigger roles who had good days. Hayes finished with half a sack and two tackles while Johnson had a whole sack be his only tackle in the game.

"Dayon Hayes and Nahki both made steps forward," Narduzzi said. "Dayon's one year ahead, but he's really playing at a high level and gotten better, we're excited about that. Nahki's taken that next step. In that last half of spring ball he cranked it up a bunch."

The newest face who made a good impression on offense was Konata Mumpfield, a transfer receiver from Akron. Mumpfield caught 2 of his 3 targets for 59 yards, including a 55-yard bomb off play action on the first play of the game from Patti.

"Coach Cig (Cignetti) wants to get the run game going," Patti said. "But we knew we wanted to take a shot on the first play. We did that last year too. Having coach (Tim) Salem, I knew he wanted to take a shot. We had a good guy on a good route, and it worked out for us."

Despite that shot play and a lot of talk about the expanded playbook for Pitt's run game, the play calls remained very bland in the spring game.

"I'd say a lot of it," Narduzzi said about how much of the offense was left on the shelf. That's why (Simon) probably jumped that pass because he was used to seeing that play so much."

"We're just continuing the install," Patti said of the playbook. "We're going to go a good job in the summer with it because it'll be player-led. We have the offense in, but we didn't do too much of it today because we kept it vanilla for the spring game. We'll polish everything off for summer and be ready."

"I'm not sure of a certain percentage," Slovis said of how much of Cignetti's plays Pitt's offense has learned. "There's definitely more stuff we want to get in, but the point of the system is when we put things in, they're easy to pick up. Coach Cig (Cignetti) probably has a lot more plays for us to insert, but in terms of offenses I've run it's just as much, if not more, than what I've run."

Before the game, Pitt presented last year's players with their ACC championship rings from the 2021 title run. It was something that was exciting for the players who received them, and motivating for Pitt's new players.

"They were excited," Narduzzi said. "You could walk around and see them talking about it. To get that championship ring after winning it, it was something special they'll have as a keepsake forever."

"It's definitely motivation," Slovis said of Pitt's players from last year receiving their ACC Championship rings. "It's great and the energy's great with guys excited. We're not complacent with that. We want to get better, strive to go for bigger things and that's a championship mindset. That's what we have here and I'm fortunate to be part of it."

Despite some players like Hammond, Deslin Alexandre and Owen Drexel missing the game, no player was injured during it, and Narduzzi felt very positive about Pitt's health heading into summer camp.

"Our strength staff and trainers did a wonderful job," Narduzzi said. "We went through fifteen days of practice and we didn't have a single soft tissue injury the entire spring. That's unheard of, heck of a job by our staff."

Now, Pitt's players get a short reprieve to get ready for finals and finish out their academic year before it's full steam ahead to get ready for summer camp.

"The next two weeks they'll have classes," Narduzzi said. "They'll throw by themselves for a bit, do their week of finals and then go home for two weeks. But when they come back, they're going. We'll have seven-on-seven, lifting, running and we'll give them stuff to do on their own. That'll be the plan until August."