Pat Narduzzi makes it 'official' - it's a quarterback competition

After last week's game against Youngstown State, Pitt fans have been trying to figure out what exactly is going on with the quarterback position. In that contest, starting quarterback Chad Voytik was replaced for two series in the first quarter by backup Nathan Peterman. This week, Pat Narduzzi made it abundantly clear - it's officially a competition.

Earlier this week, the head coach confirmed he would again give transfer Nathan Peterman snaps this week against Akron. Narduzzi said later that part of the reason was so that Peterman would be prepared to play if needed in case of an emergency. But he also clarified and said that part of it is because of Voytik's performance. Narduzzi made it clear -

It's a full-blown competition:

Is Narduzzi trying to get Peterman some extra work or trying to determine the best player?

"A little of both," Narduzzi said. "They are still in competition."

"Chad is obviously our team leader, really, but he also has to go out on Saturdays and make plays."

I also found this from Voytik to be interesting - the quarterback didn't discount that being pulled from the game and then reinserted could affect his rhythm:

Voytik said he doesn't know if getting pulled from the game so early could disrupt his rhythm.

"It hard to say. But I respect (Narduzzi's) decision," he said. "I just want to make the most of my time. If Nate coming in is best for the team, so be it. I'm all for it."

Obviously, the latter part of what Voytik is more about trying to be a leader and a good teammate. It's hard to imagine that he is all for being replaced, but it's still good to hear him go along with the plan.

I feel like we've beat this thing like a dead horse this week, so I'm not going to make this long. But as I said, I wish the competition would have taken place in training camp rather than during actual games. Pitt really shouldn't be experimenting to see what works in the middle of games at the most important position on the team - they should be decided on who they're playing and make a change if necessary.

For now, Pitt will continue rotate quarterbacks. But I'm hoping that Narduzzi can settle on one before we get too deep into the season for the sake of the team.

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