<
>

Pat Narduzzi addresses Tyler Boyd's arrest

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi addressed the legal troubles of his star receiver, Tyler Boyd, at a booster event Tuesday, and as the Pittsburgh Tribune writes, he shared the blame for the incident.

“You always look at yourself,” Narduzzi told the crowd, according to the Tribune. “What can we do better as a staff and a head football coach? That's everything we do. We talk all the time about making right choices. I'm a father of four. I feel for him. I feel for his family.”

It’s a nice sentiment from the first-year coach, and it’ll certainly help to engender some additional support from fans worried about the potential loss of arguably the ACC’s top receiver. On the issue of that potential loss, however, Narduzzi remained non-committal, saying all cases are handled individually but declining to indicate how Boyd’s situation might unfold.

Boyd was charged with DUI on Tuesday, and while the preliminary hearing isn’t scheduled until Aug. 5, there will no doubt be plenty of time for Pitt fans to debate how much time the junior wideout should miss. Boyd’s loss would be significant for any length of time. Boyd was responsible for 52.2 percent of Pitt’s receiving yards last season. No other player in the country accounted for more than 44 percent of his team’s receiving yards.

Beyond Boyd, Pitt has little in the way of experienced receivers.

2014 stats for Pitt's returning wide receivers:

Boyd: 78 catches, 1,261 yards, 8 touchdowns

All others: 18 catches, 184 yards, 1 TD

Pitt opens the season against Bo Pelini’s Youngstown State before traveling to Akron and Iowa, two teams that toppled the Panthers in Pittsburgh last year.