Almost as long as this blog has been around, a familiar question has been about getting the back-up quarterback some game reps. Specifically, when there is a senior starting QB. It essentially became a running joke in Tyler Palko’s senior year, of fans asking when Bill Stull might get a few mop-up snaps.

Which serves for some amusement to see this bit in Kevin Gorman’s column praising the naming of Max Browne as the starter:

DiNucci, by contrast, hasn’t even played a full game. He was 3 of 9 for 16 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions in late relief of Nathan Peterman in the Pinstripe Bowl.

That should have taught Narduzzi to get his backup more playing time during the season, something DiNucci needs if he’s to eventually succeed Browne at Pitt.

Ah, the classics. They never get old.

There are good points in the column, about the need for the offense to start strong and perhaps (definitely) have to carry a larger bit of the load with a defense that has a couple key suspensions in the first few games. To say nothing, of the experience difference of the entire defense versus the offense.

By all accounts Ben DiNucci did not make it as easy for the expected depth chart to emerge.Though,  that is kind of an open question with closed practices meaning we can only go by what the coaches say happened. Along with edited highlight clips provided by the Pitt Athletic Department [Editor note: Sorry, going off on a tangent of the stupid modern college trend of closing practices for whatever competitive excuse is used.]

DiNucci got a lot of time working with the starters. There’s been a lot of positive buzz about him and freshman Kenny Pickett.

But now that the (inevitable) decision was been made at QB, the praises of Ben DiNucci must be sung. Warning, heavy doses of cliches to follow.

“Ben, compared to where he was a year ago at this time, it’s night and day,” Narduzzi said. “It’s not the same quarterback you’re gonna see during the season. He’s mentally prepared, he’s physically prepared … because he’s one snap away from being in there. He’s very mature, and, obviously, very intelligent.”

As a coaching veteran, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson has had to deliver news like this to his players for a long time. That never makes it any easier, but he, too, is impressed with where DiNucci stands — even if it’s not at the top of the depth chart.

“It was close. Ben fought and did a great job, and I’m really proud of him for the player he’s become because of competition,” Watson said. “I feel like we have two guys in that room that we can win with.”

That’s music to the ears of Eric Kasperowicz. DiNucci’s coach at Pine-Richland, once a Pitt quarterback himself, said recently he had heard only good things about his former star pupil.

“His best football’s ahead of him; I said that when he left. He was so raw when we had him,” Kasperowicz said. “He’s just gotta continue to mature and he’s just gotta keep his head in the game, keep working on the mental aspect.”

That may have exceeded my daily sports cliche allotment in just a handful of quotes.