In light of NIL, Pat Narduzzi tells national audience Pitt will ‘take care’ of Eli Holstein
In college athletics’ new age of NIL and immediate eligibility for transfers, success can work both ways. No one knows that better than Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, whose team is 7-0 and a serious contender for its second ACC championship in four years. Interviewed on CBS Sports Radio and Sirius...
Looking back at another 7-0 Pitt team and how its star-crossed season ended on a cold, rainy day in Texas
New Year’s Day morning, 1983, dawned cold and rainy in Dallas, but Tom Flynn had seen worse. He grew up in Western Pennsylvania and had played in similar conditions at Penn Hills High School and Pitt. Later, he played in snowstorms with the Green Bay Packers. Truth be told, the...
Top-ranked Pitt women’s volleyball scores 3-2 win over No. 4 Louisville
Facing a top-five opponent for the second consecutive match, the No. 1-ranked Pitt women’s volleyball team had a near-capacity home crowd on the edge of its seats when it was forced to a fifth set. That’s become commonplace for the Panthers against No. 4 Louisville, as their rivalry has extended...
Focused on the hold, his left toe, the football, Pitt’s Ben Sauls gets kick from perfection
Ben Sauls has a confession to make. Despite the enthusiasm and energy inside Acrisure Stadium, the high hopes surrounding the undefeated Pitt team and what can be called one of the best vantage points in the house, he doesn’t watch the games. At least half the time, anyway. It’s all...
Mark Madden: Penn State’s James Franklin acted, so who cares if he doesn’t say anything?
Knickers got twisted when Penn State football coach James Franklin did the hokey-pokey on and off the podium at his weekly news conference by way of declining to comment on two ex-Nittany Lions players charged with rape. A PR flack exchanged places with Franklin and recited a prepared statement. The...
Pitt defense picks off Syracuse on its way to 41-13 victory and 7-0 start
Not only do Pitt’s linebackers harass quarterbacks with their athleticism, step boldly into passing lanes and attack like sharks (which is what they want to be called), but now they’re also starting to take personally what they perceive as nationwide disrespect. Everything came together in what turned into one fine...
Larry Fitzgerald returns to Pitt turf as a Hall of Famer
Larry Fitzgerald was always in control as a Pitt football player. Yet his emotions nearly got the best of him Thursday night when he was honored on the Acrisure Stadium turf where two decades ago he exhibited such impressive body control. He played in only 26 games over two seasons...
Tim Benz: Pitt, Syracuse personify trend of transfer QB success in ACC
Some fans grumble about the NCAA transfer portal and about how NIL is negatively changing the landscape of college sports. That’s a tough sell when it comes to ACC football this year. There are plenty of teams in the conference that have improved thanks to play from transfer quarterbacks. Two...
New Pitt athletic director Allen Greene understands reality of college athletics: Money matters
Pitt introduced Allen Greene as its next athletic director Wednesday morning, and the theme was as clear as a bank statement. Money. Blunt, honest and to the point, Jeff Capel said as much when asked what he might ask of Greene if the two men sat down to discuss what...
Pitt, Louisville volleyball teams set to add next chapter to growing rivalryVideo
A curious thing, this burgeoning volleyball rivalry between Pitt and Louisville. It’s isn’t a product of geography like Pitt-West Virginia or Duke-North Carolina. Nor is it steeped in history, such as Yale-Princeton football, which dates to 1873. It isn’t even a result of bad blood. “We don’t even, like, hate...
Pitt Take 5: With Larry Fitzgerald and college football world watching, Panthers put unbeaten record at risk
Pitt’s game against Syracuse on Thursday night marks the Panthers’ last game before the crucial month of November, and everyone knows this is the time of year when the best teams emerge to claim their place among the sport’s elite. Is Pitt among them? The College Football Playoff committee, which...
Pitt opens basketball season with 93-62 exhibition victory against Point Park
Pitt’s game against Point Park on Tuesday night was only an exhibition. There were more empty seats inside Petersen Events Center than those that were filled, the arena lacked most of the energy it has generated for ACC games the past two seasons and the decision — a 93-62 Pitt...
Transfer quarterbacks Eli Holstein, Kyle McCord give different look to Pitt-Syracuse matchup
Pitt hasn’t played a game since Oct. 12, which means Pat Narduzzi, his staff and players have had nearly two weeks to prepare for the Syracuse game coming up Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium. Part of the prep was spent watching Pitt turn the football over four times and Syracuse...
No need for a crowbar to pry the truth from Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew … he enjoys blocking, receiving equally
The life of a tight end often can be cloaked in anonymity, with true celebrity difficult to attain. Travis Kelce excluded, of course. Pitt tight ends coach Jacob Bronowski did nothing to dispel that notion when he decided to put crowbars on players’ desks before a meeting Sunday. The idea,...
Back from injury, defensive tackles Sean FitzSimmons, Nick James give No. 19 Pitt options against Syracuse
Syracuse’s Kyle McCord gains yards through the air better than most quarterbacks, and his 19 touchdown passes are proof that he can move an offense forward. He’s second in the nation in yards per game (360) — only 2.6 behind the leader, Miami’s Cameron Ward — and fourth in completions...
In the midst of many new faces at Pitt, returning players find way to uphold culture coach Jeff Capel is building
Those players returning to Pitt’s basketball team for the 2024-25 season were not surprised Bub Carrington left for the NBA after one season. Especially when it became almost immediately apparent Carrington was destined to be a first-round choice. No one panicked, either, even as Carrington left while Blake Hinson also...
Pitt remembers 2023 loss to Syracuse, gets chance Thursday night to erase sour memories
Perhaps no game from 2023 capsulizes the misery Pitt players and coaches felt better than the 28-13 loss to Syracuse on Nov. 11 at Yankee Stadium. Not only did the defeat complete the second four-game losing streak of the season, but it dropped the Panthers to 2-8 for the first...
With Tony Bennett, others resigning, Pat Narduzzi says he coaches ‘for the love of the game’
In the wake of the resignation of another high-profile ACC basketball coach Friday, Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi said college athletics will survive. “It’s never going to go anywhere,” he said Friday. “It’s who’s going to hang in there long enough to continue to ride the waves, right?” The waves...
Pitt names veteran big-school administrator Allen Greene as its next AD
Pat Narduzzi wasn’t on the search committee, and he said he did not have input into Allen Greene becoming Pitt’s next athletic director — his next boss. But when the Pitt head coach sits down with Greene in the coming days, it will be a getting reacquainted meeting — not...
Grading the Panthers: Pitt gets high marks for season’s first half while expectations continue to rise
Just for fun and to pass the time during Pitt’s open (don’t call it a bye) week, let’s set up a fake scenario of two Pitt fans before the season sitting at the bar at Cupka’s Cafe on the South Side drinking Crown and Coke. Man 1: “Hey, how do...
Pitt’s Ishmael Leggett named to All-ACC preseason 2nd team while Panthers projected to finish 7th
Pitt is ranked seventh in the ACC preseason poll, and Panthers senior guard Ishmael Leggett was named to the All-ACC second team, according to voting from a panel of 54 voters released Tuesday. Leggett averaged 12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds (No. 1 among all conference guards), 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals...
Pitt by the numbers at the halfway point of the season
If you need proof that a year is a long time, merely turn to Pitt football and see how matters surrounding the program have changed. Here are some numbers that illustrate the dramatic shift in fortunes for the 6-0 and No. 20-ranked Panthers: 2-4/6-0 — Pitt was 2-4 after six...
Analysis: Plenty of gifts from California helped No. 20 Pitt remain undefeated
The speed in Desmond Reid’s legs, the power in Ben Sauls’ left foot and Pat Narduzzi’s risk-taking on fourth down were vital elements in Pitt’s 17-15 victory against California on Saturday. Give Pitt credit for all three. Those were not gifts. Without them, the Panthers (6-0, 2-0 ACC) would not...
Pitt’s defensive front smothers Cal, posting season-high 6 sacks plus 11 TFLsVideo
Pitt’s usually explosive offense did not show up Saturday at Acrisure Stadium vs. the Cal Golden Bears. The No. 22 Panthers, who had averaged more than 500 yards, entering the afternoon with a top offense nationally, managed a season-low 277 in a narrow 17-15 win over the Bears. Quarterback Eli...
Pitt offense stumbles, but Panthers edge California, improve to 6-0 for 1st time since 1982
When Eli Holstein walked into the interview room Saturday night after Pitt’s 17-15 victory against California that in reality was a lesson in survival, reporters were ready for him. His captivating season hit a roadblock in his second career ACC game when he threw two interceptions, completed just half of...
