Inside Pitt’s roster decisions, and not just at quarterback
Pat Narduzzi rocked Pitt’s status quo recently when quarterback Phil Jurkovec was sent to the bench. Quarterbacks get the most attention, but the coach said those decisions are made every day throughout the roster. And, believe it or not, what happens in games and practice are only part of the...
Everyone’s happy after Pitt victory, but there are issues Pat Narduzzi says he will address
Pitt’s victory against Louisville was a relief for a team that had lost four in a row. It also put the first blemish on the Cardinals’ ledger and, perhaps, will help determine what two teams reach the ACC championship game. “It’s been a while since we had a good, positive,...
Analysis: Did Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi wait too long to change quarterbacks?
The question that was not asked of Pat Narduzzi as Saturday night turned into Sunday morning was the one on the minds of many social media denizens: What took so long, Pat? Narduzzi’s dramatic upheaval at Pitt’s quarterback position preceded a 38-21 upset victory against now-No. 21 and previously undefeated...
Pitt notebook: Is Christian Veilleux the answer to the Panthers’ quarterback quandary?
On a night when Christian Veilleux’s completion percentage was worse than his benched predecessor’s, two pretty touchdown passes trumped everything else. Veilleux made his first collegiate start Saturday night, leading Pitt (2-4, 1-2 ACC) to a 38-21 victory against previously undefeated Louisville (6-1, 3-1), which fell from its No. 14...
M.J. Devonshire’s pick-6 leads Pitt to upset of undefeated Louisville
At one point Saturday night during Pitt’s 38-21 victory against Louisville, Pitt greats Kenny Pickett and Tony Dorsett were pictured on the scoreboard seated side-by-side in the upper reaches of Acrisure Stadium. Earlier in the game, Pitt (2-4, 1-2 ACC) honored another of its own, Pro Football Hall of Fame...
Family inspired love of the Pitt Panthers for this ultimate fan
Pitt is definitely it for Luciana “Miss Lu” Bair. She claims to be the biggest Panthers fan, and she’s got a pretty solid case. Let’s start with the vehicle she drives. It’s a 2023 Dodge Durango with custom seating in the school’s colors of blue and gold. Her tires have...
Pitt basketball has scorers, leaders, but Jeff Capel seeks rebounders as preseason continues
Jeff Capel believes there are players on his team who can score. Freshman guards Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe and transfer Ismael Leggett are among that group. And, of course, 2022-2023 ACC second-team selection Blake Hinson, who has a newly slimmed-down body and his signature pumped-up confidence, still is making...
Pitt Take 5: Is there any satisfaction in being a spoiler?
By the time a college football team starts 1-4, its goals of winning a championship and earning a bowl bid are all but gone. There aren’t enough games in a season to attain a complete reversal of fortune. Pitt football doesn’t have the same luxury as its basketball colleagues, who...
Classroom champions, players from Pitt’s 1963 team hold no bitterness over bowl snub
Over the years, whenever Ernie Borghetti runs across someone bragging about his football team, he always has the same answer. Sixty years later, it still makes him laugh out loud. “Match us in the classroom,” he says. “Not on the field.” Academics or athletics, it didn’t matter. Pitt’s 1963 team...
3 new faces in Pitt’s backcourt hope to meet high standard set by departed guards
There is no mystery to what forward Blake Hinson can bring to Pitt’s basketball team. He led the team in scoring, rebounding and successful 3-point shots last season. He also is shouldering a leadership role now. Expectations are high, as they should be. Big men Federiko Federiko and the Diaz...
Pitt’s new starting QB Christian Veilleux sounds like he’s ready to lead
If you’re wondering how Pitt’s quarterbacks prepare for a game, let new starter Christian Veilleux take you behind the curtain. First of all (and of least importance as it relates to Pitt’s game Saturday against undefeated No. 14 Louisville), the Canadian-born Veilleux prefers the pronunciation of his name to be...
Pitt’s Randy Bates deals with youth, tackling issues on his defense
Randy Bates doesn’t hide from reality. He understands the problems confronting the Pitt defense that he coordinates, and he doesn’t make excuses for a 1-4 record, a sudden inability to stop the other team’s ground attack or allowing 72 points (minus one punt return) in the past two games. It...
Analysis: Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi might need to reach back into transfer portal for QB help
The list of transfer quarterbacks Pitt has lured on campus is a long one, just as long as Pat Narduzzi’s nine-year tenure as head coach. Yet only two of the nine — Nathan Peterman and Kedon Slovis — made significant, positive contributions as starters. And Slovis quickly transferred out last...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi said he demoted Phil Jurkovec to No. 2 quarterback because ‘we needed a spark’
Kenny Pickett took his last snap as a Pitt quarterback Dec. 4, 2021. Quarterbacks — good ones, the kind you win with — are difficult to find, and developing them to a coach’s satisfaction is a complicated process. Pickett arrived in 2017, and he didn’t become a star until 2021....
Deer Lakes grad Michael Sullivan, Pitt men’s soccer looking for return trip to College Cup
Winning isn’t always everything, but once you taste it, you can’t help but want more. It’s what drives people to go the extra mile. It’s what pushes athletes to make sacrifices. It’s what motivates a group toward one common goal. For last year’s Pitt men’s soccer team, the Panthers fell...
Unbeaten No. 14 Louisville savors another comeback win while striving for a complete performance this week at Pitt
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville’s quick start is ironic considering it hasn’t always started quickly. Three second-half comebacks have helped the No. 14 Cardinals (6-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) achieve their best start in 10 years, with Saturday night’s 33-20 victory over then-No. 10 Notre Dame being the latest rally. Granted,...
Pitt’s Zack Austin brings loyalty, respect for teammates from his 2 seasons at High Point
Befitting a man who respects his teammates, Pitt’s Zack Austin didn’t want to name his victim. But when he was asked recently to recount some of his craziest shows of athleticism around the basket, he was quick with the recollections. “Practice-wise, when I was at High Point (N.C.), I got...
Over 3 years after covid’s onset, there’s hardly a mention of it in pro, college circles
During a brief stretch last month, the Cincinnati Reds must have felt as if the clock had been turned back three years. In the midst of a pennant race, a flurry of roster moves was necessary to address a pitching staff that was being depleted not by injury or trade...
Circumstances are different now, but Pitt history says it’s possible to recover from 1-4 start
At the dawn of the 21st century, the blame for Pitt’s 1-5 start in 2001 was pinned on an inability to immediately adapt to a new offensive scheme. Four years after that, in 2005, Pitt had parted company with Walt Harris, a coach who led the program out of the...
11-time Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald now helping young players maximize earning potential
Larry Fitzgerald is attacking the board room the same way he took on cornerbacks during a sensational NFL career. The 11-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who caught more passes for more yards than every player in league history other than Jerry Rice has transitioned smoothly to the corporate world since...
Report: Pitt moves Phil Jurkovec to tight end, promotes Christian Veilleux to No. 1 quarterback
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi wasn’t kidding when he said there were “a lot of things that need changing” with his team. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec was benched and moved to tight end in practice this week, leaving Christian Veilleux in line to start the next game Oct. 14 against Louisville, ESPN...
Pitt Take 5: He’s done it before, but can Pat Narduzzi guide Panthers out of their malaise?
There are a few historical trends that may foretell how the remainder of Pitt’s season evolves. Critics and doomsday fans might prefer the word “unravels,” but let’s allow the remaining seven games to play out before slapping on labels. In coach Pat Narduzzi’s eight previous seasons, he has compiled an...
ACC quarterbacks, sometimes under the radar, are driving success across the league
The ACC is off to a promising start this season with several notable nonconference victories and five teams ranked in the Top 25. A common thread is easy to find: Check behind center. The Atlantic Coast Conference, not always known for its strong cadre of quarterbacks, has 10 of the...
Pain-free, Pitt’s William Jeffress puts foot injury behind him on the brink of a new basketball season
William Jeffress won’t lie about how difficult it was watching his Pitt teammates reach the NCAA Tournament last season. “It was tough to not be on the court,” he said. Foot surgery forced him to sit out the entire season and robbed him of the chance to be part of...
Analysis: Pitt’s 4-game losing streak raises questions about quarterbacks, everybody else
Pat Narduzzi called what Virginia Tech’s offense did to his team a “slow bleed.” He was describing how the Hokies controlled the pace of the game with an effective ground game, hitting only the occasional big play, while maintaining possession of the football for nearly 38 minutes. You know, domination....
