Practice as usual for Pitt players on Thanksgiving, but players, coaches have dinner plans, too
Thanksgiving is a normal practice day for Pitt and all other college football teams around the nation without scheduled games. Thursdays are typically the last day for serious on-field drills, and Pitt players will report in the morning, go over the game plan for the Miami game Saturday and adjourn...
Pitt rolls over Fairleigh Dickinson on good shooting night
For 20 minutes of clock time, Pitt didn’t miss a 2-point shot in the second half of its 83-61 victory against Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday night at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers took 17 shots inside the 3-point arc. All 17 were good. OK, their shooting accuracy wasn’t actually perfect....
Farewell, Coastal, the ACC’s always unpredictable divisionVideo
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Farewell, ACC Coastal. And for prognosticators, good riddance. Every summer, every league in the country has some sort of preseason media gathering, the ACC included. Those events always go the same way: Coaches downplay expectations, quarterbacks praise their offensive line and receivers, and savvy reporters leave...
Pitt defense steps up during 3-game winning streak
Much of the discussion surrounding Pitt football this season has centered on the offense. Fans need to blame someone. Still, while there has been angst directed at the offense, the defense quietly has maintained its reputation and official standing among the top 20 units in the nation. Opponents are averaging...
Pitt football player pleads to reduced charge of harassment
Pitt junior defensive end Dayon Hayes pleaded guilty Tuesday to a summary harassment charge stemming from allegations that he assaulted the mother of his child. Hayes, a Westinghouse graduate, was sentenced to time served — a day at Allegheny County Jail — by Magisterial District Judge Nicholas Martini. “Dayon enjoys...
Pitt notebook: Narduzzi says Miami matters in final game of regular season
Pat Narduzzi sounded almost offended when it was suggested a team’s focus could be disrupted by such things as: • Last regular-season game. • No championship at stake. • Bowl eligibility secured. • Thanksgiving. All those things surround Pitt’s players and coaches this week while they prepare for a Saturday...
Pitt men’s soccer reaches NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for 3rd consecutive season
The Pitt men’s soccer team is starting to make a habit of Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. For the third year in a row, Pitt (10-4-5, 3-2-3 ACC) earned its berth Sunday with a 3-0 victory at No. 16 Akron’s FirstEnergy Stadium. The victory was historic for another...
First Call: Joe Burrow on T.J. Watt’s interception; Steelers-Colts game has different tone; Darrelle Revis’ honor
Monday’s “First Call” has Joe Burrow’s assessment of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt after yet another eye-popping interception. Next week’s game for the Steelers no longer appears to be the joke people were making it out to be two weeks ago. A former Pitt Panthers star is getting a well-deserved...
Pitt men recover from slow start, pound Alabama State
Not unlike most teams playing power conference basketball, Pitt’s roster has plenty of players who can run, jump, pass and shoot at a high level. The trick that good teams master is combining the mental with the physical. That’s what Pitt coach Jeff Capel and his players confronted Sunday afternoon,...
Pitt Take 5: Solid run defense carries Pitt to winning season
Several storylines surfaced after Pitt stretched its streak of victories to three games and assured itself of the sixth winning season in coach Pat Narduzzi’s eight seasons. None more definitively defined Narduzzi’s tenure more than his run defense. It played out just like he planned in the 28-26 victory Saturday...
Despite sloppy finish vs. Duke, Pitt carries momentum into regular-season finale
Saturday afternoon’s game at Acrisure Stadium brought together two ACC teams heating up late in the year, with Pitt and Duke jockeying for positioning in the Coastal Division standings with bowl season approaching. And the Panthers’ 28-26 victory gave them more momentum heading into next weekend’s finale at Miami. Pitt...
Pitt survives scare from Duke to record 3rd straight victory
Rightfully and without any apologies, Pitt’s 28-26 victory against Duke on Saturday goes under the “W” column in the ACC standings. It was Pitt’s seventh against four losses, an encouraging third in a row during a troubling season where the offense has struggled to find solid ground. There also was...
Pitt Take 5: Historic 9-victory season still possible
SirVocea Dennis doesn’t like some of what’s happened to Pitt this season, but he believes there’s still time to do something about it. A nine-victory season remains in Pitt’s grasp with Duke coming to Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. After that, the regular-season finale is Nov. 26 at Miami (a fourth...
Without John Hugley, Pitt loses consolation game of Legends Classic, 71-67
When dissecting what went wrong Thursday night in VCU’s 71-67 victory against Pitt at Barclays Center, it’s important to note that both teams played without their best players. While playing 22 minutes upon his return from a six-week absence due to a preseason knee injury, John Hugley hurt the other...
In the final 2 weeks of Pitt’s regular season, Pat Narduzzi won’t allow players to relax
While looking out his office window that overlooks the South Side practice fields, Pat Narduzzi was getting anxious Thursday morning, almost to the cusp of anger. Was his mood based on an unsatisfactory week of practice as his team prepared to confront Duke on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium? Was he...
Pitt grad Kathryn Nesbitt among group of 1st women referees for World Cup
Of the 129 officials set to work the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, Kathryn Nesbitt has among the most intriguing backgrounds. Soccer and chemistry form the dichotomy of Nesbitt’s resume, and in both sport and science, she is equally accomplished. Nesbitt’s first taste as a soccer referee came in a...
No. 20 Michigan dominates Pitt in Legends Classic
Perhaps Pitt’s coaching staff could accept an early season loss to a top-20 team. But not the way the Panthers’ 91-60 loss to Michigan unraveled Wednesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Preparing to face the No. 20 team in the nation was difficult for Pitt’s rebuilt roster...
Pitt’s Calijah Kancey remembers those who recognize, boost his impact on college football
The people who have impacted Pitt All-American candidate Calijah Kancey’s life can be found in many corners of the U.S. Some teach football. Others offer motivational words of encouragement. One even sells candy and bags of snacks. • Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge is one of them, drilling his...
Pitt’s the pick for Riverview scoring sensation Lola Abraham
Riverview junior Lola Abraham has put together an impressive resume of on-field soccer results the past several years with her Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy club and with her high school teammates. She now hopes that she can do the same thing at Pitt. Abraham has concluded her recruiting process with a...
For now, Pitt’s SirVocea Dennis focused on sacks more than plans for future
Middle linebacker SirVocea Dennis is nearing the end of his fourth season at Pitt, but he said Tuesday he remains undecided about his future. Does he return next season or declare for the 2023 NFL Draft? Sorry, he’s not ready to discuss those plans. “I’m just focused on this year,”...
Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis ‘not sure’ about his plans for 2023
Nearing the end of a season complete with more frustration and defeat than anyone expected, Kedon Slovis said he’s not ready for a serious discussion about his future as Pitt’s quarterback. “We gloss over it, really just the decision-making process,” he said of talks with coach Pat Narduzzi about next...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel prepares to face rival, friend Juwan Howard of Michigan
Jeff Capel has been around basketball long enough that it’s inevitable he‘ll often compete against friends and rivals. That will be the case Wednesday, when Pitt (1-1) meets Michigan (2-0) in the first round of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The relationship between Capel and Michigan...
Pat Narduzzi loses quarterback Kenny Minchey from Pitt’s 2023 recruiting class
Pitt’s 2023 recruiting class took a significant step in the wrong direction Monday when quarterback Kenny Minchey decommitted from the Panthers. Minchey had been committed to Pitt for the past seven months, and his departure leaves coach Pat Narduzzi without a quarterback in his recruiting class. The first signing day...
Pitt’s John Hugley close to returning as Panthers prepare to face No. 20 Michigan in Brooklyn
When Jeff Capel became Pitt’s basketball coach in 2018, he set many goals he hoped would impact his players at the time. An outsider with a keen eye for his new neighborhood, he also made sure not to ignore the program’s rich history. And Pitt history means Big East, bright...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi emotionally shaken by University of Virginia shootings
Pat Narduzzi loves to talk football, but Pitt’s coach had a difficult time at his weekly news conference Monday thinking about anything other than the three members of the University of Virginia team who were fatally shot Sunday night in Charlottesville, Va. A little more than a day before the...
