Pitt defensive backs will seek redemption when Syracuse comes to town
There is no questioning the athleticism of Pitt’s defensive backs. The five who sweat and stress the most when the opposing quarterback puts the football in the air have enough experience, dating to the 2018 and ‘19 seasons, that nothing should surprise them. But speed, smarts and seasoning don’t always...
Pitt basketball rolls over Edinboro in final exhibition game
Pitt’s two exhibition games never were intended to offer a true look into the 2022-23 version of the Panthers basketball team. Pitt defeated Edinboro, 92-53, on Wednesday night at Petersen Events Center after its 103-51 victory Oct. 22 against Clarion. The Division II teams were picked to finish the season...
Pitt stars take up cause to save the season
From front to back on every level of the Pitt defense and splashing over to offense, five players have separated themselves from the pack. Middle linebacker SirVocea Dennis, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and free safety Erick Hallett are semifinalists for the Butkus, Bednarik and Thorpe awards for the best players...
Pitt WRs coach Tiquan Underwood believes grounded aerial game will improve
Perhaps the blame for the dramatic regression in the Pitt passing game rests largely with Jordan Addison. After all, he left Pitt for USC, taking with him the Biletnikoff Trophy, 100 receptions in 14 games and the speed and precision route running that probably will thrust him into the first...
With a growing reputation for winning soccer, No. 24 Pitt prepares for ACC Tournament
The victories — 36 of them in the past three seasons, plus a berth in the 2020-21 College Cup — are the baubles Jay Vidovich and his Pitt men’s soccer players wear like badges of honor. But Vidovich’s goals for his team reach much deeper than what the scoreboard lights...
Pitt defense accepts share of blame for 18-point loss at North Carolina
When Pat Narduzzi was asked what most displeased him about Pitt’s 42-24 loss to a North Carolina team that climbed on the backs of the Panthers to No. 17 in the Associated Press poll, he said, “You know what, I’ll start with the defense.” Then, he thought about how the...
First Call: Bill Cowher questions Steelers’ use of Kenny Pickett; Najee Harris says, ‘I can’t make a hole. I can’t do everything’
Monday’s “First Call” takes a look at how Bill Cowher is evaluating the Pittsburgh Steelers’ usage of Kenny Pickett. Steelers running back Najee Harris is getting edgy. We also recap Malik Willis’ first start with the Titans, Ja’Marr Chase’s injury and that bizarre finish between the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta...
Pitt can’t overcome loose aerial connection between quarterback, pass catchers
They toiled all summer, even when coaches weren’t watching, trying to create that special connection the best quarterbacks and wide receivers feel with each other. Kedon Slovis, Jared Wayne and Konata Mumpfield, who remain the key figures in Pitt’s crumbling shell of a passing game, have the requisite talent and...
Pitt unravels in 4th quarter, blows 10-point lead to North Carolina in worst loss since 2020
When Pat Narduzzi starts studying and writing down everything that went wrong in Pitt’s 42-24 loss to North Carolina on Saturday night, he’ll probably need plenty of paper and lots of time. It’s a long list. And it adds up to the end of Pitt’s hopes for a second consecutive...
New-look Pitt basketball hopes to keep preseason energy boiling all season
Energy, enthusiasm and even a little after-the-fact jocularity ran through Petersen Events Center on Friday when the Pitt basketball team assembled for practice. It started with graduate senior Greg Elliott, a transfer from Marquette who likes to keep everyone loose with what teammate Nate Santos called “infectious energy … energy...
Pitt Take 5: With No. 21 Tar Heels next, Panthers hope to beat a Top 25 team for 7th consecutive season
Pitt’s 4-3 record looks suspiciously like it could turn into one of those Todd Graham/Paul Chryst six- and seven-victory seasons from 2011-14. Remember how you suffered, Pitt fans? But it’s unfair to tell the ending while you’re still in the middle of a story, especially when the game Saturday night...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi claims his team is undefeated, and here’s why
Finally after nearly nine weeks, the truth about the 2022 Pitt football team surfaced Thursday afternoon. Or, a version of it did. It was revealed shortly after 1 p.m. in the conference room with the long, wooden table and pictures of the city of Pittsburgh on the wall. It’s where...
Lessons from his father guide Frank Cignetti Jr. while he works to fix Pitt’s aerial game
Every morning when Frank Cignetti Jr. turns on the lights in his office, a tidal wave of thoughts rush toward him, followed by a seemingly endless series of questions and, hopefully, the right answers. • What kind of blitz will the next opponent throw at him? • What plays will...
No. 7 Louisville women’s team is ACC favorite but has lots of challengers
Louisville is the Atlantic Coast Conference favorite again, though fulfilling that lofty projection will require navigating a more crowded group of serious challengers. After recent seasons in which Louisville and North Carolina State comprised the league’s top tier, 2022-23 begins with several teams poised to make noise. The No. 7...
Linebacker Tylar Wiltz brings energy, and Pitt will need it against North Carolina
Linebacker Tylar Wiltz is only one man among many diverse personalities in the Pitt locker room. He’s not a captain or a starter, but defensive coordinator Randy Bates – whose demanding nature settles for nothing short of perfection – calls Wiltz “one of our top-producing players.” Bates was talking about...
Pitt notebook: Bub Means’ injury creates depth problem at wide receiver
Pitt faced a depth problem at wide receiver Saturday night before the Louisville game when Bub Means was injured during pregame warmups. “We thought they were going to be able to rub it down and put a little spit on it and he’d be ready to go,” coach Pat Narduzzi...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi defends Kedon Slovis, warns of ‘psychological effects’ of making a change
The cries for Pitt to replace quarterback Kedon Slovis get louder after a loss. So you can imagine the angst and downright ridicule that has erupted on social media since Saturday night. Pitt’s 24-10 loss to Louisville — a team that previously had lost to three other ACC teams while...
Pitt faces a season-defining gut check after taking a punch in the gut
When Pat Narduzzi sat down Sunday morning to figure out the bad smell coming from the offensive side of the room, perhaps this thought was swimming in his head: This season, this team, wasn’t supposed to be like this. Given how the offseason unfolded, no one could have rightfully expected...
Pitt falls flat on offense in 24-10 loss to Louisville
While quarterback Kedon Slovis continued to struggle to find comfort within the Pitt offense, his teammates on defense had his back for most of the game Saturday night. Just not long enough. The result was a 24-10 Louisville victory against the Panthers, who never found a smooth rhythm on offense...
Pitt opens basketball season with exhibition victory against Clarion
Jeff Capel wasn’t especially concerned about the final score Saturday afternoon at Petersen Events Center. The fact that six Pitt players contributed double-digit points in an exhibition game against Division II Clarion is something he noticed on the stat sheet and, perhaps, allowed himself one moment to enjoy. Quickly, however,...
Jim Bolla, who helped Pitt reach 1974 NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8, dies
Jim Bolla, the starting center on Pitt’s 1973-74 team that won a school-record 22 consecutive games, died Friday night. Bolla, a graduate of Bishop Canevin High School and a Crafton native, was 70. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Bolla, who later became...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers can avoid regression from 2021 by taking care of immediate business
When Pitt opened training camp in August, players and coaches predictably didn’t show any concern over the loss of Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison. Remember the slogan: Next man up. Nonetheless, regression seemed inevitable to some outsiders, and Pitt (4-2, 1-1 ACC) already has lost one game off its six-game...
Suspended Pitt basketball player accused of assaulting woman to stand trial on 2 counts
A highly touted Pitt basketball player will go to trial on two counts — strangulation and simple assault — after three other counts against him were thrown out. Dior Johnson, 18, of Oakland, appeared for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Mik Pappas on Thursday. He testified briefly to...
Pitt notebook: Panthers ‘solid,’ but still seeking their best performance
When he met with reporters Thursday afternoon, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi agreed with what many have remarked about his team: The Panthers haven’t played their best game. “I think it’s coming. I don’t know when,” he said after completing the last practice before the trip to Louisville for the game...
While players get healthy, Pitt seeks defensive improvement over final 6 games
Pitt’s pass rushers still impact the quarterback. Sometimes, they get him on the ground. (Nineteen sacks in six games isn’t bad). But sometimes, they whiff. Sometimes, they force a quick pass that’s up for grabs. Sometimes, someone drops it. “We dropped four, maybe five interceptions (in the loss to Georgia...
