Pitt hopes to be sharp on field goals, punts in pivotal regular-season finale with Miami
As Pitt reached its critical end-of-season juncture, closing out the year against three straight ranked opponents, it began without the steady services of kicker Trey Butkowski. Butkowski, a true freshman who had made 19 of 21 field goal tries leading into Nov. 15 when Pitt hosted No. 9 Notre Dame,...
Penguins sit forward Ben Kindel as part of a development plan for rookieVideo
Of the league-leading nine rookies the Pittsburgh Penguins have played this season, forward Ben Kindel leads the pack with 18 games. At all of 18 years of age, Kindel isn’t exactly the graybeard of the group (particularly because he looks as though growing facial hair of any hue would be...
Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry scheduled to return to starting lineup against Sabres
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry is scheduled to rejoin the lineup and start Wednesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Dan Muse announced Jarry’s status following an optional morning skate. Currently designated to injured reserve, Jarry has been sidelined since suffering an undisclosed ailment in a...
Mark Madden: Let Aaron Rodgers call plays, feed DK Metcalf and more things the Steelers can try
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-5 but seem in disarray. Linebacker Patrick Queen questioned the defensive scheme after the 31-28 loss at Chicago this past Sunday. Ex-Steeler Trai Essex agreed, saying, “It’s not a talent issue. It’s definitely schematics.” Former Steeler James Harrison, like Essex a two-time Super Bowl champ, turned...
First Call: Potential Steelers WR target signs with Bills; Mike Tomlin discusses odd rule that hurt his team
Our final “First Call” before the Thanksgiving break has Mike Tomlin’s attempt to figure out the injury-timeout rule that pinched his team Sunday. A player some Steelers fans wanted to see in Pittsburgh could now be playing against the Steelers instead on Sunday. We look ahead to a busy weekend...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans rip media for being too easy on Mike Tomlin, fry the team for loss to BearsVideo
Thanksgiving is coming on Thursday. So you thought I’d leave you hanging for “U mad, bro?” this week, right? Pfft! C’mon! I wouldn’t do that to you. I’ve got you covered with a rare Wednesday edition. But I really don’t know what you have to be mad about. Thanksgiving feasts...
Pitt volleyball team enters final 2 matches with ACC title, NCAA seeding on line
For the past several years, the quest for the ACC women’s volleyball title mostly has been a two-horse race between Pitt and Louisville. But with the expansion of the conference, the top of the standings has become more crowded. As Pitt prepares to host Louisville at 7 on Wednesday night...
Josh Reed scores 17 for Penn State in win over Boston University
UNIVERSITY PARK — Josh Reed scored a season-high 17 points for Penn State in a 96-87 win over Boston University on Tuesday night. Reed shot 5 of 6 from the field and was perfect on six attempts from the free-throw line and grabbed eight rebounds. All four other starters for...
Seton Hill men lead wire-to-wire to defeat Pitt-Greensburg in matchup of unbeatens
Seton Hill has been hatching plans to change the way it defends. The personnel the talented Griffins have allows them to guard straight up. How they shield against opposing teams could dictate how far they go this college basketball season. “We’re trying to play more man-to-man,” Griffins coach Ben Wilkins...
Bears QB Caleb Williams maintaining focus after beating Steelers
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Caleb Williams’ quest for better passing accuracy took a different turn Sunday in the Chicago Bears’ 31-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. And Williams sees the need for improvement Friday when the Bears (8-3) test their offense against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (8-3)....
Pitt checks in at No. 22 in latest College Football Playoff rankings; top 5 unchangedVideo
After an impressive ranked upset on the road of Georgia Tech, Pitt checked in at No. 22 in Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings. The Panthers (8-3, 6-1 ACC) are ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. Georgia Tech, after falling 42-28 on Saturday to the then-unranked...
Bengals QB Joe Burrow excited for long-awaited return, Thanksgiving stage vs. RavensVideo
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow confirmed Tuesday that he’ll be returning on Thanksgiving night to start against the Baltimore Ravens. Burrow had surgery to repair a turf toe injury Sept. 19 and is making his return nearly a full month ahead of schedule. “We pushed it within the...
PGA Tour has fewer cards, smaller fields, but big changes still to come
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Sunday at Sea Island was supposed to be looked upon as doomsday for so many PGA Tour players who left the final event of the PGA Tour season without a full card. This was the year the tour eliminated 25 cards, raising the bar to...
Bills provide QB Josh Allen another veteran option by signing receiver Brandin Cooks
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills provided Josh Allen and their inconsistent passing attack yet another veteran option by signing free agent wide receiver Brandin Cooks on Tuesday. Cooks joins the Bills after the New Orleans Saints granted the player’s wish by waiving him last week. And his signing...
Pirates president says team has ‘resources to add aggressively’ in free agency this offseason
Travis Williams smiled in the face of a steady rain before distributing Thanksgiving dinners Tuesday outside PNC Park, reiterating that the Pittsburgh Pirates have changed neither their expectations nor plans. Amid reports they are preparing to be spenders in free agency — linked to sluggers Josh Naylor, Kyle Schwarber and...
Steelers’ Daniel Ekuale suspended 5 games for violating performance enhancing drug policy
Pittsburgh Steelers backup nose tackle Daniel Ekuale, who is on season-ending injured reserve with an ACL tear, has been suspended five games by the NFL for violating its policy on performance enhancing drugs. The suspension is without pay. Ekuale, 31, signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract in free agency. He...
Things are good for Penguins rookie Ville Koivunen. But they could be better
Ville Koivunen was feeling pretty good Tuesday. During a practice session in Cranberry, the Pittsburgh Penguins rookie forward was skating into the offensive zone on the right wing, then … THUD! That was the noise his body made when it was slammed to the ice on the blue line, thanks...
Pirates’ Paul Skenes receives record $3.4M in pre-arbitration bonus pool
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes received a record $3,436,343 from this year’s pre-arbitration bonus pool, raising his two-year total to $5,588,400 under the initiative to direct more money to top younger players. A 23-year-old right-hander who debuted in May 2024, Skenes was a unanimous winner of this year’s NL Cy...
Red Sox acquire right-hander Sonny Gray from the CardinalsVideo
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox acquired 36-year-old right-hander Sonny Gray, a three-time All-Star, from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday for righty Richard Fitts and a prospect. Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow had said adding a starting pitcher behind ace Garrett Crochet was one of the team’s...
Penguins assign forward Sam Poulin to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
With a handful of players on the verge of returning to the active roster, the Pittsburgh Penguins assigned rookie forward Sam Poulin to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Tuesday. Goaltender Tristan Jarry and rookie forward Ville Koivunen are currently designated to injured reserve due to undisclosed ailments...
Penguins’ Tristan Jarry, Bryan Rust expected to be available against Sabres
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Bryan Rust are each expected to be available for their team’s lineup entering Wednesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Dan Muse suggested both players will be able-bodied enough to suit up for the contest following a practice in...
Playing next to elite fellow LBs, Pitt’s Braylan Lovelace proves he can play with the bestVideo
Braylan Lovelace entered this season already having proven himself as a valuable contributor at Pitt. In 2024, the Leechburg grad thrived as a rotational member of the Panthers’ linebacking corps, posting 53 tackles and 10.5 for loss. But this season, Lovelace assumed a starting role at middle linebacker next to...
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin has ‘optimism’ that Aaron Rodgers will start at quarterback against Bills
Aaron Rodgers will begin the week as a limited practice participant, but coach Mike Tomlin is expecting the 41-year-old quarterback to be ready Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Buffalo Bills in a game with playoff implications for both teams. Rodgers missed the Steelers’ 31-28 loss at Chicago last...
Steelers will be without LT Broderick Jones, DT Derrick Harmon for game vs. BillsVideo
Two former first-round draft picks — one on each side of the line — won’t be available for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday when they play the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. Left tackle Broderick Jones will miss the game with a neck injury, and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon will...
This Thanksgiving, Pittsburgh sports figures owe thanks to Mike Tomlin and the Steelers
As we head into Thanksgiving, I can’t help but notice the cornucopia of Pittsburgh sports figures who owe a debt of thanks to Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. Their loss in Chicago on Sunday has the local sports scene so engulfed in flames that no one is paying attention to...