Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 134
Xavier Johnson’s 20 points lead Pitt to 5th consecutive victoryVideo
No one’s perfect, mistakes happen, minds drift. Pitt has been guilty on all three counts at different times this season. But the players repeatedly have shown the ability to gather their thoughts, fix problems and, in the end, look like a team that might make the winter months at the...
Pitt’s Jimmy Morrissey, Jaylen Twyman, Paris Ford named All-ACC 1st-teamers
Center Jimmy Morrissey, defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman and strong safety Paris Ford lead a group of seven Pitt players — plus two honorable-mention selections — named Tuesday to the All-ACC Team. Overall, Pitt landed eight selections, including senior Maurice Ffrench, who was named to the third team as a wide...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel leaves time for important things in life (including watching Steelers games)
Basketball is foremost on Jeff Capel’s mind this week while he prepares Pitt for Rutgers (6-1) on Tuesday and a trip to play Louisville, the No. 1 team in the nation, Friday. But in one way, he was just like you Sunday. He spent part of the day preparing for...
Pitt volleyball settles for No. 6 seed in NCAA Tournament, will host first two rounds
Pitt’s ACC champion women’s volleyball team, ranked second in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, settled for a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament but will host first-round games Friday and Saturday at Petersen Events Center. This is the second consecutive season Pitt will be a host...
Hope replaced more stagnation for Pitt footballVideo
Pitt football was largely stagnant before Pat Narduzzi arrived the day after Christmas in 2014, speaking confidently about advancing the program into national prominence. After Dave Wannstedt was fired at the end of three winning seasons, Pitt was stuck in a rut of 7-6 and 6-7 seasons under Paul Chryst,...
Boston College slows down Pitt’s pass rush
Boston College found a way to diffuse Pitt’s pass rush, the element that made its defense special through most of the season. The Eagles didn’t rely too heavily on their passing game while recording a 26-19 victory at Heinz Field. Quarterback Dennis Grosel completed only 9 of 19 pass attempts...
Pitt drowns in series of mistakes, loses regular-season finale to Boston College
Pitt committed a variety of mistakes Saturday at Heinz Field during its 26-19 loss to Boston College. Almost everything imaginable. An announced crowd of 40,889 was witness to an unfortunate and badly timed mix of three lost fumbles, dropped passes, four false starts, missed opportunities, an interception in the red...
8 beats 7, especially if Pitt can defeat Boston College in finale
No one argued with Pat Narduzzi when he said the difference between eight and seven is one. “Eight is one more than seven, and seven is one less than eight,” he said, smiling, when presented with the question of how important beating Boston College would be for the Panthers (7-4)....
Paris Ford’s ejection leaves Pitt without key playmaker in secondary
When strong safety Paris Ford was forced to sit out the first half of the Syracuse game last month, Pitt won anyway, 27-20. In an odd twist, the Orange managed only two field goals without Ford on the field, but scored both of its touchdowns after he returned in the...
Return of Maurice Ffrench — if it happens — would give Pitt a lift
Chris Beatty wants you to know what missing two games with a broken jaw has meant to Pitt senior wide receiver Maurice Ffrench. He’ll even take you inside a Pitt team meeting to shed some light. “The general public doesn’t see all the things that happen behind the scenes,” said...
Pitt seniors reflect on careers, recruitment before last Heinz Field gameVideo
Amir Watts’ journey from the gritty South Side of Chicago (celebrated in song by Jim Croce as “the baddest part of town”) began the day Pat Narduzzi drove into his neighborhood. “I’m like, ‘Yo, do you know where you’re at?’ ” Watts warned Pitt’s football coach, who was on a...
NFL decisions loom for some of Pitt’s upperclassmen
With two games left this season — Boston College on Saturday at Heinz Field and a bowl game — Pitt (7-4, 4-3) has an opportunity to win nine games for the first time in 10 years. That would represent progress not only for Pat Narduzzi’s five-year tenure but for the...
Pitt’s loss to Virginia Tech was bad, but Boston College game offers hope
You can’t put makeup on Pitt’s shutout loss to Virginia Tech and make it look like anything but what it is: A disappointing performance that included 10 penalties, something you might think would not happen to any team after four months of practice and 10 games. Especially a team that...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi defends Paris Ford after another ejection
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Pat Narduzzi called it “a great tackle.” But game officials Saturday at Lane Stadium said Pitt safety Paris Ford was guilty of a helmet-to-helmet hit on Virginia Tech wide receiver Tre Turner in the fourth quarter of the 28-0 loss. Per rule, Ford was ejected from the...
Virginia Tech hands Pitt its first shutout in 11 yearsVideo
BLACKSBURG, Va. — The opportunity was there Saturday for Pitt to make a loud statement about its football program. In the end, however, that was just one reason why the final score — Virginia Tech 28, Pitt 0 — hurt so much as the Panthers (7-4, 4-3) walked quietly out...
Penguins take control in 3rd period to handily defeat Devils at homeVideo
Tristan Jarry has his job figured out. “All I’m trying to do is get in front of the puck,” the Pittsburgh Penguins backup goaltender said. “It’s something, I guess, is my job so I’m just going to try to do it to the best of my ability.” He makes it...
Penguins’ Mike Sullivan says Alex Galchenyuk needs to find ‘the quiet ice’
Alex Galchenyuk is the only Pittsburgh Penguins forward without a goal, but Mike Sullivan said it has nothing to do with his shot. “He can really shoot,” the coach said before Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Galchenyuk has only five shots on goal in the past five games,...
It’s not Metallica vs. Neil Diamond, but Pitt-Virginia Tech worth watching
Virginia Tech has Metallica’s high-intensity “Enter Sandman.” Pitt has the Neil Diamond ballad, “Sweet Caroline.” Before you make a rush to judgment, their music choices at games is no comment on the two football programs that clash Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. Both teams are among the best in the ACC...
Freshman Justin Champagnie reaches another level in Pitt winVideo
The early days of Justin Champagnie’s collegiate career have unveiled a talented freshman who can score, rebound and keep a level head while attacking a zone defense. Or, as Pitt coach Jeff Capel described it: “Not panic in the middle of chaos.” Champagnie showed maturity beyond his 18 years Thursday...
Pitt football notebook: Maurice Ffrench hopes steel plate in his jaw will get him back on the field
If Pitt wide receiver Maurice Ffrench plays Saturday at Virginia Tech, he’ll do it with a steel plate stabilizing his broken jaw. Ffrench had the plate inserted after he injured his jaw in the Georgia Tech game. He did not play against North Carolina, and coach Pat Narduzzi said his...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi takes offense to critics of ACC, Coastal divisionVideo
Pat Narduzzi coaches in the ACC. He has been to the conference championship game and, more to the point, he has won 10 of his past 14 regular-season conference games. So, of course, Pitt’s coach is an unashamed ambassador for the conference, especially when it comes to defending the league...
Pitt’s Damar Hamlin describes ‘stressful’ night after ejectionVideo
When his Heinz Field nightmare was over and Pitt’s overtime victory against North Carolina was assured, Damar Hamlin saw athletic director Heather Lyke before any of his teammates. Hamlin, Pitt’s senior safety, had been ejected for targeting in the second quarter last Thursday and spent the rest of the night...
Jeff Capel adds three prospects to Pitt basketball program
Pitt basketball coach Jeff Capel received signed letters of intent Tuesday from three high school prospects who are due to enroll next year. The common thread among Max Amadasun, Noah Collier and John Hugley is no one is shorter than 6-foot-8. “We are adding three high-level talents with a great...
Injuries to seniors give pair of Pitt receivers bigger rolesVideo
Jason Pinnock’s eyes lit up when the conversation turned to Jared Wayne, the freshman wide receiver from Canada by way of Clearwater, Fla. Actually, it was a remarkable reaction from Pitt’s junior cornerback when you consider Wayne has a mere five receptions for 47 yards and has played in only...
Xavier Johnson punches back, helps Pitt defeat MonmouthVideo
Jeff Capel could see that Xavier Johnson, his star point guard, was struggling. Capel also knew it was more than just Johnson’s inability to make shots consistently that was bothering him. “I was reading about what other people were saying about me,” Johnson said. “It was bad. I was getting...
