Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 137

All signs were pointing toward Alex Kessman walking away from Heinz Field on Saturday as the hero, the savior of a Pitt team that didn’t score a touchdown among its 78 offensive snaps. But as it turned out, his four field goals – one off Conor Lee’s school record set...

Pitt has been here before. It likes the neighborhood, but eventually it is forced to leave. The current four-game winning streak is the third of that length under coach Pat Narduzzi in his five seasons. But Pitt hasn’t won five in a row since 2009. The previous two were followed...

Pat Narduzzi spent the week watching video of Miami’s 24-3 victory against Pitt last year. Mostly, he focused on the Miami offense, trusting Mark Whipple, his first-year offensive coordinator, to figure out why the Hurricanes sacked quarterback Kenny Pickett six times and held 1,000-yard rushers Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison...

While Duquesne officials and students eagerly await the completion of Palumbo Center’s $45 million makeover, the men’s and women’s basketballs teams still have a season to play. The men are practicing at an on-campus recreation center, limiting time and space, and the home games have been moved to three venues...

There were no surprises when the votes were counted from the Northeast Conference women’s basketball coaches preseason poll. Robert Morris was picked first for the fifth time in the past seven years. It was a unanimous vote. RMU, which captured all 10 first-place votes, won its eighth NEC Tournament and...

With four starters and 10th-year coach Andy Toole returning from a team that advanced to the semifinals of last season’s Northeast Conference Tournament, the Robert Morris men’s basketball team was picked fifth in the NEC preseason coaches poll. Among the returning starters are redshirt senior guard Josh Williams, junior guard...

Perhaps Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez didn’t want to give Gerrit Cole too much credit when he said, “What I’ve seen of him, he’s really good.” Gee, Dave, you think? But we can excuse Martinez. After all, his team has a herculean task ahead of it Tuesday night in Game...

Pitt committed eight penalties, allowed three quarterback sacks for the second consecutive game, dropped two passes in key situations and was the recipient of some good luck during a 27-20 victory Friday night against Syracuse. But it was more than luck that carried Pitt to its fourth consecutive tight victory....

Pitt landed some additional size for its class of 2020 when 6-foot-9, 240-pound center John Hugley IV told coach Jeff Capel he plans to enroll next year. 2020 four-star John Hugley has committed to Pitt. @thejohnhugley pic.twitter.com/BMR8sKKkVM— TIPTON EDITS ? (@TiptonEdits) October 18, 2019 Hugley, who attends Brush High School...

Recent history, logical analysis and Las Vegas tell us Pitt should defeat Syracuse in a close game Friday night at the Carrier Dome. The Orange (3-3, 0-2 ACC) were 21st in the Associated Press poll a little more than a month ago. But their victories are unimpressive (Liberty, Western Michigan...

Former Pirates shortstop Jackie Hernandez, who fielded the final out in Game 7 of the 1971 World Series, died Saturday in Miami. He was 79. Born in Central Tinguaro, Cuba, Hernandez was a shortstop for most of his career. He played nine seasons for four teams from 1965-73, but he...

One of Bobby Del Greco Jr.’s best memories of his father involves a fried bologna sandwich, the Three Stooges and an overturned newspaper delivery truck in the river near the Fort Pitt Bridge. Del Greco Sr., who grew up in the Hill District and played in the major leagues for...

Without fail, James Franklin remains famously focused on the next opponent every week. Don’t ask him about next week, next month or next year. None of that matters to Penn State’s coach as much as getting ready to try and go — in his words — “1-0.” So it was...

By car, you can get from New Brunswick to Oakhurst, N.J., near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in less than hour. So Maurice Ffrench, a New Brunswick guy, knew all about the quarterback named Kenny Pickett, who was throwing for more than 4,500 yards at Ocean Township High School...

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ search for a manager to replace Clint Hurdle will bring Neal Huntington face-to-face with Ryan Christenson, bench coach for the Oakland A’s, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Christenson, 45, was a major league outfielder for the A’s, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers from 1998-2003. The...

Pitt coach Jeff Capel received his second commitment from the class of 2020 on Monday when 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward Max Amadasun announced on Twitter his intention to enroll next year. The wait is over.....God is great ?? #H2P #Committed ?? pic.twitter.com/L20a0m5LYu— Max Amadasun (@max_amada) October 14, 2019 Amadasun, a senior...