Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 54
How Pitt’s players, coaches kept season from unraveling
For a good portion of Pat Narduzzi’s eighth season, most of the criticism thrown Pitt’s way was fair. As we later discovered through the current four-game winning streak and a 42-16 dismantling of old nemesis Miami on Saturday night, this was a team that had better talent than its 4-4...
Pitt maintains late-season surge, beats Miami, 42-16, for 4th consecutive victory
With little at stake but personal pride and an eighth victory, Pitt rolled over Miami, 42-16, on Saturday night to end the regular season on a four-game winning streak. There will be no conference championship this season for the Panthers (8-4, 5-3 ACC), but their 19 victories in back-to-back seasons...
Pitt rallies in second half to defeat William & Mary, 80-64
Pitt hasn’t played enough games against premium competition to allow coach Jeff Capel to get an accurate read on his team. On Friday night, however, there was reason to be encouraged — at least for half a game. The Panthers rallied in the second half to defeat William & Mary,...
Pitt Take 5: Fortunes change for Panthers, Hurricanes
The wise guys, including one writing for this space, thought we were so smart in the preseason when we predicted the Pitt/Miami game at the end of the regular season was destined to decide the ACC Coastal championship. Check the standings. Pitt and Miami have combined for 10 losses, the...
Pitt’s Frank Cignetti Jr. always in search of the right call
Trailing Duke by a point with the first half clock winding down last Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, quarterback Kedon Slovis led the Pitt offense out of its huddle. The heat was on because it was third down, and Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi didn’t want to settle for a field goal....
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....
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...
Duquesne’s Tevin Brewer hits floater with 1 second left to defeat North Florida, 83-82
Keith Dambrot will gladly accept Duquesne’s 83-82 victory Monday night against North Florida. It was his team’s fourth in five games, and Duquesne now has a chance to come out of November with as many victories (six) as the Dukes managed through the entirety of the 2021-2022 season. But Dambrot...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
