Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 59
Former WVU, IUP coach Frank Cignetti Sr. dies at 84
Frank Cignetti Sr., whose playing and coaching career spanned 50 years at IUP, Leechburg, Pitt, West Virginia and, finally, back to IUP where he enjoyed his greatest success, died Saturday. He was 84. So Proud to be your son, player & assistant. You are my Hero, Love You So Much...
Pitt Take 5: Victory against Vols could push Panthers toward early-season elite status
The outcome of Saturday’s game between Pitt and Tennessee might decide the Panthers’ status going forward: elite or just another above-average team. Nothing wrong with above-average, but the national perception around Pitt may need the kind of jolt that a victory in a showdown of ranked teams would bring. Pitt...
If Pitt can score quickly, Pat Narduzzi will take his chances against Tennessee’s up-tempo offense
Pat Narduzzi might have been exaggerating Thursday afternoon when he mentioned that Tennessee could actually run 100 plays against Pitt’s defense on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. How big of a departure from the norm would that be? West Virginia ran 73 plays last Thursday night. Keeping the No. 24 Volunteers...
Pitt notebook: On 2nd glance, quarterback Kedon Slovis, pass catchers stepped up when it mattered
No one is ignoring the reality of Pitt’s opening game. Defeating West Virginia, 38-31, was a relief, but the performance wasn’t good enough for those invested in the program. “There are some things we have to clean up,” senior wide receiver Jared Wayne said. Yet, he added, “Anytime you score...
Duquesne will play 2 Atlantic 10 games on national TV during 2022-23 season
Duquesne men’s basketball will appear on national television via the USA Network twice in Atlantic 10 play this season, according to the conference schedule released Wednesday. The televised games will be played at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 11 against St. Bonaventure and 2 p.m. Feb. 26...
Pitt defense hopes to keep pace with Tennessee’s up-tempo offense
By Pat Narduzzi’s stopwatch, Tennessee will snap the football between 7 and 12 seconds after the end of the previous play about 75% of the time Saturday. Operating against that tempo, Pitt strong safety Brandon Hill might have enough time to get in place, size up the opposing players, steal...
Pitt remains No. 17 in Associated Press Top 25 poll
Pitt’s dramatic, come-from-behind victory against West Virginia on Thursday night didn’t impress the Associated Press Top 25 voters enough to move the Panthers off their preseason ranking. Pitt (1-0) remained 17th in the nation in the poll released Tuesday afternoon, the first this season that reflects outcomes on the field....
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi embraces status as underdog against Tennessee
Let’s check the facts surrounding Pitt’s next game, a Saturday visit by Tennessee to Acrisure Stadium, representing the first time an SEC team has played in Pittsburgh. Pitt won the ACC championship last season, finished 13th in the final Associated Press poll, opened 2022 at No. 17, and followed up...
Pitt notebook: Brandon Hill’s mom appreciates Pat Narduzzi’s secrecy on injuries
In his eight seasons at Pitt, Pat Narduzzi has been reluctant to offer details or even discuss injured players, not unlike any coach who’s ever worn a whistle. At least two injury issues emerged Thursday night when defensive end Deslin Alexandre and running back Rodney Hammond Jr. left the West...
Locally born and bred, J. Audley Pierce coached Tennessee’s 1st football team
Mac Lynch doesn’t know how his great-grandfather became a football coach, his name rightfully etched among such Tennessee notables as Robert Neyland, Doug Dickey, Johnny Majors, Phillip Fulmer and current coach Josh Heupel, who will bring his team to Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. But you could look it up: Joseph...
Euphoric night ends well for Pitt, but now it’s time to fix what went wrong
After Pitt fans set aside the hate they have for West Virginia and wiped away those tears of joy triggered by the 38-31 victory, they should face the truth: There are issues that need to be addressed with this football team. The Backyard Brawl on Thursday night had the feel...
Top 5 biggest crowds in Pittsburgh sports history
Traffic tie-ups well before rush hour, tailgate parties springing up at many parking spots on the North Shore and a record crowd inside Acrisure Stadium made the renewal of the Backyard Brawl special. More so for victorious Pitt than West Virginia, considering that the Mountaineers led by seven deep into...
Pitt notebook: WVU coach Neal Brown defends 4th-quarter punt, would do it again
The game was sitting there for the West Virginia Mountaineers to secure in their travel bags, hit the country roads and return to Morgantown with a shocking upset. But Neal Brown decided to punt. With 6 minutes, 17 seconds left and WVU leading No. 17 Pitt, 31-24, on Thursday night...
Pitt rallies late to secure 38-31 victory against West Virginia in Backyard BrawlVideo
Dave Wannstedt’s words carried across the room and into M.J. Devonshire’s head long before Pitt put a lock on what became an improbable Backyard Brawl victory, 38-31, against West Virginia. “He said it: ‘Somebody is always going to be legendary and it could be you,’ ” Devonshire said of the...
Before Brawl, Tony Dorsett lends a hand in Pitt’s recruiting efforts
The Pitt sideline at Acrisure Stadium was teeming with recruits and recruiters before the West Virginia-Pitt game Thursday night. One guy — an unofficial Pitt recruiter — stood out among the crowd. Tony Dorsett, who is Pitt’s only Heisman Trophy winner, was engaged in an animated conversation with Austintown Fitch...
Duquesne will open nonconference schedule Nov. 8 with home game against Montana
Duquesne men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot will put his 34-18 nonconference record on the line with a 13-game schedule that begins Nov. 8 against Montana at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Duquesne is 84-3 when opening at home (4-0 under Dambrot). The Dukes will leave the city for only two games...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers vs. Mountaineers has the feel of a college reunion
The Backyard Brawl returns to Pittsburgh on Thursday night for the first time since 2010, and it almost sounds like a football game wrapped around a college reunion. Former Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt will address the current players at their pregame meal, and will share hugs and old stories with...
After 10 seasons without a Brawl, Pitt, WVU find natural rival right down the road
The night the Backyard Brawl faded away, Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri was sacked 10 times in a 21-20 West Virginia victory in Morgantown. Panthers coach Todd Graham said the loss “devastated” him. That was Nov. 25, 2011. The schools separated by 75 miles of Interstate 79 haven’t met since. The...
Dave Wannstedt eager to greet old Pitt pals, tell current players what Backyard Brawl means to him
The Backyard Brawl will be contested Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium, but its significance – and the game’s outcome – will resonate far beyond the North Shore. You’d have a hard time convincing Dave Wannstedt otherwise. The former Pitt player and head coach has been designated the Panthers’ honorary captain...
Pitt notebook: Izzy Abanikanda tops depth chart at running back
It’s only a two-letter word, but “or” speaks volumes when Pat Narduzzi places it next to a player’s name on the Pitt depth chart. It means no one has stepped forward to claim the starting job and the competition will continue. That said, it was a mild surprise when Narduzzi...
Pat Narduzzi calls on Dave Wannstedt to speak to Pitt’s players about Backyard Brawl
When Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi played at Rhode Island, the football team’s chief rival was Brown, an Ivy League school 30 miles to the north. “That was your big rivalry? Really?” he said, recalling his collegiate days Monday during the first of his weekly chats with reporters. He learned quickly...
Backyard Brawl breakdown: West Virginia’s top 5 wins in series vs. Pitt
With so much talk about the Backyard Brawl resonating up and down Interstate 79, you might wonder: Where did the name Backyard Brawl originate? Most people believe it wasn’t bestowed on what would become one of college football’s most passionate rivalries until the 1960s when the late Pittsburgh Press sports...
Pitt football preview: That pretty ACC championship trophy from 2021 means nothing in 2022
When Pat Narduzzi appeared on the ACC Network last week — somewhat of a celebrity after winning the conference championship nine months ago — Pitt’s coach said he planned to put a blanket over the 2021 conference championship trophy. “We’ll just focus on what we’re going to do this year,”...
Backyard Brawl breakdown: Pitt’s top 5 wins in the series vs. WVU
The football teams of Pitt and West Virginia started playing each other in 1895. The Mountaineers won the first three games by scores of 8-0, 6-0 and 6-5. They decided to keep playing, anyway. In 1904, after scoring a total of 29 points over six games, Pitt won 53-0, starting...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers hope Jared Wayne can make fans forget Jordan Addison
After losing a Heisman Trophy finalist and Biletnikoff winner, it’s only natural to expect some degree of regression in Pitt football. Kenny Pickett’s arm and leadership and Jordan Addison’s ability to make defensive backs look like they were standing still made it difficult to defend Pitt’s passing attack last season....
