Tim Benz: 12-team college football playoff will solve some complaints, create others
Now that we know what to complain about regarding this year’s College Football Playoff, let’s compare that to what we’ll be griping about in 2024 — when the format expands from four to 12 teams. Oh, because, trust me, we’ll still be complaining. The only question is, will the complaints...
Pitt secures verbal commitment from California high school quarterback
Pitt utilized two avenues for procuring players Monday — the NCAA transfer portal and the high school class of 2023 — and at the end of the day, coach Pat Narduzzi had two new quarterbacks. Joining Boston College transfer Phil Jurkovec will be pro style quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, a two-star...
Secret to Pitt’s success during 5-game win streak: ‘The ball doesn’t have any eyes’
When attempting to put a finger on the pulse of Pitt’s improved play on offense, Jamarius Burton kept repeating a catchphrase he heard in film study from coach Jeff Capel: The ball doesn’t have any eyes. “We’re just taking that note and running with it,” Burton said. “When the ball...
On way to College Cup, Pitt coach Jay Vidovich says challenging schedule helped build culture of winning
When Jay Vidovich was asked Monday how and why the Pitt men’s soccer program has thrived over the past three seasons, he gave a basic, uncomplicated answer. “I’ve got some pretty good players,” he said. Yet, Vidovich knows that Pitt’s success is tied just as closely to what occurs off...
Pine-Richland grad Phil Jurkovec will transfer to Pitt while Kedon Slovis says he’s leaving
In a matter of hours Monday, Pitt’s quarterback situation took a dramatic turn. First, ESPN reported Kedon Slovis will enter the NCAA transfer portal, a move possibly triggered by even bigger news: Pine-Richland graduate Phil Jurkovec will transfer to Pitt from Boston College, two sources confirmed Monday to the Tribune-Review....
Pitt will return to Sun Bowl, meet UCLA on Dec. 30
Pat Narduzzi’s past is following him this season, and now it will meet him 9 miles from the Mexican border. In a season when Narduzzi led Pitt against his alma mater, Rhode Island, he now will face coach Chip Kelly and the No. 18-ranked (according to the College Football Playoffs...
Pitt bounces BYU from NCAA women’s volleyball tournament, returns to Sweet 16
For the third consecutive season, Pitt women’s volleyball has advanced to the NCAA Tournament regionals. The Panthers rolled to their second straight-set victory in two nights Saturday, 25-21, 25-22, 25-18, against No. 7 BYU in a second-round match at Petersen Events Center. Courtney Buzzerio and Rachel Fairbanks each set Pitt...
Pitt men’s soccer beats Portland in double overtime, advances to College Cup
Pitt men’s soccer is again bound for the College Cup. The Panthers scored a 1-0 victory over Portland in double overtime Saturday afternoon in an Elite Eight matchup. Midfielder Valentin Noel scored on a cross from forward Bertin Jacquesson in the 114th minute to seal the victory at Pitt’s sold...
Pitt volleyball rolls over Colgate, advances into NCAA Tournament 2nd round
Pitt women’s volleyball advanced into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Colgate (25-16, 25-14, 25-14) on Friday night in front of crowd of 2,667 at Petersen Events Center. The No. 2-seeded Panthers (27-6) will meet No. 7 BYU (24-6) at 7 p.m. Saturday at...
Pitt opens ACC schedule with 68-60 victory at N.C. State, wins fifth in a row
On multiple occasions this season, Pitt coach Jeff Capel has been asked to describe his team’s identify. Perhaps it’s too early to say for sure, but Pitt’s 68-60 upset victory Friday night against N.C. State in Raleigh, N.C., appears to have set a tone that Capel hopes to maintain. “To...
Pitt men’s soccer seeks return trip to College Cup in Elite 8 home match vs. Portland
With a team that has persevered through four losses and five ties among its 20 games, Pitt’s men’s soccer finds itself on the cusp off a second trip to the College Cup in the past three seasons. It was only 2021 when Pitt most recently reached the College Cup. For...
Report: Former Pine-Richland quarterback Phil Jurkovec plans to transfer from Boston College
Former Pine-Richland quarterback Phil Jurkovec wants to try a third school before his collegiate eligibility expires. Jurkovec plans to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from ESPN. He will be a graduate transfer with one season of eligibility in 2023. With a good season,...
Pitt’s Calijah Kancey will miss bowl game with injury
Pitt will play its bowl game without an important player for the second consecutive season. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, tweeted this morning that he will not play in Pitt’s bowl game because of an unspecified season-ending injury he suffered in the third quarter...
Pitt’s William Jeffress has foot surgery, expected to return for 2023-24 season
Forward William Jeffress, whose preparations for his junior season at Pitt were disrupted by injury, had surgery on his left foot Thursday morning. Coach Jeff Capel previously said Jeffress would miss the entire 2022-23 season. Jeffress is expected to receive a medical redshirt and have three seasons of eligibility remaining....
Pitt women’s volleyball seeks to quench its thirst for national championship
The Pitt women’s volleyball team has won 57 of 64 matches, four of the past six ACC championships and earned berths in the Elite 8 and Final Four in consecutive seasons. Guess what? Not good enough. That’s not coming from an outsider. That’s the feeling inside the women’s locker room....
First Call: Could Tom Brady return to New England? Aaron Donald out; Phil Kessel back to face Pens
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming opponent got some bad news. Aaron Donald is injured. Phil Kessel is slumping. Joey Porter’s son is going pro. And could Tom Brady really go back to New England? All that and more in Thursday’s “First Call.” Donald down Former Pitt Panther Aaron Donald is going...
Jeff Capel’s message to Pitt’s Greg Elliott during his scoring slump: Keep shooting
Jeff Capel loves to see passion from his players. He wants them to care when problems arise and erase their frustrations by searching for answers. Just don’t let anyone see you sweat. That was the Pitt coach’s message to Greg Elliott, who fell into a shooting slump in the four...
Tim Benz: Kenny Pickett identifies significant rookie season challenge — and how he’s handling it
Troy Aikman returned to the same conversation with Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett multiple times throughout the broadcast. During the “Monday Night Football” game between the Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, the ESPN analyst frequently referenced how Pickett had a different take than what the usual rookie QB has to...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel preaches the value of talk to his players
The first question Jeff Capel asks himself when he’s recruiting players — from high school or the transfer portal — is this: Can he play? Can he run, jump, pass, shoot and defend well enough to keep pace with other athletically gifted players in the ACC? After he is satisfied...
Reserve defensive back Khalil Anderson says he plans to transfer from Pitt
Pitt defensive back Khalil Anderson, a redshirt freshman from Atlanta who appeared in only three games over the past two seasons, said Wednesday he plans to enter his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Practice Film: pic.twitter.com/MDs7HMqa8s— Khalil Anderson (@_KhalilAnderson) November 30, 2022 Anderson (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) was a...
Pitt’s Calijah Kancey keeps company with Aaron Donald, named ACC Defensive Player of the Year
Pitt’s Calijah Kancey, who didn’t let his comparatively short stature keep him out of opposing backfields this season, was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday. Kancey, a 6-foot, 280-pound junior defensive tackle from Miami, is the first Pitt player named ACC Defensive POY since Aaron Donald, who...
Bowl bid arrives Sunday, and Pitt looks to rewrite its postseason history
Since Walt Harris’ 1997 team broke a six-year bowl drought in a 41-7 loss to Southern Mississippi in the Liberty Bowl, those postseason, holiday-disrupting road trips have not turned out especially well for Pitt. Since then, seven Pitt coaches — including three interims and not including Todd Graham, who left...
12 Pitt players named All-ACC, including 4 first-teamers
Four Pitt players were named to the All-ACC first team Tuesday, leading a contingent of 12 Panthers recognized in voting by conference coaches and media personnel. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, running back Izzy Abanikanda, linebacker SirVocea Dennis and left guard Marcus Minor were chosen to the first team. Abanikanda leads...
12 Pitt players named All-ACC, including 4 first-teamers
Four Pitt players were named to the all-ACC first team Tuesday, leading a contingent of 12 Panthers recognized in voting by conference coaches and media personnel. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, running back Izzy Abanikanda, linebacker SirVocea Dennis and left guard Marcus Minor were chosen to the first team. Abanikanda leads...
Pitt finds its shooting touch in 87-58 victory over Northwestern
After Pitt’s 87-58 victory against Northwestern on Monday night, graduate transfer Greg Elliott and coach Jeff Capel were talking about the basketball like it was a living, breathing entity. That would be a story worth telling, of course. But over the past eight days, Pitt (5-3) has been making real...
