First Call: Patriots QB updates status for Steelers game; Pitt alum looks to solve Cincy’s long-snapper issue
Tuesday’s “First Call” has an update on the Patriots quarterback as he gets ready to face the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. A Pitt product may be the answer to Cincinnati’s long-snapper problem. The Baltimore Ravens are already dealing with injury issues. And three former Penguins have new places to skate. Jones-ing...
Pitt’s quarterback injuries complicate matters for passing game in transition
No one expected the metamorphosis of Pitt’s passing game to be clean and efficient through only two games. After all, coach Pat Narduzzi replaced his top quarterback, wide receiver and playcaller — all in one offseason. Throw in injuries last Saturday to quarterbacks Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti, and perhaps...
Pat Narduzzi accepts blame for play that led to Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis’ injury
There were only 21 seconds left in the first half Saturday when Kedon Slovis dropped back to pass from his 37, but it was enough time for a flood of events to occur that could impact Pitt beyond the loss to Tennessee. Sack, fumble, injury to Slovis, Tennessee recovery, field...
Penn State enters AP college football poll, Pitt drops to No. 23 as Georgia ascends to No. 1
Georgia reclaimed the top spot in The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, and Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Arkansas moved into the top 10 after an upset-filled weekend across the country. The defending national champion Bulldogs, who started the season at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 presented...
Adversity, Volunteers declared winners while Pitt wastes opportunities
The best teams find a way to overcome adversity. They also take advantage of opportunities. Pitt might yet produce a team that equals or surpasses what the 2021 Panthers did (the schedule isn’t especially demanding). But that’s a story for another day — 10 other days, actually, as the regular-season...
Pitt RB Israel Abanikanda’s heroics go for naught in overtime loss to Tennessee
Had Pitt managed to pull out a victory Saturday night against the visiting Tennessee Volunteers, there would have been no shortage of heroes to celebrate. Senior quarterback Nick Patti entered the game after halftime, replacing an injured Kedon Slovis, and left it all on the field despite playing through clear...
Pitt loses quarterback Kedon Slovis and game to Tennessee in OT
On a day full of emotions of many colors — sad, frustrating, even hopeful — Pitt defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado offered among the wisest of words after the 34-27 overtime loss to Tennessee on Saturday. “Everybody says, sometimes you win. Sometimes you learn,” the senior from Rome, Italy, said, philosophizing...
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...
U mad, bro?: Fans rally around Mike Tomlin and Kedon Slovis, lash out about Pirates and … craft beer?
The No. 1 tip I give to young sports journalists entering the workplace these days is to diversify. Get experience in front of the camera, on the radio and in print. Do some play-by-play. Try anchoring. Host a talk show or podcast. Join the student newspaper. Apparently, my readers are...
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...
ACC gets September shot to boost reputation in marquee games
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke coach Mike Elko has been around college football long enough to know how the season’s opening month can shape the perception of a league’s strength. That’s important in the weeks ahead for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The league won — or survived, in some cases —...
First Call: Steelers legends to be featured in ‘A Football Life’; Bengals’ Tyler Boyd on facing Steelers without Big Ben
There is some major media news surrounding a Pittsburgh personality. Tyler Boyd talks about facing his hometown team without Big Ben. Joey Porter’s son is opening eyes at Penn State. And NFL Films is featuring two Steelers legends. All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.” New gig Plum’s Pat McAfee has...
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...
Penn State-Purdue tops Backyard Brawl in national TV ratings
Fox’s coverage of the Penn State-Purdue game drew bigger national television ratings than ESPN’s broadcast of the Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia on Thursday night. According to showbuzzdaily.com, the Penn State-Purdue game drew 3.512 million viewers while the Pitt-West Virginia game drew 3.152 million viewers. The Pitt-West Virginia...
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...
Tim Benz: YAC drives comeback as Pitt passes first post-Pickett test
The image of Kenny Pickett was hovering over Pitt’s season opener Thursday night. Literally. During the first timeout against West Virginia, the former Heisman Trophy candidate was in one of Acrisure Stadium’s open-end rotundas, unfurling the team’s 2021 ACC title banner as a crowd of 70,622 wildly applauded. All new...
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...
