Following Rams Super Bowl win, retirement talk for both Pitt star Aaron Donald and coach Sean McVay?
During the Super Bowl pregame show, NBC aired an interview that Rodney Harrison did with Los Angeles Rams star and former Pitt Panther Aaron Donald. Harrison told the audience that Donald informed him he might retire if the Rams won the Super Bowl. “He’s big on legacy,” Harrison said. “He...
When John Hugley, Ithiel Horton are functioning properly, Pitt is a different team
The mind wanders, wondering what if … • Ithiel Horton had played the entire season for Pitt? • His arrest never happened, and he was able to employ his long- and mid-range marksmanship in those five games that were lost by five or fewer points? Would 10-16 — Pitt’s current...
Pitt survives close call to halt 12-game skid against N.C. State
Conventional thinking might indicate Pitt’s 71-69 victory Saturday against N.C. State would give the team hope. Hope the Panthers can resurrect over the final three weeks what has been a troubling season. Hope the mistakes that made the game closer than it needed to be will disappear. Hope that the...
Pitt women’s lacrosse works overtime in victory against Duquesne
Long before the Pitt women’s lacrosse team’s historic 9-8 overtime victory against Duquesne on Friday night — the program’s inaugural game — coach Emily Boissonneault sat down to write her pregame speech. This wasn’t just any ordinary talk, though. These words mattered. Boissonneault said she wrote the speech “over and...
Take 5: Pitt aims to stack victories, salvage pride against N.C. State
The questions on Pitt fans’ lips are these: Was the 56-51 victory at Florida State on Wednesday a product of Pitt finally adhering to coach Jeff Capel’s insistence on defensive focus? Or, was Florida State just that bad? Whatever the case, it was the lowest offensive output by an ACC...
Pitt freshman offensive tackle Ryan Baer grew up a Steelers ‘fan-boy’ in Cleveland
At this embryonic stage of his college career, Ryan Baer might carry the highest profile of the 12 freshmen in Pitt’s class of 2022. That might be difficult to prove. After all, he’s been on campus for just a month and has yet to wear pads. But there’s no doubt...
Ithiel Horton’s 25 points help Pitt beat Florida State, stop 4-game losing streak
Ithiel Horton knows what it takes to shoot a basketball through the cords. Eyes on the rim. Feet square. Ball secure. Fire. But there was much more to it Wednesday night when he scored 25 points in his first start of the season, leading Pitt (9-16, 4-10 ACC) to a...
How Pitt WRs coach Tiquan Underwood learned Bill Belichick is ‘a man of his word’
Tiquan Underwood caught three passes for 30 yards for the New England Patriots during the 2011 season. Yet, he was proud to be part of the team the week before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Then, the day before the game, he got the call: Bill Belichick wanted to see...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Damarri Mathis, Cal Adomitis invited to NFL Combine
If you want to keep up with Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Damarri Mathis and Cal Adomitis in their quest to reach the next level of football, you need to be willing to travel as much as they do. All three Pitt products have been invited to be among the 324 former...
Road trip takes Pitt to Florida State in quest to avoid last place in ACC
Jeff Capel and his Pitt basketball team have not been home since Sunday, and they won’t return to campus until Thursday. So, Pitt’s coach probably hasn’t had time to look at the ACC standings. If he did, he’d see Pitt (8-16, 3-10) has fallen into the basement, tied with N.C....
No rally this time: Pitt goes down without a fight in 2nd loss in 3 nights to Virginia Tech
There’s not much time for players and coaches to think about all the problems plaguing Pitt’s basketball team. After another embarrassing effort Monday night turned into a 74-47 loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., the Panthers must find a way to regroup in time for another road test Wednesday...
‘Tough-minded’ Pitt lacrosse coach Emily Boissonneault may show emotional side at opener
Building a sport from nothing at a major university requires plenty of work and sacrifice. So, Emily Boissonneault happily grabbed a snow shovel Monday morning and began scraping away some of the excess ice that had accumulated on the edges of the turf field at Highmark Stadium. Five minutes later,...
Pat Narduzzi, Pitt ‘close’ on contract extension, according to AD Heather Lyke
Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke said she has made “lots of progress” toward a contract extension for football coach Pat Narduzzi, who is signed through the 2024 season. “We, hopefully, will have an announcement shortly. We’re close,” she said. Narduzzi was hired in December 2014, as a first-time head coach...
Pitt AD Heather Lyke expresses ‘a lot of confidence’ in Jeff Capel
Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke expressed confidence Monday morning that men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel can reverse the team’s fortunes. “I wish we had better news there. It’s tough rebuilding it,” she told a small gathering of reporters at Highmark Stadium. Lyke was there to address the women’s lacrosse team...
From WPIAL to Pitt to Super Bowl, Tyler Boyd, Aaron Donald chasing dream to win a ring
Tyler Boyd was one of a handful of Cincinnati Bengals players standing on the stage at Arrowhead Stadium as they celebrated their first AFC championship in three decades after an epic comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs. Then the audio went out on the loudspeakers, and Boyd couldn’t hear a...
How Pitt rallied from 28 points down and still lost to Virginia Tech
A closer look at Pitt’s dramatic — but failed — comeback from a 28-point deficit against Virginia Tech exposes some surprising revelations. It was said through most of this season that Pitt was lacking in the type of quality outside shooting that could ease pressure on center John Hugley. Pitt...
Pitt’s rally from 28-point deficit falls short in loss to Virginia Tech
Jeff Capel has been disappointed in his team this season more often than he cares to remember. Saturday night, Pitt’s coach added embarrassment to what he was feeling. But how often does a coach experience both of those emotions — and top it off with a dose of pride? All...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi completes staff, names Tiquan Underwood wide receivers coach, pass game coordinator
With the contact signed and filed, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi filled the last vacancy on his coaching staff Saturday, officially naming former NFL player Tiquan Underwood as the Panthers’ wide receivers coach — with a twist. Underwood also will carry the title of pass game coordinator. The hiring of Underwood...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett auditions to be first QB drafted with strong Senior Bowl showingVideo
MOBILE, Ala. — The Senior Bowl quarterbacks are vying to be No. 1. In an NFL Draft where it seems unlikely for a passer to be the top overall pick, that means a competition among players like Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Liberty’s Malik Willis to be...
Take 5: Difficult times hover over Pitt, but players haven’t lost hope
Almost nothing worth mentioning happened during Pitt’s 91-75 loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday night. Double-digit losses are becoming the norm. But it was instructive to hear what sophomore guard Femi Odukale had to say in the aftermath. He offered hope that players still care after 14 losses in 22...
Pat Narduzzi likes his 2022 Pitt roster, but 3 transfers fill some holes
Pat Narduzzi’s feelings shifted from pleased to proud when he walked inside Pitt’s indoor practice facility. There, he found the defending ACC champions in the midst of workouts, preparing for the start of spring — actually, late winter — drills Feb. 28. “When you look around,” he thought to himself,...
Wake Forest rolls over Pitt; road losing streak in ACC reaches 11 games
Pitt coach Jeff Capel is well aware playing good defense is his team’s only hope this season. When he saw Wake Forest ball handlers enjoying open spaces and shooters getting time to gauge their shots, he knew his team was in trouble. So, it was no wonder Wake Forest rolled...
Pat Narduzzi: Notre Dame ‘back channels’ asked Kenny Pickett about transferring before ’21 season
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Wednesday that tampering with other schools’ players — in this age of uncontested transfers — has become a serious problem in college sports. How serious? During an interview on Sirius XM ACC Radio, he said people with connections to Notre Dame tried to get former...
Home again, Frank Cignetti Jr. eager to get his hands on Pitt’s offense
Frank Cignetti Jr. took big, eager steps Wednesday when he entered Pitt’s team meeting room. There, he hugged an old friend, acknowledged another with a great-seeing-you-again wave and, truly, looked like a guy who had just returned home for the first time in years. Which is, actually, the case. “It’s...
Kenny Pickett gets his 1st taste of the NFL at Senior Bowl
Still months removed from his first NFL paycheck, Kenny Pickett nonethless is getting his first taste of life as pro quarterback this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Four hours of interviews with NFL personnel Monday, followed by full schedule Tuesday that included practice, more interviews and a...
