Pitt Take 5: After the Peach Bowl, how long does Pat Narduzzi want to coach?
ATLANTA — Nearly a month after the fact, Pat Narduzzi has not allowed himself the pleasure to reflect on the significance of Pitt winning the ACC championship. “I think that happens when you retire as a coach,” he said. OK, so what about it? How long do you want to...
After another 1-point loss, Jeff Capel challenges Pitt to have ‘confidence that we can win’
If Jeff Capel sounded frustrated by Pitt’s late lapses that allowed Notre Dame to rally from an eight-point, second-half deficit for a 68-67 win Tuesday night at Petersen Events Center, it was nothing compared to his exasperation over John Hugley’s postgame comments. Capel was lamenting the lessons his Panthers could...
Notre Dame sinks shot in final seconds as Pitt drops ACC home opener
Looking to find an open Notre Dame teammate, Prentiss Hubb dribbled through the lane and into the left corner only to find himself all alone. As the shot clock ticked, the senior guard realized he was out of options. So Hubb launched a turnaround jumper over the outstretched arm of...
When Pat Narduzzi called, Randy Bates saw nothing ‘vanilla’ about Pitt’s attacking defense
ATLANTA — At the end of the 2017 season, Randy Bates had a secure job coaching linebackers at Northwestern. He’d been there 12 years, hired in 2006 by coach Pat Fitzgerald, who has been a fixture at Northwestern for all but the first year of this century. The 2017 Northwestern...
Opportunity knocks for replacements Tim Salem, Nick Patti in Pitt’s Peach Bowl venture
Two jokes made by Tim Salem and quarterback Nick Patti during a conference call Monday morning were thoughts that randomly jumped into their heads and will mean nothing to the outcome of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Most likely, the Pitt men who carry the most responsibility into the game were...
‘Hot topics’ emerge around Pitt as team arrives in Atlanta for Peach Bowl
Pat Narduzzi called it a “hot topic.” But it was no surprise Sunday when Narduzzi named Pitt tight ends coach Tim Salem the play-caller and interim offensive coordinator, replacing Mark Whipple, for Thursday’s Peach Bowl. Salem is one of only two on-field assistants who have been with Narduzzi through all...
How does this Pitt team compare to the best in program history?
When old friends and former University of Pittsburgh football standouts Dan Marino, Jimbo Covert and John Pelusi get together to recall their playing days — perhaps rattling ice cubes in a glass or enjoying an after-dinner cigar — an argument often arises. Pelusi was the center on Pitt’s undefeated 1976...
Pitt linebacker Phil Campbell will miss confronting Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker in Peach Bowl
Phil Campbell III holds a bachelor’s degree in communications while pursuing another in sociology. Given his academic background, Pitt’s senior outside linebacker understands what makes people tick. So, when former Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III announced his plans to opt out of the Peach Bowl, avoiding a date...
Peach Bowl matters to Pitt, new starting quarterback Nick Patti
For those who believe bowl games are meaningless TV fodder for those with nothing better to do over the holidays, Pitt center Owen Drexel doesn’t buy it. The Peach Bowl offers Pitt a chance to win its 12th game of the season, tying a school record set by the 1976...
Where’s the beef? Find it on Pitt’s offensive line, with all 5 starters returning
They marched into the room Wednesday morning – four of them, weighing a total of nearly 1,300 pounds – wearing wry smiles like someone carrying a secret no one else knew. Trouble was, Twitter already ruined the surprise minutes earlier: Pitt’s starting offensive linemen had decided en masse to return...
Pitt defeats Jacksonville for 2nd win in row, wraps nonconference schedule
When Pitt players get together with their coaches in the days after a game, they invariably turn on the video machine and live it again. Doesn’t matter how much it hurts. Sophomore point guard Femi Odukale took his misery to new heights after he missed 11 of 12 shots and...
Luke DeCock: ACC needs to revisit covid forfeit policy before it skews the standings
With two ACC teams already on covid pauses, it’s starting to feel like last season all over again. It’s also time to dial back some of the ACC’s covid policies to what they were last season — and revise others to adapt to our new reality. Because with Florida State...
Pitt signs USC transfer quarterback Kedon Slovis
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi made what could be the most important move of the offseason Tuesday when he signed USC transfer quarterback Kedon Slovis to a letter of intent. Panther Nation let’s welcome @Kedonslovis to Pittsburgh! #H2P pic.twitter.com/kcO63rc7xE— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) December 21, 2021 Slovis, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, gives Narduzzi...
Pitt aims to pursue bigger prizes after surviving bright lights of New York City
For a basketball team trying to find sure footing in a season of rough roads, the bright lights of Madison Square Garden can be daunting. But Pitt (4-7, 0-1 ACC) found a way to win a close game there Saturday, pushing past St. John’s, 59-57, after leading for only 4...
Pitt gets past St. John’s on Jamarius Burton’s buzzer-beater
NEW YORK — Jamarius Burton’s runner with 0.4 seconds left lifted Pitt over St. John’s, 59-57, in the showcase game of the Gotham Classic on Saturday. After St. John’s (8-3) tied the score on two Dylan Addae-Wusu free throws, Burton took the inbounds pass and stormed down the court before...
Loss in NCAA semifinal brings down curtain on stellar careers of Pitt volleyball players Kayla Lund, Chinaza Ndee
Kayla Lund rose up — as she had so many times during her Pitt volleyball career — and swung her arm in its signature windmill motion. She took aim at yet another kill, one she hoped would extend the Panthers’ stay in their first Final Four just a bit longer....
Pitt cornerback Damarri Mathis plans to skip Peach Bowl
Pitt lost another starter for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Friday when senior cornerback Damarri Mathis announced on Twitter his plans to skip the game and focus on preparing for the NFL Draft. Mathis has been invited to the Senior Bowl next month, but he is not listed among ESPN...
Pitt volleyball falls short in national semifinals, losing 3-1 to Nebraska
When asked about his plan of attack for the national semifinals, Pitt volleyball coach Dan Fisher kept it simple: Hit it as hard as we can as many times as we can. That’s how Fisher has built the Panthers into a prominent program. There isn’t much finesse about the way...
Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett won’t play in the Peach Bowl
Kenny Pickett’s season is over. Pitt’s record-setting All-American quarterback and ACC Player of the Year tweeted Thursday night that he won’t play against Michigan State in the Peach Bowl, the Panthers’ final game Dec. 30 in Atlanta. Only hours earlier, Michigan State All-American running back Kenneth Walker III also opted...
Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker entering draft, skipping Peach Bowl vs. Pitt
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State All-America running back Kenneth Walker is skipping the Peach Bowl against Pittsburgh and his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Walker made the announcement in social media posts on Thursday. Coach Mel Tucker said earlier this week that he was uncertain whether Walker...
Redshirts Paige Morningstar, Makayla Jackson take advantage of learning experience on Final Four volleyball teamsVideo
When Makayla Jackson and Paige Morningstar committed to their respective volleyball teams, little did they know they would have a front-row seat to history. Both are redshirting this season – Jackson at Pitt and Morningstar at Louisville – but they have learned valuable lessons as they have watched their teams...
Pat Narduzzi braved wind, fog to secure Pitt’s 2022 recruiting class
In the skies over Buffalo, N.Y., wind gusts reached 45 mph on the night of Dec. 6, rocking the airplane carrying Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi back and forth. Bound for scheduled meetings with two prospects and their families, Narduzzi said he wasn’t sure what would happen next. “I didn’t know...
Milestone match, perennial power Nebraska awaits Pitt volleyball in Final Four
Another season, another watershed moment for the Pitt women’s volleyball team. After reaching the Elite Eight for the first time last season, the third-seeded Panthers (30-3) are in the final four for the first time. They will take on perennial power Nebraska at 9:30 p.m. in Thursday’s second semifinal at...
Pitt long snapper Cal Adomitis joins Kenny Pickett, Jordan Addison as first-team All-Americans
All five NCAA-recognized All-America teams have been released, and Pitt made its mark on each. The American Football Coaches Association team was the last of the five Wednesday, and quarterback Kenny Pickett, long snapper Cal Adomitis and wide receiver Jordan Addison were recognized. Pitt has three first-team All-Americans for the...
Central Valley’s Sean FitzSimmons first of Pitt’s prospects to submit signed letter of intent
Sean FitzSimmons, who helped lead Central Valley to three WPIAL championships, back-to-back PIAA titles and 27 consecutive victories, was the first Pitt prospect to sign and submit his letter of intent Wednesday morning. Pitt welcomed FitzSimmons onto the team at 7:05 a.m., five minutes into the signing period. The 1st...
