Mark Whipple resigns as Pitt’s offensive coordinator
Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who helped engineer one of the most prolific scoring units in college football and led quarterback Kenny Pickett through a record-breaking season, resigned Tuesday and will not coach the Panthers in the Peach Bowl. Whipple, 64, is the fourth offensive coordinator to work under coach...
Football rules experts agree: Controversy over Kenny Pickett’s fake slide needs to be addressed ‘effective immediately’
Former NFL referee and current CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore is weighing in on the fake slide controversy surrounding Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett. Pickett caused Wake Forest defenders to ease up during an open field run in the first quarter of Saturday’s ACC championship game when it appeared he was...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett named winner of Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Kenny Pickett ran an offense at Pitt that scored touchdowns at a fast pace. In the ACC championship game, for example, Pitt’s five touchdown drives averaged 80 seconds each. The postseason honors aren’t coming that fast, but he collected two big ones in a span of 15 hours from Monday...
On to NYC: Kenny Pickett named 1 of 4 finalists for Heisman Trophy
There are only 54 miles and a 70-minute car ride between Kenny Pickett’s home in Oakhurst, N.J., and New York City. Which makes it convenient for Pitt’s record-breaking quarterback and his family to attend the 2021 Heisman Trophy ceremony Saturday night. Pickett was invited, along with defensive end Aidan Hutchinson...
7 Pitt players named to Associated Press All-ACC teams
Seven Pitt players, including Offensive Player of the Year Kenny Pickett, were named Monday to The Associated Press’ 2021 All-ACC teams. The teams were chosen by a panel of 14 journalists — one from each conference city — who regularly cover the ACC. Pickett and Jordan Addison were unanimous selections...
Analysis: What if 12-team College Football Playoff was here?
IRVING, Texas — A fun thing to do this season has to been ponder how the College Football Playoff race would have played out if expansion to 12 teams had already happened. The CFP selection committee set the four-team field on Sunday, matching top-seeded Alabama against No. 4 Cincinnati in...
Westmoreland campus clippings: County connections help Pitt to ACC title
Pitt mania is sweeping across the country as the Panthers continue to work their way back to national respectability. The football program’s exploits this season are fitting in with their proud glory days of the past. The ACC champion Panthers have plenty of Westmoreland County connections as they prepare for...
Mark Madden: Kenny Pickett resurrected Pitt football but should not feel obligated to play in Peach Bowl
Hail to Pitt, certainly. But, mostly, hail to Kenny Pickett. The same could be said about the quarterback of most championship teams. That job’s occupant must be a catalyst. Pickett is that, and then some. Even breaking Dan Marino’s passing record pales next to Pickett taking a program that had...
Heather Lyke’s belief in her coach paid off for Pitt in the form of a championship
Before she climbed atop the stage on the field at Bank of America Stadium, Heather Lyke stood apart from the wild, confetti-laced celebration that ensued after Pitt defeated Wake Forest to win the ACC championship. Yet her role was instrumental in keeping Pitt’s football program stable after years of coaching...
Pat Narduzzi gets a shot at his former team after Pitt earns berth in Peach Bowl vs. Michigan State
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi will be back on a football field with Michigan State, but this time, he will be on the opposite sideline. After Pitt (11-2) won its first ACC championship Saturday night and vaulted to No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Panthers earned a berth...
Wake Forest coach: NCAA should review rules on fake slides
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said the NCAA needs to review its rules on whether quarterbacks should be allowed to “fake slide” after escaping the pocket. Clawson’s statement came after his team’s 45-21 loss to Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game Saturday night in which...
Hundreds of Pitt fans celebrate ACC championship peacefully in Pittsburgh
Hundreds of University of Pittsburgh Panthers football fans gathered in Oakland on Saturday night into Sunday morning to celebrate the team’s ACC victory. They first gathered at Forbes and Oakland avenues to cheer and sing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” The group, many wearing blue-and-gold garb, then walked along Forbes to...
Former Pitt players take to social media to celebrate ACC championship
Pitt’s first ACC Championship had wide-reaching impact Saturday night as former Panthers took to social media to celebrate the team’s accomplishment. Pitt defeated Wake Forest, 45-21, before a crowd of 57,856 at Bank of America Stadium. Former Pitt and NFL greats took to Twitter to offer congratulations: ACC CHAMPS on...
Defense leads Pitt to victory over Wake Forest in ACC championship game
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Through 12 games, Kenny Pickett made every throw, broke all the records and made the end zone his personal playground. When it came time for No. 13 Saturday night on the ACC’s biggest stage, Pitt’s defensive players all but shouted, “Make room for us. It’s our turn.”...
Pitt women’s volleyball team advances to Sweet 16 with win over rival Penn State
Kayla Lund was elated to have an opportunity to take down Penn State, one of the Pitt women’s volleyball team’s oldest tormentors, Saturday night at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers graduate student and outside hitter decided to take advantage of the extra year provided because of the pandemic before Pitt...
Pitt men’s soccer falls to Notre Dame in NCAA quarterfinals
The Pitt men’s soccer team was ousted from the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night after falling to No. 4-seeded Notre Dame in penalty kicks. With the quarterfinal game tied 1-1 after regulation and overtime, the Fighting Irish (14-5-4) held a 4-2 edge in penalty kicks to decide the match. No....
Pitt loses ACC opener to Virginia on late putbackVideo
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Jayden Gardner scored 15 points, including a last-second putback of a missed 3-pointer that bounced in, lifting Virginia to a 57-56 win over Pitt in the ACC opener for both teams Friday night. In a game that saw four ties and 14 lead changes, Gardner scored the...
Pitt, Penn State women’s volleyball teams to meet in 2nd round of NCAA TournamentVideo
After earning victories in Friday’s opening round, the Pitt and Penn State women’s volleyball teams will square off in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. At Petersen Events Center, Penn State opened the evening with a 3-1 victory over Towson. The Nittany Lions (21-10) started with a...
Take 5: Right here, right now may be best chance for Pitt to win ACC championship
For years, Pitt football players have gathered in a circle before practice and chanted “ACC championship” before going about the day’s business. Pitt gets to take those words and make them real Saturday night when it confronts Wake Forest at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., with the conference...
Road gets tougher as Pitt basketball preps for ACC opener at Virginia
No matter what the Pitt basketball team has been through this season — good or bad — coach Jeff Capel is adamant about the Panthers not dwelling on it. Not with the ACC opener looming Friday night at Virginia. “We had a really good practice today, attitudes have been good,...
Amid college coaching carousel, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi declares, ‘I’m all about loyalty’
Sitting in Pat Narduzzi’s office inside Pitt’s South Side training facility is an old, folded-up piece of paper that his father, Bill Narduzzi, kept in his pocket. Why does he keep it? “It’s called loyalty,” Narduzzi said of what the words on that scrap of paper represent. “I’m all about...
Pat Narduzzi proudly reveals how his daughter predicted Pitt’s return to ACC Championship Game
Pat Narduzzi remembers the empty feeling that engulfed him and his team after Pitt’s 42-10 loss to Clemson in the 2018 ACC Championship Game. “After the game, you’re disappointed. You have your head down. ‘What the heck happened?’ ” he said Thursday, sharing his feelings with reporters. But something else...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett ready to play after bout with flu
The words “Kenny Pickett has the flu” rank up there with “Ben has a sore elbow” in terms of creating panic among area football fans. But Pickett assured reporters Wednesday that his bout with the flu was temporary and he will be “good to go” Saturday when Pitt meets Wake...
WVU releases 2022 football schedule, including renewal of the Backyard Brawl with Pitt
Only days after the end of the regular season, West Virginia is already planning for 2022. WVU athletic director Shane Lyons announced Wednesday six home dates, plus the renewal of the Backyard Brawl with Pitt, on the 2022 football schedule. The season opens Sept. 3 at Heinz Field with the...
Pitt will welcome West Virginia, Penn State to PNC Park for games in 2022
Pitt baseball at PNC Park is becoming an annual tradition. For the third consecutive season, the Panthers will serve as hosts at the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates for games against West Virginia and Penn State. The WVU game is April 19; Penn State arrives May 17. “A special thanks...
