Pitt senior running back A.J. Davis plans to transfer
Senior running back A.J. Davis, who was celebrated as a coveted four-star recruit when he signed with Pitt in 2017, has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Davis appeared in only three of the Pitt’s seven games this season, recording two carries for 21 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown run against...
Pitt secures verbal commitment from New Jersey linebacker
Kyle Louis, who is ranked as the No. 11 player in New Jersey, flipped his commitment from Temple and joined Pitt’s 2022 recruiting class Monday night. I want to thank Coach Infante and Temple U for their belief in me. However, I have decided to decommit and commit to the...
Pitt back to work; Jordan Addison, Izzy Abanikanda questionable
When Pat Narduzzi returned home Saturday night after Pitt’s decisive victory against Clemson, he declined to celebrate. Maybe he sat down, ate a late supper with his family and put his feet up after a long day of standing and pacing the sideline. Such is the life of a coach...
Madden Monday: Steelers vs. Browns, Penguins’ hot start, Kenny Pickett’s Heisman Trophy chances
Many football fans in Pittsburgh are hoping that the Steelers (3-3) will get on a roll coming out of the bye weekend and make a push for the postseason. In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLIVE and 105.9 The X said that effort better start this Sunday...
Kenny Pickett’s Heisman candidacy is legit, but other QBs can make same claim
He cut through strong winds in Blacksburg, Va., and penetrated what Pat Narduzzi referred to as the “Steel Curtain” on Saturday in a big victory against Clemson. But can Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett earn enough respect from the Heisman Trophy committee to get invited to the ceremony in New York...
Former Miami coach Mark Richt offers high praise for Pitt’s Kenny Pickett
Mark Richt analyzes football for the ACC Network. So, perhaps, you should temper your enthusiasm when the former Miami coach talks about ACC quarterbacks. But it’s becoming impossible to ignore Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, who cemented another brick onto his Heisman Trophy candidacy Saturday when he led the Panthers to a...
Tim Benz: As Pitt beat Clemson, the better team just took care of business, now it needs to keep doing so
Saturday’s game against Clemson wasn’t the kind of showdown where Pitt’s football team had to rise to the occasion. It was a day when the Panthers just needed to take care of business. Pitt came in as a three-point favorite. With the higher ranking. A better spot in the ACC...
Kenny Pickett shines as Pitt knocks off Clemson, tightens grip on 1st place in ACC Coastal
Pitt needs the yards and touchdowns through the air, and the sharp, snap decisions that set Kenny Pickett apart from most quarterbacks. But his worth to the No. 23 Panthers goes far beyond the stat sheet. Early Saturday evening at Heinz Field, Pickett showed 60,594 patrons and nine NFL representatives...
Peach Bowl CEO ponders possibility of Pitt, Penn State clashing in Atlanta
Beechview native Gary Stokan is in town this week on official business. The CEO and President of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will attend the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame dinner Friday night at Heinz Field and stick around for a scouting mission — Clemson vs. Pitt at 3:30 p.m. Saturday....
Pitt Take 5: Significance of Clemson game soars beyond ACC Coastal standings
A look at the ACC standings shows Pitt in first place in the Coastal Division. Even if Pitt (5-1, 2-0) loses to Clemson (4-2, 3-1) on Saturday at Heinz Field, the Panthers will remain in the lead and might stay there until almost Thanksgiving. Pitt’s next three opponents — Miami,...
Whiffing on sacks no fun for Pitt’s Habakkuk Baldonado, but he still leads team
Charlie Partridge is serious about showing Pitt’s defensive linemen the best way to topple a quarterback. And it shows: Pitt’s linemen have accounted for 13 of the team’s ACC Coastal-leading 21 sacks. But he also knows a good-natured joke when he hears one. Partridge, who is Pitt’s assistant head coach...
On a busy Wednesday, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett focuses on settling a score with Clemson
Kenny Pickett walked with long, purposeful strides down the steps into the auditorium where Pitt players gather. A busy day already was underway, with Wednesday morning practice concluded. But more meetings and video sessions were scheduled – some after dark — with offensive coordinator Mark Whipple and teammates. There was...
Washington releases longtime kicker, signs former Pitt player as replacement
ASHBURN, Va. — Washington released longtime kicker Dustin Hopkins on Wednesday and signed Chris Blewitt as his replacement. Hopkins was in his seventh season with the team but seemed on the hot seat with coach Ron Rivera for several weeks. He missed a 42-yard field goal attempt in a loss...
First Call: Steelers-Seahawks replay debate sparks Twitter spat; Von Miller trash talks Browns tackles; praise for Kenny Pickett
Wednesday’s “First Call” has some social media fallout from the Steelers-Seahawks replay controversy Sunday night. There was an ex-Bucco battle on the mound in the NLCS Tuesday. Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett is getting a strong endorsement from one of Clemson’s coaches. And Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller is talking...
Banchero, No. 9 Duke headline preseason ACC basketball picks; Pitt tabbed to finish next to last
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Ninth-ranked Duke is the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference in its final season under Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, while touted Blue Devils freshman Paolo Banchero is the pick to be the league’s player and freshman of the year. The ACC released results...
Pitt players, coach try to block out hype surrounding Clemson’s visit to Heinz Field
With attendance at Heinz Field climbing above 63,000, snow in the air and temperatures falling into the 30s, 13-year-old John Petrishen sat inside Heinz Field one December day, watching Pitt try to claim the 2009 Big East championship. “I remember having my heart broken,” he said, recalling the 45-44 loss...
Pitt’s favored status in Clemson game draws uninterested shrug from Pat Narduzzi
Pat Narduzzi won’t take your bet, but he’ll say this about Pitt’s game Saturday against Clemson. “I don’t care about favorites and points and spreads and all the rest. In my opinion, they’re favored, coming into our house, again,” he said of Clemson, a 3 ½-point underdog according to betql.com....
First Call: Browns badly banged up in loss; ex-Steeler a hero for Jaguars; Le’Veon Bell scores; Pitt favored to beat Clemson
The Steelers’ next opponent after a bye is the Cleveland Browns. Yet, it’s the Browns who need a bye more than just about any team in the league. In Monday’s “First Call,” we get a lengthy medical report from Cleveland. A former Steeler plays the role of hero in London....
5-1 nothing new at Pitt, but 2021 team may be built to avoid problems that plagued its predecessors
Walt Harris did it twice, Dave Wannstedt three times. Pat Narduzzi has joined his predecessors, claiming two 5-1 starts in seven seasons — 2015 and ’21 with a team that is now ranked No. 23 in the nation. Pitt just won consecutive ACC road games by 20+ points for the...
Pitt surfaces at No. 23 in Associated Press Top 25
After producing three consecutive victories with 20-plus victory margins for the first time since 2001, Pitt moved into the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday at No. 23. Pitt’s first appearance in the Top 25 since winning its first three games of the 2020 season precedes a nationally televised (ESPN)...
Amid sports program cuts nationwide, local colleges played on during pandemic despite millions of dollars in losses
As college football stadiums, basketball arenas and hockey facilities sat idle during the coronavirus pandemic, Western Pennsylvania universities did not waver. They continued to field their teams. From Pitt and Penn State to Slippery Rock and Duquesne, local colleges bucked a nationwide trend of cutting athletic programs to offset crippling...
Pitt uses defense, running game to defeat Virginia Tech
Pitt players are changing the rules, and all it took was a victory against Virginia Tech, a 5-1 start to this season and, of course, the looming shadow of six-time defending ACC champion Clemson coming into Heinz Field next Saturday. Much like many — if not all coaches — Pitt’s...
Pitt Take 5: Stakes high when Panthers visit Virginia Tech
When the University of Pittsburgh lines up its football team Saturday inside Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., to confront Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (the game carries enough importance to require the proper names of both schools), the winner will have an advantage to take into the final six...
When Pat Narduzzi speaks on Thursdays, you never know what to expect
Every Thursday, promptly at 1 p.m., and with most game prep finished, Pat Narduzzi sits down at a long, wooden table in a conference room and chats casually with reporters. Colorful scenes from Pittsburgh’s North Shore and Pitt’s Oakland campus strategically are hung to cover up game plans and recruiting...
Even after putting away the footballs, Pitt’s Jordan Addison learns from his brother
Whenever he confronted his older brother, Michael — one-on-one with the football in the air on a deserted field in Maryland or in the backyard — Jordan Addison met his match. Which doesn’t happen especially often. Just ask any of the defensive backs on the five teams Pitt has played...
