Heinz Field closed to Steelers, Pitt fans through September
If there are football games at Heinz Field next month, the seats will be empty. The worst fears of Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt football fans became harsh reality Thursday when season-ticket holders were informed fans will not be permitted inside the stadium throughout September. The ban will include the first...
‘Destructive’ Devin Danielson hopes to replace Jaylen Twyman on Pitt’s defensive line
Bill Cherpak remembers Devin Danielson as such a nuisance he had to kick him off the field at practice. “He was so destructive,” Thomas Jefferson’s 25-year coach said of Pitt’s sophomore defensive tackle. “We really couldn’t practice if he was going full speed on defense because the offense would never...
Unranked and rankled, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi demands explanationVideo
Pat Narduzzi usually doesn’t listen to outside noise. He likes to duck into a foxhole with his players, ignore the rest of the world — especially when people express opinions about his team — and focus on preparing for the season. It’s a strategy coaches and managers in all sports...
Pitt schedules FCS member Austin Peay to start the season Sept. 12
Pitt finalized its reconfigured 2020 schedule Tuesday when director of athletics Heather Lyke announced the Panthers will open the season Sept. 12 at Heinz Field against Austin Peay, an FCS school located in Clarksville, Tenn. Austin Peay will replace Miami (Ohio) of the Mid-American Conference on Pitt’s schedule. The MAC...
Pitt senior cornerback Damarri Mathis will miss season with nonfootball related injury
Pitt received more bad news Tuesday when it was revealed senior cornerback Damarri Mathis will miss this season with a nonfootball related injury. Mathis is the second key contributor Pitt announced will miss this season since camp started. Preseason All-American defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman opted out to prepare for the...
Antonio Brown, Pitt freshman Jordan Addison: Pat Narduzzi sees a resemblance
Through the first 19 days of Pitt training camp, freshman wide receiver Jordan Addison has caught the attention of coach Pat Narduzzi. When Narduzzi was asked Tuesday to compare Addison to other pass catchers he’s come across over the years, Narduzzi made an interesting choice. “I’m pretty bad at that....
After opt-outs, Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman, PSU’s Micah Parsons still named preseason All-American
Jaylen Twyman continues to make news — even after opting out of the 2020 season. Twyman, who would have been a junior defensive tackle at Pitt this season, was named Tuesday to the Associated Press’ preseason All-America first team. Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons joins Twyman as two of 11...
Grad transfer Lucas Krull hopes to make tight end a bright spot for Pitt
When winter turned to spring on Pitt’s campus, Lucas Krull looked around and said, “Where’s the sun?” What would you expect? He spent the past two years at the University of Florida. “I’m not going to lie. I hated the weather,” Pitt’s tight end admitted of his first impression of...
With ‘crazy season’ looming, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi eager to talk football
The first question posed to Pat Narduzzi during his 30-minute Zoom call with reporters Friday had nothing to do with covid-19, masks or the tricky task of starting and finishing a season this year. It was the first of many about players blocking and tackling, running and throwing and how...
Pat Narduzzi ‘not blowing smoke’ when he predicts Pitt will play Sept. 12
Pat Narduzzi didn’t say when and he didn’t say who, but he left no doubt what he said to a player who made the mistake of uttering these words at practice: “Yeah, that’s if we play, coach.” In Narduzzi’s mind, there are no “ifs” about starting Pitt’s season Sept. 12...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi said giving athletes a free year of eligibility makes sense
Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi said Friday giving fall athletes a free year of eligibility is “a no-brainer,” considering the questions hanging over college athletics. The NCAA Division I board of directors voted Friday to approve a proposal to ensure that all athletes, whether they play in the fall or...
Change doesn’t alter Pitt defense’s quest to be the best
The talk around the Pitt football team is the defense Pat Narduzzi has built could be his best in six seasons as coach of the Panthers. That’s a heavy load of expectations to carry around and probably too optimistic of a statement now that All-ACC defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman has...
Pitt freshman basketball player Femi Odukale breaks arm in scooter accident
Pitt incoming freshman guard Femi Odukale broke his arm and suffered other injuries recently when his scooter collided with a car, a Pitt Athletics spokesman said. The injuries are not life-threatening, and Odukale’s arm was repaired surgically. Odukale will miss practice time, but he may be available before the end...
Alex Kramer, who served 5 Pitt football coaches, dies at age 91
Alex Kramer, whose love of Pitt football stretched from the coaching regimes of Jock Sutherland to Pat Narduzzi, died Tuesday. He was 91. Alex Kramer, a highly trusted and beloved Pitt Football administrator who served five different Panthers head coaches, has passed away at the age of 91. pic.twitter.com/SRmbepbZ9C— Pitt...
Analysis: Finally some football questions for Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi
Pat Narduzzi grew up the son of a coach, waiting eagerly at the kitchen table in his Youngstown, Ohio, home to hear about his dad’s day. “I was the guy … in his back pocket all day,” Narduzzi once said. Talking football is one of Narduzzi’s great skills, and he...
First Call: Like the new ‘Monday Night Football’ crew? It has Pitt representation. Vote with your opinion.
For Tuesday’s “First Call,” we take a look at the new NFL “Monday Night Football” broadcast booth. And there’s some Pittsburgh representation. Former Pitt Panther Louis Riddick is going to be part of the crew. He’ll be one of the color-commentary analysts, along with former NFL quarterback Brian Griese. Steve...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 13: From midgets to the NFL, Dan Marino wore lucky number
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 13: Dan Marino He was the coach’s son, so it was only right that a very young Dan Marino had to accept he was...
Joey Yellen’s eligibility triggers 3-way competition for Pitt’s backup quarterback
With covid concerns in the air, Pat Narduzzi likes the fact he has a third candidate to be Pitt’s backup quarterback this season. The NCAA last week granted Arizona State transfer Joey Yellen immediate eligibility. He is competing with Nick Patti and Davis Beville for the No. 1 backup job...
Uncertain about the future, Pitt finds haven in ‘our little paradise’Video
Training camp moments often test a team’s will and define its personality. Perhaps a long completion that shows the passing game is finally in sync. A perfectly executed inside run that springs the back for a significant gain. One August afternoon seven years ago at Pitt’s practice facility, it was...
Seton LaSalle product Nico Popa looking forward to extra season with Pitt baseball
Nico Popa aspires to play professional baseball. The Seton LaSalle graduate and standout right fielder for Pitt hopes an extra year with the Panthers will have multiple benefits, including bolstering his draft stock. Popa, who graduated in May with a degree in marketing, is one of three Panthers — Chris...
Former Pitt assistant Aubrey Hill dies at 48 after cancer battleVideo
MIAMI — FIU said Sunday night that wide receivers coach Aubrey Hill, a standout player at Florida before becoming a longtime coach at Miami, Pitt and other stops, died after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 48. “Aubrey was loved and adored by so many who saw him not...
Pitt transfer quarterback Joey Yellen granted immediate eligibility
The NCAA granted Pitt redshirt freshman quarterback Joey Yellen immediate eligibility Friday, giving him the opportunity to challenge sophomore Nick Patti and redshirt freshman Davis Beville for the No. 2 job behind senior starter Kenny Pickett. Yellen enrolled in January after one season at Arizona State (2019) and an appearance...
Pitt practice canceled, covid tests come back negative after players display possible symptoms
Pitt canceled football practice Thursday after several players displayed symptoms that are associated with covid-19. “Our medical team decided it was in everyone’s best interest to temporarily pause our Thursday training camp activities so that we could test symptomatic players per our protocol,” athletic director Heather Lyke said. “Based on...
Former OLSH, Pitt standout Cam Johnson playing big role for red-hot Phoenix Suns
When the Phoenix Suns entered the NBA bubble in July, former OLSH standout Cam Johnson was inserted into the starting lineup. There was no big message from first-year coach Monty Williams, and there was no “here’s what you have to go do.” For Johnson, it was all doing whatever he...
How Penn State’s Micah Parsons, Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman will do in the NFL Draft. And how they may help change it.
The chances of playing any semblance of a college football season in the fall are looking bleak. It’s unclear if the sport will try to function in the spring. And who knows if either option will be safe enough for the players. For those reasons, many top-tier NFL prospects have...
