Boston College slows down Pitt’s pass rush
Boston College found a way to diffuse Pitt’s pass rush, the element that made its defense special through most of the season. The Eagles didn’t rely too heavily on their passing game while recording a 26-19 victory at Heinz Field. Quarterback Dennis Grosel completed only 9 of 19 pass attempts...
Kevin Gorman: Storyline continues to repeat itself for PittVideo
Pat Narduzzi couldn’t put his finger on the problem for his Pitt Panthers, as it wasn’t just one thing that caused them to lose their season finale to Boston College. Was it the four turnovers? Yes, as the Eagles converted them into four field goals. Was it the four false-start...
Pitt drowns in series of mistakes, loses regular-season finale to Boston College
Pitt committed a variety of mistakes Saturday at Heinz Field during its 26-19 loss to Boston College. Almost everything imaginable. An announced crowd of 40,889 was witness to an unfortunate and badly timed mix of three lost fumbles, dropped passes, four false starts, missed opportunities, an interception in the red...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Pitt ends season the same way it started, with an ACC loss at home
Pitt’s season ended the same way it started, with an ACC loss at home. It endured a familiar storyline, as Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi settled for field goals instead of going for touchdowns. And the Panthers fell short of an eight-win regular season when Boston College took advantage of four...
8 beats 7, especially if Pitt can defeat Boston College in finale
No one argued with Pat Narduzzi when he said the difference between eight and seven is one. “Eight is one more than seven, and seven is one less than eight,” he said, smiling, when presented with the question of how important beating Boston College would be for the Panthers (7-4)....
Paris Ford’s ejection leaves Pitt without key playmaker in secondary
When strong safety Paris Ford was forced to sit out the first half of the Syracuse game last month, Pitt won anyway, 27-20. In an odd twist, the Orange managed only two field goals without Ford on the field, but scored both of its touchdowns after he returned in the...
Champagnie leads Pitt basketball to title at Fort Myers Tip-Off
FORT MYERS, Fla. — As the horn blew after Pitt’s 72-59 win over Northwestern in the Fort Myers Tip-Off championship game Wednesday night, Jeff Capel and Chris Collins approached each other and shared a big hug, with Capel telling his former teammate, “I love you. Talk to you tomorrow.” Capel...
Pitt volleyball tops Louisville, finishes ACC schedule undefeated
The second-ranked Pitt women’s volleyball team added another feat to its long list of accomplishments this season. With their 3-1 victory over Louisville on Wednesday at Petersen Events Center, the Panthers finished 18-0 in the ACC and became the first ACC team to run the table since 2004. Pitt finished...
Return of Maurice Ffrench — if it happens — would give Pitt a lift
Chris Beatty wants you to know what missing two games with a broken jaw has meant to Pitt senior wide receiver Maurice Ffrench. He’ll even take you inside a Pitt team meeting to shed some light. “The general public doesn’t see all the things that happen behind the scenes,” said...
Pitt seniors reflect on careers, recruitment before last Heinz Field gameVideo
Amir Watts’ journey from the gritty South Side of Chicago (celebrated in song by Jim Croce as “the baddest part of town”) began the day Pat Narduzzi drove into his neighborhood. “I’m like, ‘Yo, do you know where you’re at?’ ” Watts warned Pitt’s football coach, who was on a...
Xavier Johnson comes up big in closing seconds as Pitt clips Kansas State
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Xavier Johnson made a short jumper with 10.1 seconds left to give his team the lead, then made two free throws with 4.6 seconds to help Pitt top Kansas State, 63-59, in the Fort Myers TipOff on Monday night. “Coach (Jeff Capel) drew up a play,...
NFL decisions loom for some of Pitt’s upperclassmen
With two games left this season — Boston College on Saturday at Heinz Field and a bowl game — Pitt (7-4, 4-3) has an opportunity to win nine games for the first time in 10 years. That would represent progress not only for Pat Narduzzi’s five-year tenure but for the...
Pitt wrestling upsets No. 7 Lehigh
In a match that came down to criteria No. 3, Pitt outscored No. 7 Lehigh in total points and came away with a 19-18 upset victory in a wrestling match Sunday. Panther heavyweight Demetrius Thomas defeated Jordan Wood, 10-6, in the final bout to tie the score at 18-18. Both...
Pitt’s loss to Virginia Tech was bad, but Boston College game offers hope
You can’t put makeup on Pitt’s shutout loss to Virginia Tech and make it look like anything but what it is: A disappointing performance that included 10 penalties, something you might think would not happen to any team after four months of practice and 10 games. Especially a team that...
Georgetown ousts Pitt men’s soccer from NCAA Tournament
The Pitt men’s soccer team hoped to continue to make history Sunday afternoon, but Georgetown had other plans. Three days after achieving their first NCAA Tournament win in program history, the Panthers dropped a 5-0 decision to No. 3-seeded Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Shaw...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi defends Paris Ford after another ejection
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Pat Narduzzi called it “a great tackle.” But game officials Saturday at Lane Stadium said Pitt safety Paris Ford was guilty of a helmet-to-helmet hit on Virginia Tech wide receiver Tre Turner in the fourth quarter of the 28-0 loss. Per rule, Ford was ejected from the...
Duquesne women rout Pitt in annual City Game
Freshman Amaya Hamilton scored 17 points to lead a balanced Duquesne attack in an 81-62 victory over the Pitt women Saturday in the annual City Game at Petersen Events Center. Amanda Kalin shot 7 of 11 from the field and finished with 16 points for the Dukes (4-2), who led...
Virginia Tech hands Pitt its first shutout in 11 yearsVideo
BLACKSBURG, Va. — The opportunity was there Saturday for Pitt to make a loud statement about its football program. In the end, however, that was just one reason why the final score — Virginia Tech 28, Pitt 0 — hurt so much as the Panthers (7-4, 4-3) walked quietly out...
It’s not Metallica vs. Neil Diamond, but Pitt-Virginia Tech worth watching
Virginia Tech has Metallica’s high-intensity “Enter Sandman.” Pitt has the Neil Diamond ballad, “Sweet Caroline.” Before you make a rush to judgment, their music choices at games is no comment on the two football programs that clash Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. Both teams are among the best in the ACC...
Pitt men’s soccer captures 1st NCAA tourney win in program historyVideo
On Thursday evening, in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Ambrose Urbanic Field, it was clear the Pitt men’s soccer team was out to accomplish something that never had been done in program history. After receiving their first bid into the NCAA Tournament since 1965, the Panthers wanted to take...
Fred Cox, former Pitt, NFL standout who invented Nerf football, dies at 80
A legendary native of Monongahela and an NFL icon, Fred Cox, died Wednesday in Minnesota from complications due to kidney failure. Cox, 80, had been in hospice care in his home in Monticello for some time before his death. After his football career, with the help of Minnesota entrepreneur John...
Freshman Justin Champagnie reaches another level in Pitt winVideo
The early days of Justin Champagnie’s collegiate career have unveiled a talented freshman who can score, rebound and keep a level head while attacking a zone defense. Or, as Pitt coach Jeff Capel described it: “Not panic in the middle of chaos.” Champagnie showed maturity beyond his 18 years Thursday...
Pitt football notebook: Maurice Ffrench hopes steel plate in his jaw will get him back on the field
If Pitt wide receiver Maurice Ffrench plays Saturday at Virginia Tech, he’ll do it with a steel plate stabilizing his broken jaw. Ffrench had the plate inserted after he injured his jaw in the Georgia Tech game. He did not play against North Carolina, and coach Pat Narduzzi said his...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi takes offense to critics of ACC, Coastal divisionVideo
Pat Narduzzi coaches in the ACC. He has been to the conference championship game and, more to the point, he has won 10 of his past 14 regular-season conference games. So, of course, Pitt’s coach is an unashamed ambassador for the conference, especially when it comes to defending the league...
Pitt’s Damar Hamlin describes ‘stressful’ night after ejectionVideo
When his Heinz Field nightmare was over and Pitt’s overtime victory against North Carolina was assured, Damar Hamlin saw athletic director Heather Lyke before any of his teammates. Hamlin, Pitt’s senior safety, had been ejected for targeting in the second quarter last Thursday and spent the rest of the night...
