Pitt’s Jeff Capel senses ‘different level of urgency’ for opener against Florida StateVideo
When Pitt lines up against Florida State on Wednesday in the season opener, sophomore Au’Diese Toney has the easy job. All he must do is try to position his 6-foot-6, 210-pound frame in such a way to help outrebound a strong, athletic Seminoles front line that includes 260-pounders Balsa Koprivica...
3 Pitt wrestlers earn titles at Michigan State Open
Three Pitt wrestlers claimed titles at the Michigan State Open. The Panthers sent 12 wrestlers to compete in the freshman/sophomore division and open division. Micky Phillippi (Derry), Cole Matthews and Nino Bonaccorsi (Bethel Park) were champions, and redshirt freshmen Louis Newell (Seneca Valley) and Luke Kemerer (Hempfield) finished second. Phillippi...
What’s good, what’s worrisome as Pitt enters the home stretch
Pat Narduzzi used the words “spectacular” and “outstanding” when discussing his defense after a 20-10 victory Saturday against Georgia Tech. He was not guilty of hyperbole, especially when considering: • Senior free safety Damar Hamlin, the team’s second-leading tackler and a reliable pass defender, was “a little dinged up” and...
Pitt women’s basketball season preview capsule
This is the second season for Pitt women’s basketball coach Lance White, but the cheerful Texan said, in many ways, it is like his first all over again. A major roster overhaul brings seven newcomers, including five freshmen, to Pitt, as White set out to recruit a more athletic team...
Dominant defense helps Pitt overcome turnovers in win at Georgia Tech
ATLANTA — The ACC’s best run defense created the play of the game for Pittsburgh. That defense also has the Panthers in position to contend for another shot at the ACC championship. Kylan Johnson’s goal-line hit late in the third quarter forced a fumble, protecting Pitt’s lead, and the Panthers...
Pitt men’s basketball: Season preview capsule
Players to watch Gerald Drumgoole Jr.: Coach Jeff Capel likes Drumgoole’s court awareness and scoring ability. At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, he is a freshman guard/forward who is not afraid to step back and try a 3-pointer. Pitt needs that after Jared Wilson-Frame exhausted his eligibility. ••• Abdoul Karim Coulibaly: The...
Pitt men’s basketball needs new players to blend with veterans quickly
No one appreciates Xavier Johnson’s athleticism more than Jeff Capel. Especially when the Pitt sophomore guard hangs in the air to avoid a defender and scores, causing the crowd to go, “Oooh.” The Pitt coach also appreciates and encourages Trey McGowens’ willingness to take on bigger, stronger opponents at the...
Pitt gets verbal commitment from Virginia running back Hammond
Pitt received its second commitment from a high school junior when running back Rodney Hammond announced his intentions to enroll in 2021. Hammond, who attends Booker T. Washington in Norfolk, Va., made his announcement Friday after his team’s game. He is considered a prime target among juniors, and he holds...
Linebacker Elias Reynolds leaves Pitt team
Elias Reynolds, a junior middle linebacker who hasn’t played since Pitt’s third game of the season, has left the team, a source told Trib Total Media. Reynolds started seven games last season, but was benched for the Sun Bowl after recording seven tackles against Clemson in the ACC Championship game....
Georgia Tech game launches season-defining stretch for Pitt
With only four games left in the regular season, Pitt is approaching a point on the calendar that will define Pat Narduzzi’s fifth year as coach. The Panthers will take a 5-3 record and a reasonable chance to repeat as ACC Coastal champions to Atlanta on Saturday to play Georgia...
Coin toss, failures on the ground plague Pitt on eve of Georgia Tech game
Pat Narduzzi believes he has found a solution to the problem that has plagued his team longer than any other. The coin toss. Pitt has lost the past nine pregame coin tosses, dating to the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve. How will he fix such a vexing problem? “I’m...
Pitt staffer gives big scares in Halloween videoVideo
The great thing about Halloween is everyone can get involved. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi tweeted a video Thursday showing assistant director of player personnel Karlo Zovko getting into the haunted holiday spirit. In the video from Pitt Football, Zovko donned a Pitt uniform and helmet and stood on a platform,...
Pitt shows off new-look team in exhibition rout of Slippery Rock
Eric Hamilton had only one word to describe the first half of his first game as a Pitt basketball player: “Ridiculous,” he said, a look of disgust on his face. It didn’t matter Pitt was on its way Wednesday night to a 98-47 exhibition game victory against Slippery Rock at...
Pitt’s upperclassmen only can dream of video game glory
Saleem Brightwell’s timing is a bit off, so he never will know the joy of playing himself in the NCAA Football video game. “I’m so mad,” Pitt’s senior linebacker said. “I wanted to go to college just to be in the game.” But athletes who follow him at Pitt and...
Ex-Pitt defensive coordinator Josh Conklin ready for return trip to Death ValleyVideo
When Wofford coach Josh Conklin walks into Death Valley on Saturday, faced with the daunting task of confronting No. 4 Clemson with his FCS Terriers, he might look around and declare, “This looks familiar.” And, then, he could smile. It was three seasons ago, when Conklin was Pitt’s defensive coordinator,...
How Pitt tight ends coach Tim Salem deals with players who drop passes
Tim Salem has been around football for most of his 58 years. Pitt’s tight ends coach played quarterback at a high level as a prep star at St. Thomas Academy in Minneapolis. At Minnesota in 1980, he set the Big Ten record for consecutive completions. He also is the son...
No triple option and fewer cut blocks, but Georgia Tech still a challenge for PittVideo
For college coaches, the process of preparing a team to play a football game is long and arduous. Video study of your team and the opponent. Practice. Grading video of practice. More practice. Meetings with coaches and players. Fielding and making recruiting calls. And, of course, practice. Pitt tight ends...
Pitt prospect Timothy Brown arrested in Florida on charges of robbery, battery and kidnapping
Palm Beach (Fla.) Gardens High School defensive tackle Timothy Brown, who verbally committed to Pitt in June, is under house arrest after he was charged with robbery, felony battery and kidnapping in connection with an incident Thursday in Lake Park, Fla. The Palm Beach Post, citing a police report, reported...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi hopes `complacency’ didn’t plague his team in loss to Miami
Since the loss to Penn State six weeks ago, Pitt’s season had gone so well that coach Pat Narduzzi wasn’t sure what led to the loss to Miami and the end to his team’s four-game winning streak. “Tough one for our kids, tough one to swallow,” he said Monday during...
Pitt women’s volleyball moves to No. 2 in nation, highest ranking in program historyVideo
A week of upsets saw the Pitt women’s volleyball team move up one spot to No. 2 in the AVCA Division I coaches poll, which was released Monday. The Panthers (21-1) received 18 first-place votes and 1,529 points to achieve the highest ranking in program history. Texas, which moved up...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Steelers, Penguins, Pitt loss, Pirates’ new president
Mark Madden makes his triumphant return to the “Madden Monday” podcast. After a week off, “Double-M” joins me to look at the state of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they get ready for the hapless Miami Dolphins Monday night at Heinz Field. The terrible AFC is keeping the Steelers mathematically alive....
John Steigerwald: Same old song for Pitt football since Dan Marino left
Pitt is still Pitt. There was an opportunity Saturday for a program that has been struggling since Dan Marino left in 1982 to move beyond mediocrity and actually be considered a good team. But Pitt, being Pitt, managed to play just well enough to lose a homecoming game to a...
Title hopes alive, but ACC standings are the least of Pitt’s concerns
One month to go in the college football regular season, and Pitt finds itself in the middle of the ACC Coastal’s cluttered mess. Pitt remains in the hunt to repeat as Coastal champion, but the Panthers could have been leaders of the pack. One stop on defense, more care when...
Alex Kessman’s four field goals not enough in Pitt loss
All signs were pointing toward Alex Kessman walking away from Heinz Field on Saturday as the hero, the savior of a Pitt team that didn’t score a touchdown among its 78 offensive snaps. But as it turned out, his four field goals – one off Conor Lee’s school record set...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi gets it wrong on fourth-and-goal againVideo
Pat Narduzzi got it right, even though he got it wrong. The Pitt football coach took the blame for a 16-12 loss to Miami on Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field, a loss that crushes the Panthers’ chances of repeating as ACC Coastal champions. That much he got right, pointing the...
