Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Panthers can’t find end zone as Miami rallies for last-minute upset
Kenny Pickett has had a love-hate affair with Miami, a team that represented his best and worst games as Pitt’s quarterback. Pickett made his first career start against Miami when they were ranked No. 2 in the 2017 season finale, passing for 193 yards and a touchdown and scoring on...
Pitt goes down without a touchdown in ‘terrible’ loss to MiamiVideo
Jimmy Morrissey asked the question and, really, he didn’t care to hear the answer. “Was it four field goals?” he said when reporters looked to the Pitt junior center and tri-captain Saturday for some explanation of the 16-12 loss to Miami at Heinz Field. All Morrissey knew was Pitt (5-3,...
Miami stands in the way as Pitt hopes to stretch winning streak to 5
Pitt has been here before. It likes the neighborhood, but eventually it is forced to leave. The current four-game winning streak is the third of that length under coach Pat Narduzzi in his five seasons. But Pitt hasn’t won five in a row since 2009. The previous two were followed...
Pitt’s best hope against Miami might be a healthy Jimmy Morrissey
Pat Narduzzi spent the week watching video of Miami’s 24-3 victory against Pitt last year. Mostly, he focused on the Miami offense, trusting Mark Whipple, his first-year offensive coordinator, to figure out why the Hurricanes sacked quarterback Kenny Pickett six times and held 1,000-yard rushers Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison...
Mark Whipple wants Pitt’s Kenny Pickett to take cue from Ben RoethlisbergerVideo
Pitt has plenty invested in Kenny Pickett’s arms and legs, but if he must throw himself at a defensive tackle who is almost 100 pounds heavier, he said he’ll do it. It might have happened Friday night in the fourth quarter at Syracuse. With Pitt ahead 27-20, Syracuse’s 308-pound defensive...
Playing at Pitt ‘dream come true’ for Pitt safety Paris FordVideo
Pat Narduzzi seldom brags in public about a victory, whether it occurs on the football field or in the living room of a recruit. But he was feeling good in 2017 on signing day. Three months earlier, Pitt had defeated Clemson, the eventual national champion, in Death Valley (an unlikely...
ACC midseason awards: Tar Heels freshman Sam Howell emerges
Sam Howell has moved past freshman-level studies at North Carolina. He is playing his way to the top of the class of ACC quarterbacks. Howell leads the conference with 20 touchdown passes after tying the North Carolina record with five in last week’s 43-41, six-overtime loss to Virginia Tech. He...
Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple still seeking ‘complete game’ from his unitVideo
When Mark Whipple looks at the progress Pitt’s offense has made since spring drills, he allows himself one moment to smile. Then, it’s back to work. Pitt’s passing game is better by a large margin, and his insistence on emphasizing it and his hands-on work with quarterback Kenny Pickett is...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi focused on Miami, not rankings or ACC standingsVideo
Pat Narduzzi made his plea Monday to the media, knowing he might have been wasting his breath. While players and coaches try not to get distracted while preparing to play Miami on Saturday at Heinz Field, the talk surrounding Pitt’s program is about the four-game winning streak, why the Panthers...
4-game winning streak looks good, but Pitt needs to address issues
Pitt committed eight penalties, allowed three quarterback sacks for the second consecutive game, dropped two passes in key situations and was the recipient of some good luck during a 27-20 victory Friday night against Syracuse. But it was more than luck that carried Pitt to its fourth consecutive tight victory....
Pitt wins a close one, but Damar Hamlin is ready for more of the sameVideo
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For most of Saturday, Pitt will be part of a four-way tie for first place in the ACC Coastal after its 27-20 victory against Syracuse. That traffic jam will loosen up around supper time, however, when the Duke/Virginia winner moves into the lead, possibly in a tie...
Sack-happy Pitt runs win streak to 4, holds on against SyracuseVideo
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – When Kenny Pickett saw too many smiles on his teammates’ faces at halftime, he thought something needed to be said. And as the Pitt quarterback and a leader who demands — and deserves — respect, he was the one to say it. Pitt was on its way...
Pitt basketball lands 6-9 center from Cleveland for its class of 2020
Pitt landed some additional size for its class of 2020 when 6-foot-9, 240-pound center John Hugley IV told coach Jeff Capel he plans to enroll next year. 2020 four-star John Hugley has committed to Pitt. @thejohnhugley pic.twitter.com/BMR8sKKkVM— TIPTON EDITS ? (@TiptonEdits) October 18, 2019 Hugley, who attends Brush High School...
5 things to watch in Pitt-Syracuse: Look for tight Panthers win at Carrier Dome
Recent history, logical analysis and Las Vegas tell us Pitt should defeat Syracuse in a close game Friday night at the Carrier Dome. The Orange (3-3, 0-2 ACC) were 21st in the Associated Press poll a little more than a month ago. But their victories are unimpressive (Liberty, Western Michigan...
Pitt defense looks good, with plenty to prove to coach Pat NarduzziVideo
Through six games, Pat Narduzzi likes what he has seen from Pitt’s defense, but he has no interest in bragging or hoisting unnecessary expectations on his players. He has been in college football long enough to know how quickly fortunes can change. Pitt is fourth in the ACC in total...
In and out of huddle, Pitt’s Maurice Ffrench sees Kenny Pickett grow
By car, you can get from New Brunswick to Oakhurst, N.J., near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in less than hour. So Maurice Ffrench, a New Brunswick guy, knew all about the quarterback named Kenny Pickett, who was throwing for more than 4,500 yards at Ocean Township High School...
Pitt lands 6-10 Brooklyn forward for its class of 2020
Pitt coach Jeff Capel received his second commitment from the class of 2020 on Monday when 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward Max Amadasun announced on Twitter his intention to enroll next year. The wait is over.....God is great ?? #H2P #Committed ?? pic.twitter.com/L20a0m5LYu— Max Amadasun (@max_amada) October 14, 2019 Amadasun, a senior...
Pitt can rush passer, but developing strong run game is problemVideo
Putting your finger on the best and worst aspects of Pitt’s season isn’t difficult. The Panthers rush the quarterback with fierceness and passion. Through six games, they are first in the ACC (tied with Virginia) and second in the nation to Ohio State with 4½ sacks per game (27 total)....
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi says eliminating kickoffs would be OK with him
Pat Narduzzi isn’t petitioning the NCAA to eliminate kickoffs from college football, but if it happens, he wouldn’t protest. “Nowadays, it seems like you get less and less of those opportunities to return,” Pitt’s coach said Monday during his weekly news conference. “There seems to be more and more touchbacks....
Pitt makes the grade in several areas, but with plenty of room for improvement
While Pitt rested weary and, in many cases, injured muscles, the ACC Coastal turned into a free-for-all. After Miami defeated Virginia on Friday night, every team in the division has at least one loss. The bad news: By Sunday afternoon, the Coastal might not have a team ranked in the...
Pitt’s Taysir Mack and Maurice Ffrench cook up saucy passing attackVideo
Two years ago, Pitt wide receiver Taysir Mack knew he wanted to transfer from Indiana. He didn’t know where he might end up, but he was willing to take a chance because he liked his odds. After all, he was betting on himself. “When I transferred, I felt like I...
Pitt basketball picked 10th in preseason ACC poll
After finishing 14-19 with only three ACC victories in coach Jeff Capel’s first year, Pitt has been picked to finish 10th in the 15-team conference this season, according to preseason media rankings released Thursday. Four starters return for Pitt, including Xavier Johnson (15.5 points per game), Trey McGowens (11.6), Au’Diese...
Pitt’s Tre Tipton manages to wear a smile after fourth injury in five seasons
Tre Tipton leans on crutches, his left knee locked in a brace, while others around him run, jump and play. A senior wide receiver at Pitt, his season is over, ruptured (his word) by an injury for the fourth time in his five seasons at Pitt. Others feel bad for...
Wiz Khalifa to perform at Pitt basketball kick-off event
Wiz Khalifa will be back in town Friday. Pitt announced Wednesday the rapper and Allderdice graduate will perform at Petersen Events Center during Blue and Gold Madness, an annual men’s and women’s basketball event. The men’s team will play a 15-minute scrimmage and the women’s team will play a 10-minute...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel eager to resume reconstruction project in 2nd season
Jeff Capel knows there’s nothing easy about competing in the ACC. Who would know better than someone entering his 13th season as either a player or a coach in the conference? Capel didn’t have to lose 15 of 18 ACC games last year in his first season as Pitt’s coach...