After only 2 scrimmages, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi looks for clean opener
NFL teams play four exhibitions before games start to count. College football isn’t designed that way. Teams conduct a few live scrimmages plus almost daily practices. Much of it, however, is held with limited contact in the hopes of keeping players healthy for the season. Pitt had two scrimmages, the...
Steady Stephanie Williams plays key role in rise of Pitt volleyball program
After taking a look at the video sent by assistant Craig Dyer, Pitt women’s volleyball coach Dan Fisher nodded knowingly. He immediately was convinced he needed to make Stephanie Williams part of his burgeoning program. At a smidge under 6-foot, she wasn’t the tallest outside hitter. She wasn’t the flashiest...
Virginia will be tough for Pitt to beat, ACC analysts believeVideo
ACC Network analysts Tim Hasselbeck and Jon Beason didn’t come out and directly predict Pitt will lose to Virginia on Saturday night. But while speaking to reporters on a conference call Monday morning, they gave a clear indication the Cavaliers will be tough to beat. “It’s going to be tough...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi names starters at most positions, but still likes the depth of his roster
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi thinks and acts like almost all of his coaching brethren. They all follow these strict tenets: • Don’t give up too much information. • Be as vague as possible when discussing personnel and strategy. • Keep alive the notion of competition at every position. Yet when...
Kevin Gorman: For Pitt football, winning at home would be nice startVideo
Pat Narduzzi was so thrilled to learn he’s undefeated in his first four season openers you would have thought someone switched Pitt’s colors back to Navy and Vegas gold. “I didn’t know that,” Narduzzi said with a sigh, grumbling his gratitude. “Thanks for letting me know.” Forgive the Pitt football...
Kevin Gorman: Center Jimmy Morrissey might be Pitt’s most pivotal player
When Jimmy Morrissey ran through the tunnel at Heinz Field on Friday at Pitt’s rehearsal scrimmage for the season opener, it was not just as the starting center but a team captain. It’s just the latest accolade for Morrissey with the Panthers. He’s ascended from former walk-on to All-ACC third-team...
Pitt dietitian Jen Hatz leads football team on calculated feeding frenzyVideo
If the Pitt football team looks back on training camp in three months and sees it as the launching pad for a successful season, Jen Hatz might credit Cap’N Crunch. Or, maybe she will say it was the work of leprechauns. Or, more realistically, it was just Hatz’s beloved carbohydrates...
Pitt running backs don’t mind trying to clear high hurdles
The names Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall still resonate loudly throughout the halls and fields of Pitt’s practice facility. And, really, Todd Sibley Jr. doesn’t mind. “We know those two guys are really, really good,” said Pitt’s sophomore running back. “It’s hard to replace two 1,000-yard rushers.” But Sibley believes...
Pitt gets verbal commitment from offensive lineman Branson Taylor
Surrounded by his teammates on the Elyria Catholic football field, offensive lineman Branson Taylor made a verbal commitment to Pitt on Friday night. Taylor, rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, is the second offensive lineman in Pitt’s class of 2020, joining Michael Statham of Baltimore. He is the second Pitt...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi names co-captains, gives them their sayVideo
Knowing the right time to blitz or call a gadget play are skills every coach should know after gaining years of experience. But the other side of coaching — the personal interaction with players, especially off the field — is something Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi says he takes seriously. Which is...
Pitt’s Habakkuk Baldonado got late start growing up in Italy, but he’s catching up
Born in Rome, Habakkuk Baldonado appreciates the opportunity he has at Pitt to get a free education while playing football in a Power 5 conference. He loves his teammates and enjoys the journey they are on together as the college football season approaches. Sure, others received a more extensive football...
Predictably, Pat Narduzzi pleased as Pitt approaches the end of training camp
Pat Narduzzi asked the important question Thursday morning. “Eighteen days in, where are we?” he said before practice. Predictably, he answered his own question by saying he is pleased, especially with the chemistry that has developed among players and their attitude through camp’s “ups and downs.” “Our team has grown...
Ex-Central Catholic star transfers from Penn State to Pitt
John Petrishen may not play immediately at Pitt, but there remains an avenue for the former all-state safety from Central Catholic to make an impact over the next two seasons. After transferring from Penn State, he ventured into the Pitt’s deep safety position Wednesday on the penultimate day of training...
Ex-Central Catholic star John Petrishen transfers from Penn State to Pitt
John Petrishen may not play immediately at Pitt, but there remains an avenue for the former all-state safety from Central Catholic to make an impact over the next two seasons. After transferring from Penn State, he ventured into the Pitt’s deep safety position Wednesday on the penultimate day of training...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has depth at LB, but he’s not ready to name starters
When Pitt opened training camp, linebackers coach Rob Harley said he wasn’t sure who would play where and how much time on the field each player would earn. And at that point, he didn’t care. That’s why schools spend so much time, energy and money to hold training camp —...
Pitt freshman RB Vincent Davis impressive, but will he play right away?
In one breath, Pat Narduzzi praised freshman running back Vincent Davis. “He knows what he’s doing,” Pitt’s coach said Tuesday morning before practice. “He’s just done a nice job of hitting the holes and twisting and spinning. He’s just been good. He showed that he’s going to be able to...
3 Pitt opponents ranked in AP preseason Top 25 poll
Using the Associated Press’ 2019 preseason poll and the final poll from 2018 as guides, Pitt’s football schedule appears slightly less daunting than it did a year ago. But it is not an easy schedule, either. The Associated Press released its preseason poll Monday, six days before college football gets...
Pitt volleyball not changing goals despite loss of starting setter Kylee Levers
As players switched benches during the Pitt volleyball team’s annual blue-gold scrimmage Saturday, junior Kylee Levers lagged behind her blue teammates. She carried crutches and dragged her left leg, which was wrapped heavily and covered in a brace that stretched from her ankle to mid-thigh. Two days earlier, Levers, a...
Pitt professor wants to put student-athletes to sleep
Pitt professor Chris Kline wants college students and athletes to wake up to the fact many of them are “notoriously sleep-deprived.” Kline, an assistant professor in Pitt’s Department of Health and Physical Activity, served on an NCAA Task Force on sleep and wellness in 2017, co-authoring a paper that recommends...
Pitt basketball team builds camaraderie during trip to Italy
The Pitt men’s basketball team kicked off its 2019-2020 season in a special way. During a 10-day trip, the Panthers toured Italy with stops in Rome, Florence, Bologna, Vicenza and Venice. Coach Jeff Capel said he and his team built a bond that will be crucial this season. “The trip...
Pitt football notebook: Panthers getting ready for important scrimmage
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said practice was lighter Friday to prepare players for, perhaps, the most important day of training camp. That will be Saturday, when he will conduct the second and final live scrimmage of the summer. Those players looking to impress coaches get their last, best chance to...
Natural athlete Carter Warren tasked with protecting Pitt QB’s blind side
Trying to identify Pitt’s most naturally gifted athlete is a process without a right answer. The cornerbacks, running backs and wide receivers run faster than anyone else, but the linemen on both sides of the ball pack the most punch. Dave Borbely’s money is on left tackle Carter Warren. “He...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi says he tries not to meddle with offense
It’s not often you hear a head coach admit he’s not capable. But Pat Narduzzi said Thursday morning he stays away from the offense for that reason. Plus, as the Pitt coach pointed out, “Offensively, Whip’s going to run it. It’s his show.” Narduzzi played linebacker at Youngstown State and...
Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman learned by playing free-for-all football on streets
The game is called Throwback Tackle, and Jaylen Twyman isn’t going to lie. He wasn’t the best at it. Played on a concrete parking lot or any open space, the game begins when someone throws a football high in the air, behind his back and toward a crowd of 10...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi knows how to handle players who lose focusVideo
When his team loses focus — such as what happened at practice Tuesday — Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi knows of an old-school technique that has worked for coaches for years. “Size 12 and a half,” he said. He was joking, of course. There’s no proof he even wears a 12½....
