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...
Former Pitt basketball player Ronald Ramon joins coach Jeff Capel’s staff
Former Pitt basketball player Ronald Ramon, who finished his career as one of the school’s top 3-point shooters, has rejoined the program as assistant director of operations. Ramon will assist coach Jeff Capel’s staff with recruiting logistics, alumni engagement and community service. “I feels amazing,” he said of returning to...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Steelers’ loss to Ravens, Penguins’ start, Pitt’s big win
We have so much on the plate in this week’s “Madden Monday.” Most of it has to do the Pittsburgh Steelers’ latest loss, this time to the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore won at Heinz Field Sunday by a final score of 26-23 in overtime, thanks to a game-winning field goal by...
At the halfway marker, Pitt needs to take a breather
Never in the history of off weeks (they are not byes, by the way) has a team needed rest more than Pitt does at the moment. With three successful fourth-quarter comebacks in a row and injuries to key personnel at running back, linebacker and cornerback, Pitt (4-2, 1-1) needs to...
John Steigerwald: Scholarships, education should be payment enough
Two down, 48 to go. California’s state government decided on Monday that it would be a good idea to stick its nose into a mutual agreement between college athletes and the NCAA. You know, the one in which people between the ages of 18 and 22, in many cases with...
Pitt rallies past Duke after blowing 23-point lead
DURHAM, N.C. — Kenny Pickett and Pitt built a big lead by taking the ball from Duke, only to have that lead disappear when the Panthers started giving it right back. Given enough time for one shot at a comeback, he wasn’t going to throw it to the Blue Devils...
Panthers must find a way to solve Duke’s ‘grand’ defense
When Pitt tangles with Duke on Saturday night at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C., an important key to the outcome will be how much Pitt’s offense has grown through the first five games. Pitt’s rebuilt offensive line and running back groups are no longer inexperienced after confronting three ranked...
Points to ponder while waiting to watch Pitt play at Duke
In his weekly Thursday chats with reporters — after “the hay is in the barn” as he occasionally points out — Pat Narduzzi almost always praises his team for a good week of work. He took it a step further this week when he said Pitt had “three really passionate...
Pitt basketball team practices at Pitt-Greensburg
Pitt-Greensburg had some special guests in for a visit Friday. No, they weren’t recruits; these basketball players’ recruiting days have long since passed — and they were courted at a much higher level. But the group has plenty of game and put it on display for spectators inside Chambers Hall....
Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman named Outland Defensive Player of the Month
Pitt sophomore defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman, who changed his number to 97 to match the jersey worn by Aaron Donald, was named Outland Trophy National Defensive Player of the Month for September. He was selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Twyman recorded six sacks and 61/2 tackles...
Pitt’s Tre Tipton has knee surgery, will miss remainder of seasonVideo
Senior wide receiver Tre Tipton, an Apollo-Ridge graduate, will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing knee surgery Wednesday, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. I love these type of moments it’s like shedding new skin to be a better me.— Tre Tipton (@Tipton_05) October 3, 2019 This is the...
Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett will play against DukeVideo
After a week resting a sore shoulder and wearing a headset instead of a helmet in Pitt’s game against Delaware, Kenny Pickett will start at quarterback Saturday at Duke. Coach Pat Narduzzi said Pickett practiced all week without restrictions after sitting out most of last week. He was injured in...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi concerned ‘Pay to Play’ could get out of hand
For the second time this week, Pat Narduzzi was asked about the hottest off-the-field topic in college football. And for the second time, Pitt’s coach wasn’t eager to talk about the California legislation that will allow college athletes to profit off their likenesses. Two Pennsylvania lawmakers said they are planning...
Pitt set to follow Jimmy Morrissey, Damar Hamlin into the meat of scheduleVideo
Jimmy Morrissey was torn between telling the truth and trying not to disrespect a defeated opponent. He managed to succeed on both fronts, but the bottom line going forward for Pitt’s junior center and co-captain is this: Pitt’s offense needs to get better. “We put up 17 points last week...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett recovering from shoulder injury
Kenny Pickett may replace those headphones he wore last week with something more familiar when Pitt visits Duke on Saturday — a football helmet. There is no definitive word yet from coach Pat Narduzzi on Pickett’s status, but the junior quarterback was working at the start of practice Tuesday and...
