Pitt Take 5: Busy week of finals, practice ends Saturday against South Carolina State
Jeff Capel and Pitt athletic officials take a lot of local heat for keeping Duquesne off their nonconference schedule. The schools are separated by 2 miles and both compete in Division I, but they haven’t played each other since 2018. That’s after meeting 87 times, starting in 1932. Pitt leads...
Pitt volleyball swept by Nebraska for 3rd straight Final Four exit
Under coach Dan Fisher, Pitt’s women’s volleyball team has emerged as a national powerhouse capable of not only making but advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament every year. But after Thursday’s semifinals loss to Nebraska, the Panthers’ season ended in heartbreaking fashion for the third consecutive year. Taking on the...
Pitt hopes Kade Bell package comes with Western Carolina playmakers Desmond Reid, Censere Lee
Aware that football may be thicker than blood — at least, when a school is attempting to dig out of a 3-9 hole — Western Carolina coach Kerwin Bell was OK with his son, Kade, leaving his staff to coordinate the offense at Pitt. But did he need to try...
Kerwin Bell trusted no one to run his offense other than his son, new Pitt offensive coordinator Kade
Kerwin Bell learned and sharpened his system of offensive football by backing up Dan Marino and Jim Harbaugh in the NFL, coaching under Steve Spurrier and throwing for nearly 20,000 yards as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League. That system didn’t just help him win a national championship as...
Wanna get Pitt volleyball fever? Here are 5 things to know about the fast-paced college sportVideo
Women’s volleyball has become one of the most entertaining sports across the college sports universe. ESPN will televise Thursday’s NCAA Division I semifinals in Tampa, Fla., as Pitt takes on Nebraska at 7 p.m., followed by Texas vs. Wisconsin. The championship match will is set for 3 p.m. Sunday on...
Take 5: New blood Pitt volleyball team set to face blue blood Nebraska in Final Four
For the third straight season, Pitt women’s volleyball will compete for a shot at the national championship. The Panthers (29-4) won the ACC Tournament for the second straight year and ran the table in the Pittsburgh regional of the NCAA Tournament, culminating with a quarterfinals victory over second-seeded Louisville on...
Pitt fills its long snapper vacancy with Nilay Upadhyayula, formerly of UConn
Pitt received its second verbal commitment from the transfer portal Wednesday when former UConn long snapper Nilay Upadhyayula announced on X (formerly Twitter) his plans to enroll next year. Upadhyayula, a native of San Jose, Calif., who attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., follows former Nebraska cornerback Tamon Lynum to...
Pitt wrestling upsets No. 5 Ohio State
The Pitt wrestling team’s sixth victory of the season proved to be a signature win Sunday afternoon, as the Panthers upset No. 5-ranked Ohio State, 21-13. The Panthers (6-1), ranked No. 19 in the nation, picked up six bout victories to secure the win over the Big Ten powerhouse Buckeyes...
Pitt’s Brandon George, Nate Temple change course, plan to return to Panthers’ defense
Pitt received three pieces of good news on the transfer front Sunday when linebacker Brandon George and defensive end Nate Temple pulled their names from the portal and will return to Pitt. Also, Nebraska cornerback Tamon Lynum announced on Instagram that he will enrolling next year. H2P! pic.twitter.com/bofbt5iJyo— Brandon George...
Pitt hires Western Carolina’s Kade Bell, 30, as its next offensive coordinator
Two weeks and one day after the end of the season, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi changed the direction of his offense when he hired 30-year-old Kade Bell, formerly of Western Carolina, as his next offensive coordinator. Pat Narduzzi names rising star Kade Bell as Pitt’s new offensive coordinator ????Bell comes...
Pitt notebook: Jeff Capel finds places in lineup for 4 backups
Jeff Capel reduced playing time for Pitt starters Zack Austin and Federiko Federiko on Saturday night, but four backups took advantage of additional opportunities. All four stepped up in the 82-71 victory against Canisius at Petersen Events Center. • William Jeffress, who brings steady play and defensive diligence to the...
Pitt survives scare from Canisius, escapes with 82-71 victory
Pitt’s struggles Saturday night in an 82-71 victory against Canisius led Blake Hinson to think about something totally unrelated to basketball: Final exams start next week. Pitt trailed the Golden Griffins, 54-47, with 13 minutes left in the game before waking up midway through the second half and ironing out...
Pitt volleyball team reaches NCAA Final Four by beating Louisville
In the past six seasons, Dan Fisher’s teams at Pitt have won more women’s volleyball matches than any other Division I school in the country. Trouble is Fisher’s Panthers haven’t won the big prize of an NCAA championship. Perhaps that trend is about to end. For the second time this...
Analysis: Quarterback stands above many roster issues confronting Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi
Pat Narduzzi has a quarterback problem, and this time there is no one left to blame. After at least two swings and misses in the transfer portal, where Pitt’s 10-year head coach found Kedon Slovis and Phil Jurkovec not to his liking, he has waded into this offseason burdened by...
Rivals Pitt, Louisville meet again with berth in NCAA volleyball Final Four on line
This is turning into something special. Two ACC opponents, both quite familiar with each other, will be playing for another chance at a Final Four appearance. Ah, the Pitt-Louisville women’s volleyball series. No, please, call it a rivalry. “They talk about Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and David and Goliath....
Pitt Take 5: Jeff Capel’s recruiting efforts put shooters on roster, points on scoreboard
After a five-game stretch against power conference teams, Pitt coach Jeff Capel said he has stockpiled plenty of information about his team. He knows his players like to shoot and are good at it, and he also knows they work hard on defense. He said recent recruiting efforts were intentionally...
Pitt volleyball rolls past Washington State, advances to NCAA Elite Eight for 4th straight season
There were times Thursday when the Pitt women’s volleyball team appeared to be running on automatic pilot while methodically handling Washington State in straight sets 3-0 in the NCAA Sweet 16 at Fitzgerald Field House. Even coach Dan Fisher seemed a bit surprised by the Panthers’ dominance after a tightly...
Blake Hinson’s points often come 3 at a time for Pitt, but his contributions stretch beyond scoreboards
Jeff Capel gladly accepts the numbers Blake Hinson adds to Pitt’s score sheet, three at a time. Even when they’re accompanied by Hinson’s fearlessness when shooting the basketball — covered or not, from anywhere on the court. In his second season with the Panthers and after only nine games (6-3),...
Blake Hinson, Will Jeffress lead Pitt to 1st Backyard Brawl victory since 2012
MORGANTOWN, W.Va — Many players were catalysts behind Pitt’s 80-63 victory Wednesday night against West Virginia in the 190th version of the basketball Backyard Brawl. • Blake Hinson scored a career-high 29 points, breaking his personal best (27) set only three days ago. He also broke a Pitt record with...
WVU’s Akok Akok cleared by physicians, will play against Pitt
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia received some good news for its depleted roster hours before its game against Pitt on Wednesday night when fifth-year forward Akok Akok was cleared for play. Akok, a 6-foot-10 transfer who previously played at UConn and Georgetown, collapsed Oct. 27 during a charity exhibition game...
Pitt volleyball coach Dan Fisher enjoying the ride during latest trip to Sweet 16
Pitt women’s volleyball coach Dan Fisher has spent the past 11 years transforming the Panthers into a national power. With Pitt preparing to play in the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year, the Panthers coach is working to appreciate every step of the journey. “I think I’ve gotten better...
Pitt offensive tackle Matt Goncalves says he’s entering NFL Draft
Pitt lost another senior Wednesday when offensive tackle Matt Goncalves declared for the 2024 NFL Draft. In his announcement over X (formerly Twitter), Goncalves wrote that seeking an NFL career is “a lifelong dream.” He also said that his five years at Pitt have been “the greatest years of my...
NCAA transfer portal, NIL make redshirting athletes risky business
Back in ancient times — otherwise known as the 1990s in terms of college athletics — Pitt coach Jeff Capel thought about transferring from Duke. “I thought about it one time,” he said, “but my dad talked some sense into me.” The NCAA transfer portal opened Monday, and more than...
WVU coach Josh Eilert makes sure players feel ‘passion’ generated by Backyard Brawl with Pitt
Josh Eilert’s plans to prepare his Mountaineers for Pitt’s intrusion into the West Virginia Coliseum on Wednesday night didn’t start with the first day of basketball practice in October. Go back another month. Eilert, the WVU interim head coach, demanded that every player attend the Pitt football game at Milan...
Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire named second-team All-ACC
Senior cornerback M.J. Devonshire, whose ball skills led him to record eight interceptions in the past three seasons, is Pitt’s lone representative on The Associated Press 2023 All-ACC first or second teams. Devonshire, an Aliquippa graduate, transferred from Kentucky before the 2021 season and was named second-team All-ACC as a...
