First Call: Joe Burrow on T.J. Watt’s interception; Steelers-Colts game has different tone; Darrelle Revis’ honor
Monday’s “First Call” has Joe Burrow’s assessment of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt after yet another eye-popping interception. Next week’s game for the Steelers no longer appears to be the joke people were making it out to be two weeks ago. A former Pitt Panthers star is getting a well-deserved...
Pitt men recover from slow start, pound Alabama State
Not unlike most teams playing power conference basketball, Pitt’s roster has plenty of players who can run, jump, pass and shoot at a high level. The trick that good teams master is combining the mental with the physical. That’s what Pitt coach Jeff Capel and his players confronted Sunday afternoon,...
Pitt Take 5: Solid run defense carries Pitt to winning season
Several storylines surfaced after Pitt stretched its streak of victories to three games and assured itself of the sixth winning season in coach Pat Narduzzi’s eight seasons. None more definitively defined Narduzzi’s tenure more than his run defense. It played out just like he planned in the 28-26 victory Saturday...
Despite sloppy finish vs. Duke, Pitt carries momentum into regular-season finale
Saturday afternoon’s game at Acrisure Stadium brought together two ACC teams heating up late in the year, with Pitt and Duke jockeying for positioning in the Coastal Division standings with bowl season approaching. And the Panthers’ 28-26 victory gave them more momentum heading into next weekend’s finale at Miami. Pitt...
Pitt survives scare from Duke to record 3rd straight victory
Rightfully and without any apologies, Pitt’s 28-26 victory against Duke on Saturday goes under the “W” column in the ACC standings. It was Pitt’s seventh against four losses, an encouraging third in a row during a troubling season where the offense has struggled to find solid ground. There also was...
Pitt Take 5: Historic 9-victory season still possible
SirVocea Dennis doesn’t like some of what’s happened to Pitt this season, but he believes there’s still time to do something about it. A nine-victory season remains in Pitt’s grasp with Duke coming to Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. After that, the regular-season finale is Nov. 26 at Miami (a fourth...
Without John Hugley, Pitt loses consolation game of Legends Classic, 71-67
When dissecting what went wrong Thursday night in VCU’s 71-67 victory against Pitt at Barclays Center, it’s important to note that both teams played without their best players. While playing 22 minutes upon his return from a six-week absence due to a preseason knee injury, John Hugley hurt the other...
In the final 2 weeks of Pitt’s regular season, Pat Narduzzi won’t allow players to relax
While looking out his office window that overlooks the South Side practice fields, Pat Narduzzi was getting anxious Thursday morning, almost to the cusp of anger. Was his mood based on an unsatisfactory week of practice as his team prepared to confront Duke on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium? Was he...
Pitt grad Kathryn Nesbitt among group of 1st women referees for World Cup
Of the 129 officials set to work the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, Kathryn Nesbitt has among the most intriguing backgrounds. Soccer and chemistry form the dichotomy of Nesbitt’s resume, and in both sport and science, she is equally accomplished. Nesbitt’s first taste as a soccer referee came in a...
No. 20 Michigan dominates Pitt in Legends Classic
Perhaps Pitt’s coaching staff could accept an early season loss to a top-20 team. But not the way the Panthers’ 91-60 loss to Michigan unraveled Wednesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Preparing to face the No. 20 team in the nation was difficult for Pitt’s rebuilt roster...
Pitt’s Calijah Kancey remembers those who recognize, boost his impact on college football
The people who have impacted Pitt All-American candidate Calijah Kancey’s life can be found in many corners of the U.S. Some teach football. Others offer motivational words of encouragement. One even sells candy and bags of snacks. • Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge is one of them, drilling his...
Pitt’s the pick for Riverview scoring sensation Lola Abraham
Riverview junior Lola Abraham has put together an impressive resume of on-field soccer results the past several years with her Pittsburgh Riverhounds Academy club and with her high school teammates. She now hopes that she can do the same thing at Pitt. Abraham has concluded her recruiting process with a...
For now, Pitt’s SirVocea Dennis focused on sacks more than plans for future
Middle linebacker SirVocea Dennis is nearing the end of his fourth season at Pitt, but he said Tuesday he remains undecided about his future. Does he return next season or declare for the 2023 NFL Draft? Sorry, he’s not ready to discuss those plans. “I’m just focused on this year,”...
Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis ‘not sure’ about his plans for 2023
Nearing the end of a season complete with more frustration and defeat than anyone expected, Kedon Slovis said he’s not ready for a serious discussion about his future as Pitt’s quarterback. “We gloss over it, really just the decision-making process,” he said of talks with coach Pat Narduzzi about next...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel prepares to face rival, friend Juwan Howard of Michigan
Jeff Capel has been around basketball long enough that it’s inevitable he‘ll often compete against friends and rivals. That will be the case Wednesday, when Pitt (1-1) meets Michigan (2-0) in the first round of the Legends Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The relationship between Capel and Michigan...
Pat Narduzzi loses quarterback Kenny Minchey from Pitt’s 2023 recruiting class
Pitt’s 2023 recruiting class took a significant step in the wrong direction Monday when quarterback Kenny Minchey decommitted from the Panthers. Minchey had been committed to Pitt for the past seven months, and his departure leaves coach Pat Narduzzi without a quarterback in his recruiting class. The first signing day...
Pitt’s John Hugley close to returning as Panthers prepare to face No. 20 Michigan in Brooklyn
When Jeff Capel became Pitt’s basketball coach in 2018, he set many goals he hoped would impact his players at the time. An outsider with a keen eye for his new neighborhood, he also made sure not to ignore the program’s rich history. And Pitt history means Big East, bright...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi emotionally shaken by University of Virginia shootings
Pat Narduzzi loves to talk football, but Pitt’s coach had a difficult time at his weekly news conference Monday thinking about anything other than the three members of the University of Virginia team who were fatally shot Sunday night in Charlottesville, Va. A little more than a day before the...
Pitt hopes passing game hasn’t reached its zenith
The thought probably crossed the minds of Pitt fans weeks ago. Maybe even Pat Narduzzi considered it, though he never would admit it. After 10 games, Pitt’s offense might have crafted its identity and reached as high as it can go. Good, sometimes very good, just not great. Three games...
Pitt women defeat Buffalo, 1-0, advance in 1st NCAA Tournament
The Pitt women’s soccer team’s first venture into the NCAA Tournament will continue after a 1-0 victory Saturday night against visiting Buffalo at Ambrose Urbanic Field. Leah Pais’ header goal in the 85th minute — five minutes from the end of the game — vaulted No. 19 Pitt into the...
Pitt strikes quickly, rolls to 37-7 victory at Virginia
Bowl invitations for teams with six victories are almost like participation trophies handed out to kids for showing up for all the Little League games. No wonder Pat Narduzzi shrugged off Pitt (6-4, 3-3 ACC) reaching bowl eligibility by defeating Virginia, 37-7, on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. No big deal....
West Virginia rolls to 81-56 victory against Pitt in Backyard Brawl
Before the basketball version of the Backyard Brawl tipped off Friday night, rival fan bases from Pitt and West Virginia tried shouting over top of each other. It was reminiscent of the noisy venue Petersen Events Center became years ago when the Panthers were a formidable force in the old...
Prior to WVU game, Pitt’s Jeff Capel signs 3 high school seniors to letters of intent
Pitt coach Jeff Capel opened the 2022-2023 season with a victory Monday and — prior to Friday’s game against West Virginia — he procured three signatures from high school seniors on their letters of intent. Marlon Barnes, Jr., Carlton Carrington and Jaland Lowe comprise the No. 21 recruiting class in...
Pitt Take 5: Season reaches critical point on the road to Virginia
Fans wrapped up in the College Football Playoff rankings might not remember the final score of the Pitt-Virginia game Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. But the game against the Cavaliers finds Pitt’s season at a crossroads. If the Panthers win each of their remaining games against Virginia, Duke and Miami —...
WVU’s Bob Huggins recalls colorful history of the Backyard Brawl with Pitt
The subject of the zoom conference call Thursday morning was the Backyard Brawl, basketball style, but West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said he didn’t want to get into the history of the game. Even though his footprints are all over it, whether he was wearing sneakers as a WVU player...
