Pitt can’t overcome loose aerial connection between quarterback, pass catchers
They toiled all summer, even when coaches weren’t watching, trying to create that special connection the best quarterbacks and wide receivers feel with each other. Kedon Slovis, Jared Wayne and Konata Mumpfield, who remain the key figures in Pitt’s crumbling shell of a passing game, have the requisite talent and...
Pitt unravels in 4th quarter, blows 10-point lead to North Carolina in worst loss since 2020
When Pat Narduzzi starts studying and writing down everything that went wrong in Pitt’s 42-24 loss to North Carolina on Saturday night, he’ll probably need plenty of paper and lots of time. It’s a long list. And it adds up to the end of Pitt’s hopes for a second consecutive...
New-look Pitt basketball hopes to keep preseason energy boiling all season
Energy, enthusiasm and even a little after-the-fact jocularity ran through Petersen Events Center on Friday when the Pitt basketball team assembled for practice. It started with graduate senior Greg Elliott, a transfer from Marquette who likes to keep everyone loose with what teammate Nate Santos called “infectious energy … energy...
Pitt Take 5: With No. 21 Tar Heels next, Panthers hope to beat a Top 25 team for 7th consecutive season
Pitt’s 4-3 record looks suspiciously like it could turn into one of those Todd Graham/Paul Chryst six- and seven-victory seasons from 2011-14. Remember how you suffered, Pitt fans? But it’s unfair to tell the ending while you’re still in the middle of a story, especially when the game Saturday night...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi claims his team is undefeated, and here’s why
Finally after nearly nine weeks, the truth about the 2022 Pitt football team surfaced Thursday afternoon. Or, a version of it did. It was revealed shortly after 1 p.m. in the conference room with the long, wooden table and pictures of the city of Pittsburgh on the wall. It’s where...
Lessons from his father guide Frank Cignetti Jr. while he works to fix Pitt’s aerial game
Every morning when Frank Cignetti Jr. turns on the lights in his office, a tidal wave of thoughts rush toward him, followed by a seemingly endless series of questions and, hopefully, the right answers. • What kind of blitz will the next opponent throw at him? • What plays will...
No. 7 Louisville women’s team is ACC favorite but has lots of challengers
Louisville is the Atlantic Coast Conference favorite again, though fulfilling that lofty projection will require navigating a more crowded group of serious challengers. After recent seasons in which Louisville and North Carolina State comprised the league’s top tier, 2022-23 begins with several teams poised to make noise. The No. 7...
Linebacker Tylar Wiltz brings energy, and Pitt will need it against North Carolina
Linebacker Tylar Wiltz is only one man among many diverse personalities in the Pitt locker room. He’s not a captain or a starter, but defensive coordinator Randy Bates – whose demanding nature settles for nothing short of perfection – calls Wiltz “one of our top-producing players.” Bates was talking about...
Pitt notebook: Bub Means’ injury creates depth problem at wide receiver
Pitt faced a depth problem at wide receiver Saturday night before the Louisville game when Bub Means was injured during pregame warmups. “We thought they were going to be able to rub it down and put a little spit on it and he’d be ready to go,” coach Pat Narduzzi...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi defends Kedon Slovis, warns of ‘psychological effects’ of making a change
The cries for Pitt to replace quarterback Kedon Slovis get louder after a loss. So you can imagine the angst and downright ridicule that has erupted on social media since Saturday night. Pitt’s 24-10 loss to Louisville — a team that previously had lost to three other ACC teams while...
Pitt faces a season-defining gut check after taking a punch in the gut
When Pat Narduzzi sat down Sunday morning to figure out the bad smell coming from the offensive side of the room, perhaps this thought was swimming in his head: This season, this team, wasn’t supposed to be like this. Given how the offseason unfolded, no one could have rightfully expected...
Pitt falls flat on offense in 24-10 loss to Louisville
While quarterback Kedon Slovis continued to struggle to find comfort within the Pitt offense, his teammates on defense had his back for most of the game Saturday night. Just not long enough. The result was a 24-10 Louisville victory against the Panthers, who never found a smooth rhythm on offense...
Pitt opens basketball season with exhibition victory against Clarion
Jeff Capel wasn’t especially concerned about the final score Saturday afternoon at Petersen Events Center. The fact that six Pitt players contributed double-digit points in an exhibition game against Division II Clarion is something he noticed on the stat sheet and, perhaps, allowed himself one moment to enjoy. Quickly, however,...
Jim Bolla, who helped Pitt reach 1974 NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8, dies
Jim Bolla, the starting center on Pitt’s 1973-74 team that won a school-record 22 consecutive games, died Friday night. Bolla, a graduate of Bishop Canevin High School and a Crafton native, was 70. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Bolla, who later became...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers can avoid regression from 2021 by taking care of immediate business
When Pitt opened training camp in August, players and coaches predictably didn’t show any concern over the loss of Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison. Remember the slogan: Next man up. Nonetheless, regression seemed inevitable to some outsiders, and Pitt (4-2, 1-1 ACC) already has lost one game off its six-game...
Suspended Pitt basketball player accused of assaulting woman to stand trial on 2 counts
A highly touted Pitt basketball player will go to trial on two counts — strangulation and simple assault — after three other counts against him were thrown out. Dior Johnson, 18, of Oakland, appeared for a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Mik Pappas on Thursday. He testified briefly to...
Pitt notebook: Panthers ‘solid,’ but still seeking their best performance
When he met with reporters Thursday afternoon, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi agreed with what many have remarked about his team: The Panthers haven’t played their best game. “I think it’s coming. I don’t know when,” he said after completing the last practice before the trip to Louisville for the game...
While players get healthy, Pitt seeks defensive improvement over final 6 games
Pitt’s pass rushers still impact the quarterback. Sometimes, they get him on the ground. (Nineteen sacks in six games isn’t bad). But sometimes, they whiff. Sometimes, they force a quick pass that’s up for grabs. Sometimes, someone drops it. “We dropped four, maybe five interceptions (in the loss to Georgia...
Native Haitian, Pitt defensive end Deslin Alexandre gives back to homeland through NIL
The smiles on the Pitt football players after they won the ACC championship a year ago were born of hard work and the satisfaction of a job well done. Some time after this season — regardless of whether Pitt is able to bring home another ACC trophy — senior defensive...
Pitt’s Abanikanda, UNC’s Maye headline group of versatile ACC playmakers
Being listed at one skill position hasn’t stopped many Atlantic Coast Conference players from contributing elsewhere on offense. In fact, several are thriving because of their versatility. Pittsburgh running back Israel Abanikanda leads the nation in all-purpose yardage thanks to a string of eye-popping performances. North Carolina freshman quarterback Drake...
ACC preview: UNC, Duke stand out even with coaching turnover
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey was out recruiting during the Peach Jam summer tournament when someone cornered him with a question. “They said, ‘Hey Coach, do you think the two new guys at Duke and Carolina are going to do well?’” Brey recalled. “I said, ‘I hope not.’ But I...
Pitt picked to finish next to last in ACC preseason poll
Pitt’s basketball team will need to earn its respect on the floor this season. The Panthers were picked to finish 14th in the 15-team ACC in a preseason poll of 101 media members who attended the ACC Tipoff meetings last week. Only Georgia Tech finished behind the Panthers in the...
After-hours video study brings Pitt offensive linemen together
Every Tuesday and Wednesday after the evening meal, Dave Borbely’s offensive linemen (at least the ones without a night class) return to Pitt’s practice facility. Borbely programs the computer in his office to show videos of the opposing team’s defense, instructs the guys on what’s important and walks away. “If...
Pitt wide receiver Jaden Bradley plans to enter transfer portal
Pitt sophomore wide receiver Jaden Bradley, who caught two touchdown passes in the loss to Georgia Tech, announced Monday on Twitter his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Bradley, who was in the starting lineup in Pitt’s most recent game against Virginia Tech, is fifth on the team with...
Pitt loses injured offensive tackle Carter Warren for season
The news emerging from Pitt’s off week couldn’t have been worse for a coach who loves developing and sustaining a solid ground game. Pat Narduzzi announced Monday that senior offensive tackle Carter Warren, who has appeared in 40 games (39 starts) since 2019 while anchoring the left side of the...
