Pitt notebook: Panthers getting healthier on defensive line, but offensive tackle Carter Warren misses Georgia Tech game
Rain kept many people out of the Acrisure Stadium seats Saturday night for Pitt’s ACC opener against Georgia Tech, but the return of a few important players was a bigger story. Defensive end Deslin Alexandre, a captain, made his first start since the opener Sept. 1, and end Habakkuk Baldonado,...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers start string of 8 games that matter, seeking to repeat as ACC Coastal champions
The games that really matter — the eight that will determine if Pitt has what it takes to return to the ACC championship game for the third time in five seasons — begin Saturday night when Georgia Tech visits Acrisure Stadium. How difficult is Pitt’s road to Charlotte, N.C.? There...
Pitt defense makes positive strides while mindful of its mistakes
If you told Randy Bates his Pitt defense is fourth in the 14-team ACC in yards allowed, his answer would be predictable. Something like: “Why aren’t we No. 1?” Pitt’s defensive coordinator demands perfection from his players, no matter the circumstances they must overcome. But perhaps the defense is quietly...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans load up an (almost) ‘all Kenny Pickett, all the time’ edition
I have a concern about the Pittsburgh Steelers. What if coach Mike Tomlin does replace Mitch Trubisky with Kenny Pickett? And then, what if Pickett stinks and Tomlin goes back to Trubisky? I mean, what are people going to complain about? This column is going to run out of material...
While waiting for downfield catch opportunities to surface, Pitt wide receivers learn the importance of blocking
Tiquan Underwood was a star wide receiver at Rutgers, where he caught 132 passes for 1,931 yards and 16 touchdowns. Over five NFL seasons, he caught another 63 balls for 1,006 yards and six scores. Nice playing career, for sure. Yet Underwood — now coaching wide receivers at Pitt —...
Grading Pitt: Overcoming injuries leads to 3-1 record and hope for start of ACC play
The questions on the minds of Pitt fans thirsty for another championship are these: • Just how good is Pitt? • Are trips to Charlotte, N.C., and the ACC Championship game part of the Panthers’ destiny for the second consecutive season? • Without Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison, how can...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel eager to see the results of his offseason reconstruction project
Finally, Pitt coach Jeff Capel can put down his phone and start doing what he loves and does best: coach basketball. Capel opened basketball practice Monday at Petersen Events Center with seven players who weren’t on the team last season, and he’s eager to see the tangible results of a...
Georgia Tech fires Geoff Collins in 4th season with 10-28 mark
ATLANTA — Geoff Collins is out as Georgia Tech’s football coach, fired Monday in the midst of his fourth season after failing to make headway with a brash plan to turn the Yellow Jackets into a national powerhouse through branding and promoting Atlanta’s big-city culture. Collins was officially dumped during...
Pat Narduzzi reflects on 8 seasons at Pitt on the day Georgia Tech fires coach Geoff Collins
After Dave Wannstedt was fired in 2010 and in the four years before Pat Narduzzi arrived on the day after Christmas, 2014, Pitt football players called six men coach: Three interims with one-game tenures, Michael Haywood, whose two weeks ended badly, and two others — Todd Graham and Paul Chryst...
First Call: Update on Jets plans at QB before playing Steelers; another milestone for Aaron Donald; rebuilding Matt Murray
Monday’s “First Call” looks at the New York Jets quarterback situation in advance of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. We also have Aaron Donald’s latest milestone and a big day for a former Steeler in Miami. Plus, an in-depth piece about Matt Murray’s attempt to rediscover his game in...
Pitt secures verbal commitment from Florida wide receiver Daidren Zipperer
Three hours after its victory against Rhode Island, Pitt received more good news Saturday night when wide receiver Daidren Zipperer made a verbal commitment to the Panthers. 100% Commited ???????? #h2p pic.twitter.com/Y886xSjVLM— Daidren Zipperer ???? (@daidrenz) September 25, 2022 Zipperer (6-foot, 165 pounds) is the 19th prospect from the class...
Pitt notebook: M.J. Devonshire calms his nerves after finding mom in the stands
M.J. Devonshire had returned many punts prior to his 82-yard touchdown in the first three minutes of Pitt’s 45-24 victory against Rhode Island on Saturday. But most of those occurred at Aliquippa High School’s Pit. So, when Pitt’s coaches told him Friday night that the job was his, he admitted...
Izzy Abanikanda’s 4 touchdowns lead Pitt to 45-24 victory against Rhode Island
Izzy Abanikanda hears the names of Pitt’s all-time great running backs and figuratively bows in due respect. Yet he is not in awe. Perhaps that’s because he aspires to one day be among them. Pitt’s junior running back still has a long way to go — Tony Dorsett and Curtis...
Pitt vs. Rhode Island matters, but Pat Narduzzi will monitor playing time
Pitt’s game against Rhode Island will unfold Saturday at Acrisure Stadium and on the ACC Network just like any other. It’s Power 5 vs. FCS — not as appealing as the first two home games this season — but it still matters. Nonetheless, Pitt’s coaching staff might not manage it...
Pat Narduzzi’s head full of thoughts on quarterbacks, Rhode Island, bocce ball courts
Reporters never know what they might hear on a typical Thursday afternoon when a relaxed Pat Narduzzi is confident that “the hay’s in the barn” and his team is almost ready to play. This? “(Kedon) Slovis is ready to roll. Nate Yarnell is ready to roll. Nick Patti is ready...
First Call: Todd Haley has a specific concern about Steelers offense; Pat Narduzzi is convinced Kenny Pickett will be ready
Thursday’s “First Call” has a different view of the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive woes from a former coordinator. Pitt’s coach thinks his former QB can get the job done as soon as he is allowed to play. Things aren’t great for the Cleveland Browns. And the New York Yankees did something...
Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac unafraid to make his players mad
An important part of good coaching is knowing what buttons to push and when to push them, and recognizing how much adversity is the right amount to throw at players. The idea is to ensure they won’t be surprised on gameday. Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac likes when his players...
If necessary, ‘mild-mannered’ Pitt quarterback Nate Yarnell can show an angry side
You would never guess what burns inside Nate Yarnell by watching the video of Pitt’s quarterback calmly sitting at the piano, playing Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” There’s another side of the 6-foot-6, 20-year-old Texan that, if triggered, could serve him well — as a football player, not a concert pianist. Great...
Ben Roethlisberger wants more ‘shots down the field’ from Steelers offense, less heat from fans on Mitch Trubisky
Big Ben wants bigger plays from the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. In the latest edition of his “Footbahlin’” podcast, the team’s former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a conversation with former Steeler and NFL analyst Merril Hoge. Roethlisberger said that he’d like to see the Steelers be more aggressive on offense. “Go...
Winning with backups gives Pitt satisfying feeling
Pat Narduzzi doesn’t experiment when he designs gameplans and lineups. His personnel choices are made based on what he and his assistants believe gives Pitt the best chance to win. Nonetheless, some part of him felt especially gratified Saturday night when he was able to keep starting quarterback Kedon Slovis...
Pat Narduzzi reunites with his Rhode Island roots before perhaps stepping into Pitt’s record book
Every summer, Pat Narduzzi and his family return to his wife Donna’s roots and vacation in Rhode Island. An annual part of the trip is a fishing excursion with Narduzzi’s college teammate, roommate and close friend to this day, Vinny Turco, who knows better than most what makes the Pitt...
Plenty of good on the field, some bad off it, but Pitt found a way to win
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Pat Narduzzi should have been happy with all that happened at Waldo Stadium on Saturday night. He was not. Make no mistake, Pitt’s coach was pleased with the 34-13 victory against Western Michigan that marked a couple of achievements: • The eighth time in 10 games, dating...
Embracing relief role, freshman Nate Yarnell steps behind center, leads Pitt to 34-13 victory
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Nothing Nate Yarnell did Saturday night surprised Pat Narduzzi. But he couldn’t say the same for something he saw from his redshirt freshman quarterback earlier in the day. In his first start since his junior year at Lake Travis (Texas) High School three years ago, Yarnell stepped...
Pitt’s Nate Yarnell starts Western Michigan game, replacing Kedon Slovis
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Redshirt freshman Nate Yarnell stepped under center to start Pitt’s game Saturday night against Western Michigan. The game represented his first snaps as a collegian. Regular starting quarterback Kedon Slovis was in uniform and warming up before the game. But he apparently wasn’t recovered sufficiently after getting...
Western Michigan tailgaters don’t ask ‘Where’s Waldo?’ or ‘Where’s Elvis?’ before Pitt game
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — On an asphalt sidewalk adjacent to the Western Michigan track, a gang of several students was walking away from Waldo Stadium. They didn’t have to ask, “Where’s Waldo?” They already knew, but they had other pursuits in mind. “Isn’t there a game tonight? Where are you going?”...
