Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 55

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....

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...

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...

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 —...

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...

When Saturday night football away from home doesn’t interfere — as it’s done three times this season — Pat Narduzzi likes to attend Mass on Sunday mornings. Perhaps it’s a calming respite from the stress of the previous day’s Pitt game and the long work days ahead preparing for the...

If you need any more confirmation of how dramatically college basketball in general and Pitt’s program in particular have changed, you need look no further than the box score from the 2021 West Virginia game. Pitt coach Jeff Capel used nine players in the 74-59 loss to the Mountaineers on...

For the past several days, Pitt coaches and players have been talking about Virginia’s offense as if it isn’t ranked next-to-last in the ACC in average points per game (18.1). For all the praise heaped upon Cavaliers quarterback Brennan Armstrong, not one person associated with Pitt mentioned that he leads...

Anyone wondering what makes a kicker great — or what might put his head and toe slightly off center — should spend some time with Andre Powell. He has been instructing, counseling and offering his shoulder to kickers since 2004, when he was on the coaching staff at North Carolina....

Not only did Parker Stewart fail to reach 1,000 career points when he returned to Petersen Events Center on Monday night, but the former Pitt guard didn’t even finish the game. Less than halfway through the second half of Pitt’s season opening 80-58 win against Tennessee Martin, Stewart got tangled...

No one can guarantee how the rebuilt Pitt basketball team will look 30 games from now. But the 80-58 opening-night victory against Tennessee Martin on Monday at Petersen Events Center beats where the program was almost a year ago to the day: down and out after a 78-63 loss to...

Perhaps the most encouraging sign for the final three games of Pitt’s season is that coach Pat Narduzzi — and, presumably, his players — are not especially encouraged after the victory against Syracuse. “In all three phases, we left some plays on the field,” Narduzzi said. In other words, Pitt...

Pitt junior football player Dayon Hayes has been charged with one count of simple assault in connection with a domestic incident in Pittsburgh, according to criminal records. He was arrested Sunday night, arraigned and released on nonmonetary bail. Hayes is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 22...

Parker Stewart’s early college basketball career was marked by more off-court tragedy and on-court defeat than seems fair for any young man to endure. He was talented enough to play for Pitt and Indiana in two high-profile, power conferences, but when he was confronted with his final season of eligibility...

Perhaps the men on Pitt’s defensive line were embarrassed. All that talk last week about defensive tackle Calijah Kancey’s ejection being the turning point of the loss to North Carolina might have triggered the kind of emotion that can lead to dominance. Pat Narduzzi’s favorite victory formula worked effectively Saturday...

Despite all the dark moments of October, Pitt’s dominance of Syracuse on Saturday in its 19-9 victory was not unexpected. After all, the 22nd-ranked Orange (6-3, 3-2 ACC) haven’t won in Pittsburgh since 2001, the year the stadium formerly known as Heinz Field opened. Pitt (5-4, 2-3) wins so often...

Not many Pitt fans realize — or even care — that Jeff Capel won seven of his first eight games as the school’s basketball coach. That’s right. You can look it up. In November of 2018, Youngstown State, VMI, Troy, Central Arkansas, North Alabama, Saint Louis and Duquesne lost by...

For frustrated Pitt fans who feel personally wounded by their team’s two-game losing streak, know what’s real: The season isn’t over. Indeed, the final four games matter. Going from 4-4 to 4-8 would be a disaster, of course. Tiny bumps to 5-7 and 6-6 would be almost equally bad. And...

Duquesne men’s soccer coach Chase Brooks has assembled a roster of 35 players, including 13 who attended Western Pennsylvania high schools and 12 whose roots stretch over land, sea and across the globe. Given the players’ diverse backgrounds and scattered homelands — from Iceland to Vandergrift, Australia to Upper St....

There is no questioning the athleticism of Pitt’s defensive backs. The five who sweat and stress the most when the opposing quarterback puts the football in the air have enough experience, dating to the 2018 and ‘19 seasons, that nothing should surprise them. But speed, smarts and seasoning don’t always...

Pitt’s two exhibition games never were intended to offer a true look into the 2022-23 version of the Panthers basketball team. Pitt defeated Edinboro, 92-53, on Wednesday night at Petersen Events Center after its 103-51 victory Oct. 22 against Clarion. The Division II teams were picked to finish the season...

From front to back on every level of the Pitt defense and splashing over to offense, five players have separated themselves from the pack. Middle linebacker SirVocea Dennis, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and free safety Erick Hallett are semifinalists for the Butkus, Bednarik and Thorpe awards for the best players...

Perhaps the blame for the dramatic regression in the Pitt passing game rests largely with Jordan Addison. After all, he left Pitt for USC, taking with him the Biletnikoff Trophy, 100 receptions in 14 games and the speed and precision route running that probably will thrust him into the first...

The victories — 36 of them in the past three seasons, plus a berth in the 2020-21 College Cup — are the baubles Jay Vidovich and his Pitt men’s soccer players wear like badges of honor. But Vidovich’s goals for his team reach much deeper than what the scoreboard lights...

When Pat Narduzzi was asked what most displeased him about Pitt’s 42-24 loss to a North Carolina team that climbed on the backs of the Panthers to No. 17 in the Associated Press poll, he said, “You know what, I’ll start with the defense.” Then, he thought about how the...