Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 59

No one is ignoring the reality of Pitt’s opening game. Defeating West Virginia, 38-31, was a relief, but the performance wasn’t good enough for those invested in the program. “There are some things we have to clean up,” senior wide receiver Jared Wayne said. Yet, he added, “Anytime you score...

Duquesne men’s basketball will appear on national television via the USA Network twice in Atlantic 10 play this season, according to the conference schedule released Wednesday. The televised games will be played at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 11 against St. Bonaventure and 2 p.m. Feb. 26...

By Pat Narduzzi’s stopwatch, Tennessee will snap the football between 7 and 12 seconds after the end of the previous play about 75% of the time Saturday. Operating against that tempo, Pitt strong safety Brandon Hill might have enough time to get in place, size up the opposing players, steal...

Pitt’s dramatic, come-from-behind victory against West Virginia on Thursday night didn’t impress the Associated Press Top 25 voters enough to move the Panthers off their preseason ranking. Pitt (1-0) remained 17th in the nation in the poll released Tuesday afternoon, the first this season that reflects outcomes on the field....

Let’s check the facts surrounding Pitt’s next game, a Saturday visit by Tennessee to Acrisure Stadium, representing the first time an SEC team has played in Pittsburgh. Pitt won the ACC championship last season, finished 13th in the final Associated Press poll, opened 2022 at No. 17, and followed up...

In his eight seasons at Pitt, Pat Narduzzi has been reluctant to offer details or even discuss injured players, not unlike any coach who’s ever worn a whistle. At least two injury issues emerged Thursday night when defensive end Deslin Alexandre and running back Rodney Hammond Jr. left the West...

Mac Lynch doesn’t know how his great-grandfather became a football coach, his name rightfully etched among such Tennessee notables as Robert Neyland, Doug Dickey, Johnny Majors, Phillip Fulmer and current coach Josh Heupel, who will bring his team to Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. But you could look it up: Joseph...

After Pitt fans set aside the hate they have for West Virginia and wiped away those tears of joy triggered by the 38-31 victory, they should face the truth: There are issues that need to be addressed with this football team. The Backyard Brawl on Thursday night had the feel...

Traffic tie-ups well before rush hour, tailgate parties springing up at many parking spots on the North Shore and a record crowd inside Acrisure Stadium made the renewal of the Backyard Brawl special. More so for victorious Pitt than West Virginia, considering that the Mountaineers led by seven deep into...

The game was sitting there for the West Virginia Mountaineers to secure in their travel bags, hit the country roads and return to Morgantown with a shocking upset. But Neal Brown decided to punt. With 6 minutes, 17 seconds left and WVU leading No. 17 Pitt, 31-24, on Thursday night...

The Pitt sideline at Acrisure Stadium was teeming with recruits and recruiters before the West Virginia-Pitt game Thursday night. One guy — an unofficial Pitt recruiter — stood out among the crowd. Tony Dorsett, who is Pitt’s only Heisman Trophy winner, was engaged in an animated conversation with Austintown Fitch...

Duquesne men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot will put his 34-18 nonconference record on the line with a 13-game schedule that begins Nov. 8 against Montana at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Duquesne is 84-3 when opening at home (4-0 under Dambrot). The Dukes will leave the city for only two games...

The Backyard Brawl returns to Pittsburgh on Thursday night for the first time since 2010, and it almost sounds like a football game wrapped around a college reunion. Former Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt will address the current players at their pregame meal, and will share hugs and old stories with...

The night the Backyard Brawl faded away, Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri was sacked 10 times in a 21-20 West Virginia victory in Morgantown. Panthers coach Todd Graham said the loss “devastated” him. That was Nov. 25, 2011. The schools separated by 75 miles of Interstate 79 haven’t met since. The...

The Backyard Brawl will be contested Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium, but its significance – and the game’s outcome – will resonate far beyond the North Shore. You’d have a hard time convincing Dave Wannstedt otherwise. The former Pitt player and head coach has been designated the Panthers’ honorary captain...

It’s only a two-letter word, but “or” speaks volumes when Pat Narduzzi places it next to a player’s name on the Pitt depth chart. It means no one has stepped forward to claim the starting job and the competition will continue. That said, it was a mild surprise when Narduzzi...

When Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi played at Rhode Island, the football team’s chief rival was Brown, an Ivy League school 30 miles to the north. “That was your big rivalry? Really?” he said, recalling his collegiate days Monday during the first of his weekly chats with reporters. He learned quickly...

With so much talk about the Backyard Brawl resonating up and down Interstate 79, you might wonder: Where did the name Backyard Brawl originate? Most people believe it wasn’t bestowed on what would become one of college football’s most passionate rivalries until the 1960s when the late Pittsburgh Press sports...

When Pat Narduzzi appeared on the ACC Network last week — somewhat of a celebrity after winning the conference championship nine months ago — Pitt’s coach said he planned to put a blanket over the 2021 conference championship trophy. “We’ll just focus on what we’re going to do this year,”...

The football teams of Pitt and West Virginia started playing each other in 1895. The Mountaineers won the first three games by scores of 8-0, 6-0 and 6-5. They decided to keep playing, anyway. In 1904, after scoring a total of 29 points over six games, Pitt won 53-0, starting...

After losing a Heisman Trophy finalist and Biletnikoff winner, it’s only natural to expect some degree of regression in Pitt football. Kenny Pickett’s arm and leadership and Jordan Addison’s ability to make defensive backs look like they were standing still made it difficult to defend Pitt’s passing attack last season....

The running back whose thick thighs, quick, nimble feet and broad back helped carry Pitt to its most historic upset victory returned to town Friday. LeSean “Shady” McCoy was the guest speaker at the Pitt Kickoff Luncheon, where 17 seniors sat at the head table while hundreds of fans filled...

Pat Narduzzi usually is not a risk-taking coach. But he believes it’s no gamble changing kickers from Sam Scarton to Ben Sauls. After Scarton hit 17 of 21 field-goal attempts last season, Narduzzi on Friday said Sauls, a redshirt sophomore who handled the kickoff duties in 2021, also will kick...