While dealing with covid threat, Pitt’s Jeff Capel prepares to hit road with his playersVideo
Jeff Capel is pleased with how Pitt has improved since the beginning of the season, recovering from an embarrassing loss to St. Francis (Pa.) to win two games while scoring in the 80s. But it’s a small sample size and even smaller consolation, compared to what lurks outside Petersen Events...
Ithiel Horton gets involved as balanced Pitt rolls past Northern Illinois
Justin Champagnie has known Ithiel Horton and watched him make shots for a long time, even before they became teammates at Pitt. So, Champagnie was not surprised Saturday night when Horton snapped out of his two-game slump and hit five 3-pointers to help lead Pitt (2-1) to an 89-59 nonconference...
Pitt adds Virginia 4-star linebacker to its best recruiting class in nearly two decades
Pitt continued to add talent to its best recruiting class in nearly two decades Friday when four-star outside linebacker/defensive end Naquan Brown, who decommitted from 2019 national champion LSU on Thursday, pledged to enroll next year. Brown is a student at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Va. Enough...
Pitt’s Au’Diese Toney, Karim Coulibaly built confidence after strong finish to last season
There was nothing remarkable about the final six weeks of the 2019-20 Pitt basketball season. The Panthers lost 10 of 13 games to finish with the program’s fourth consecutive losing record (16-17, 6-10 ACC). Yet, anyone watching closely — and Jeff Capel was surely one — could see signs of...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel tackles long list of improvements before confronting ACC
Two games into Pitt’s season — and with a 10-point loss to a mid-major team that didn’t win its conference last season — there are more items on Jeff Capel’s to-do list than he can address in a week’s time. Especially this week, with players taking final exams while preparing...
Pitt adds game vs. Northern Illinois on Saturday at the Pete
Jeff Capel wanted to enter the ACC portion of Pitt’s schedule with more than four nonconference games behind him. He made it happen Tuesday by adding No. 5. Pitt will play Northern Illinois of the MAC at 7 p.m. Saturday at Petersen Events Center. Northern Illinois (0-1) suffered a tough...
Pitt’s D.J. Turner invited to Fort Worth, Texas, to work out for pro scouts
Pitt senior wide receiver/returner D.J. Turner has been invited to participate in the 2021 College Gridiron Showcase & Symposium Jan. 17-21, in Fort Worth, Texas. Turner, who joined the team in September after transferring from Maryland, is Pitt’s second-leading pass catcher, with 39 receptions for 552 yards (14.2 per catch)...
Pitt gets commitment from 6th offensive lineman in class of 2021
Pitt continued to stack offensive linemen in its class of 2021 on Tuesday when Kyle Fugedi of Livonia, Mich., confirmed his verbal commitment on Twitter. 1000% Committed @Pitt_FB @CoachDuzzPittFB @CoachBorbs @FranklinFootbal @AllenTrieu @KLAASports @TheDZone @Chris_Topher58 @fugedi_lynne @ryleeguidashh #H2P #PITT2L1TT pic.twitter.com/CSBqqn8PVG— Kyle Fugedi (@kylefugedi) December 1, 2020 With only 15 days...
Madden Monday: Ultimate chaos theory scenario for Steelers-Ravens, pounding Pitt athletics
Of all the doomsday scenarios, hypotheticals, and “what ifs” about what could happen with the oft-delayed Steelers-Ravens matchup, here’s an absolute doozy. Mark Madden advanced it during our “Madden Monday” podcast. What if the Steelers-Ravens game still can’t be played Tuesday? And, as a result, both teams finish with only...
Pitt gets commitment from tight end Gavin Bartholomew; 2021 class ranked 20th in nation
All news regarding Pitt wasn’t bad this weekend. Committed!?? #H2P pic.twitter.com/Y2Pu3DpoTV— Gavin Bartholomew (@GavinBartholom6) November 30, 2020 Tight end Gavin Bartholomew, a senior at Blue Mountain High School in Schuylkill Haven, gave coach Pat Narduzzi a verbal commitment Sunday. He is the sixth recruit from Pennsylvania to join Pitt’s 2021...
Pitt’s overall 5-5 record gives defensive end Rashad Weaver no reason to smile
When at some point next year, he sets aside the failures that marked Pitt’s season, defensive end Rashad Weaver might crack a proud smile. For now, however, he is toiling for a team that has lost as many games (five) as it’s won, and that doesn’t sit well with him....
Xavier Johnson sets pace for Pitt in 1st victory against Drexel
Pitt point guard Xavier Johnson took the season-opening loss to St. Francis (Pa.) to heart, so he heeded Panthers coach Jeff Capel’s advice to concentrate on setting the tempo and taking care of the ball. With Johnson in control, Pitt never trailed Drexel. And when the game got too close...
Miserable night for Pitt against ‘measuring stick’ Clemson
Pitt’s 52-17 loss to Clemson on Saturday night was bad, but no more devastating than any of the four that preceded it. Whether it was 31-19 to Miami or the three interceptions Joey Yellen threw in a 42-point loss to Notre Dame or the failure to overcome one-point deficits while...
Pitt freshman William Jeffress makes impact, learns a valuable lesson in college debut
Jeff Capel was critical of the lackluster start by Pitt in its season-opening 80-70 loss to St. Francis (Pa.), saying he was surprised by the lack of energy at the start and wondering whether it was nerves or jitters. The youngest player on the Panthers, and one of the youngest...
Another marquee matchup offers Pitt the chance to leave its mark on college football, 2020
In most seasons, Pitt doesn’t get many chances to impact who goes — or doesn’t go — to the College Football Playoff. But for the second time in a month, the Panthers confront one of the top three teams in the nation. They lost to No. 2 Notre Dame, 45-3,...
DC Randy Bates hopes Pitt’s sacks, interceptions turn into something bigger
Ignoring Pitt’s won/loss record and focusing only on the good-news stats might raise false hope about the Panthers’ chances of upsetting Clemson on Saturday. “You are what your record says you are,” Bill Parcells famously remarked. His point was a team can look good, but if you don’t win the...
St. Francis builds big halftime lead, holds on to stun Pitt in season opener
Pitt players confessed they didn’t know much about their opponent in the season opener, other than that St. Francis (Pa.) was a member of the Northeast Conference. That almost always assured the Panthers of a victory, as they had only lost once in 44 previous games against NEC teams. So...
Pitt’s Alex Kessman: ‘Every kick is a game-winning kick’
Alex Kessman is a kicker. By definition, he stops and thinks about everything. “Ninety percent of what I do is between the ears,” he said. The snap, the hold, even the wind. Why should his future get less attention? No one at Pitt has booted more field goals (64) through...
Panthers ready to ‘feed off each other’s energy’ as Pitt opens basketball season in empty arena
The Pitt Panthers are ready to open the basketball season against St. Francis on Wednesday night, even if it’s in an empty arena. Pitt junior swingman Au’Diese Toney said the Panthers have been practicing with “fake fans in the arena” by playing automated crowd noise to simulate the sounds of...
Jimmy Morrissey ventures into Death Valley, hoping to find the missing piece to his Pitt career
When he was asked how he has grown over the past four years, Jimmy Morrissey smiled and rubbed his chin with pride. “I can grow facial here now, as you guys can see,” Pitt’s senior center said Tuesday over a Zoom call with reporters. Of course, there’s more to Morrissey’s...
Pitt women’s basketball team ready to take step forward behind deeper roster
Newcomers made an immediate impact for the Pitt women’s basketball team a year ago. The Panthers hope for more of the same this season. Coach Lance White welcomed a tall and physical recruiting class, as well as New Mexico transfer Jayla Everett. Coupled with a talented group of returning sophomores...
Pitt-Northwestern game will anchor ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 9
The Pitt men’s basketball team will play at Northwestern at 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 9 in the final game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The game, to be televised on ESPNU, is the 20th meeting between the schools. Northwestern leads the all-time series, 10-9, but Pitt has won the past...
ACC basketball preview: No. 4 Virginia opens season as favoriteVideo
Tony Bennett was pleased how his Virginia team played in the weeks before the coronavirus pandemic abruptly shut down last season. That’s the foundation he is relying on for the fourth-ranked Cavaliers, the preseason ACC favorite for the first time in nearly four decades in a race featuring No. 9...
Pitt will limit attendance at the Pete to 500 people
The Petersen Events Center will be a relatively quiet place for the foreseeable future. Adhering to new state and local covid-19 restrictions, Pitt will not offer general seating for single game tickets for home basketball games and will limit attendance to 500 people, the university announced Tuesday morning. Total capacity...
Underdog Pitt prepares to face 4th-ranked Clemson, Trevor LawrenceVideo
The topic was quarterbacks and underdogs Monday at Pat Narduzzi’s weekly chat with reporters. It’s Clemson week. What did you expect? Certainly not a discussion of what oddsmakers are saying about Pitt’s game Saturday in Death Valley against No. 4 Clemson. Narduzzi wants no part of that particular conversation. “I...
