Xavier Johnson comes up big in closing seconds as Pitt clips Kansas State
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Xavier Johnson made a short jumper with 10.1 seconds left to give his team the lead, then made two free throws with 4.6 seconds to help Pitt top Kansas State, 63-59, in the Fort Myers TipOff on Monday night. “Coach (Jeff Capel) drew up a play,...
NFL decisions loom for some of Pitt’s upperclassmen
With two games left this season — Boston College on Saturday at Heinz Field and a bowl game — Pitt (7-4, 4-3) has an opportunity to win nine games for the first time in 10 years. That would represent progress not only for Pat Narduzzi’s five-year tenure but for the...
Pitt wrestling upsets No. 7 Lehigh
In a match that came down to criteria No. 3, Pitt outscored No. 7 Lehigh in total points and came away with a 19-18 upset victory in a wrestling match Sunday. Panther heavyweight Demetrius Thomas defeated Jordan Wood, 10-6, in the final bout to tie the score at 18-18. Both...
Pitt’s loss to Virginia Tech was bad, but Boston College game offers hope
You can’t put makeup on Pitt’s shutout loss to Virginia Tech and make it look like anything but what it is: A disappointing performance that included 10 penalties, something you might think would not happen to any team after four months of practice and 10 games. Especially a team that...
Georgetown ousts Pitt men’s soccer from NCAA Tournament
The Pitt men’s soccer team hoped to continue to make history Sunday afternoon, but Georgetown had other plans. Three days after achieving their first NCAA Tournament win in program history, the Panthers dropped a 5-0 decision to No. 3-seeded Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Shaw...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi defends Paris Ford after another ejection
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Pat Narduzzi called it “a great tackle.” But game officials Saturday at Lane Stadium said Pitt safety Paris Ford was guilty of a helmet-to-helmet hit on Virginia Tech wide receiver Tre Turner in the fourth quarter of the 28-0 loss. Per rule, Ford was ejected from the...
Duquesne women rout Pitt in annual City Game
Freshman Amaya Hamilton scored 17 points to lead a balanced Duquesne attack in an 81-62 victory over the Pitt women Saturday in the annual City Game at Petersen Events Center. Amanda Kalin shot 7 of 11 from the field and finished with 16 points for the Dukes (4-2), who led...
Virginia Tech hands Pitt its first shutout in 11 yearsVideo
BLACKSBURG, Va. — The opportunity was there Saturday for Pitt to make a loud statement about its football program. In the end, however, that was just one reason why the final score — Virginia Tech 28, Pitt 0 — hurt so much as the Panthers (7-4, 4-3) walked quietly out...
It’s not Metallica vs. Neil Diamond, but Pitt-Virginia Tech worth watching
Virginia Tech has Metallica’s high-intensity “Enter Sandman.” Pitt has the Neil Diamond ballad, “Sweet Caroline.” Before you make a rush to judgment, their music choices at games is no comment on the two football programs that clash Saturday in Blacksburg, Va. Both teams are among the best in the ACC...
Pitt men’s soccer captures 1st NCAA tourney win in program historyVideo
On Thursday evening, in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Ambrose Urbanic Field, it was clear the Pitt men’s soccer team was out to accomplish something that never had been done in program history. After receiving their first bid into the NCAA Tournament since 1965, the Panthers wanted to take...
Fred Cox, former Pitt, NFL standout who invented Nerf football, dies at 80
A legendary native of Monongahela and an NFL icon, Fred Cox, died Wednesday in Minnesota from complications due to kidney failure. Cox, 80, had been in hospice care in his home in Monticello for some time before his death. After his football career, with the help of Minnesota entrepreneur John...
Freshman Justin Champagnie reaches another level in Pitt winVideo
The early days of Justin Champagnie’s collegiate career have unveiled a talented freshman who can score, rebound and keep a level head while attacking a zone defense. Or, as Pitt coach Jeff Capel described it: “Not panic in the middle of chaos.” Champagnie showed maturity beyond his 18 years Thursday...
Pitt football notebook: Maurice Ffrench hopes steel plate in his jaw will get him back on the field
If Pitt wide receiver Maurice Ffrench plays Saturday at Virginia Tech, he’ll do it with a steel plate stabilizing his broken jaw. Ffrench had the plate inserted after he injured his jaw in the Georgia Tech game. He did not play against North Carolina, and coach Pat Narduzzi said his...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi takes offense to critics of ACC, Coastal divisionVideo
Pat Narduzzi coaches in the ACC. He has been to the conference championship game and, more to the point, he has won 10 of his past 14 regular-season conference games. So, of course, Pitt’s coach is an unashamed ambassador for the conference, especially when it comes to defending the league...
Pitt’s Damar Hamlin describes ‘stressful’ night after ejectionVideo
When his Heinz Field nightmare was over and Pitt’s overtime victory against North Carolina was assured, Damar Hamlin saw athletic director Heather Lyke before any of his teammates. Hamlin, Pitt’s senior safety, had been ejected for targeting in the second quarter last Thursday and spent the rest of the night...
Jeff Capel adds three prospects to Pitt basketball program
Pitt basketball coach Jeff Capel received signed letters of intent Tuesday from three high school prospects who are due to enroll next year. The common thread among Max Amadasun, Noah Collier and John Hugley is no one is shorter than 6-foot-8. “We are adding three high-level talents with a great...
Injuries to seniors give pair of Pitt receivers bigger rolesVideo
Jason Pinnock’s eyes lit up when the conversation turned to Jared Wayne, the freshman wide receiver from Canada by way of Clearwater, Fla. Actually, it was a remarkable reaction from Pitt’s junior cornerback when you consider Wayne has a mere five receptions for 47 yards and has played in only...
Xavier Johnson punches back, helps Pitt defeat MonmouthVideo
Jeff Capel could see that Xavier Johnson, his star point guard, was struggling. Capel also knew it was more than just Johnson’s inability to make shots consistently that was bothering him. “I was reading about what other people were saying about me,” Johnson said. “It was bad. I was getting...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi wants more from already stout defenseVideo
Pat Narduzzi praises his team when he determines players have earned it. He will defend them when he believes it’s appropriate. But when the defense allows 322 passing yards, is gashed by a 59-yard run and fails to get off the field on six of 14 third downs, he will...
Pitt men’s soccer team earns 1st NCAA bid since 1965
A season to remember for the Pitt men’s soccer team isn’t over yet. The No. 25 Panthers (9-7-2) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, marking their first appearance since 1965. No better feeling!?#H2P | @NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/mtXNcqecyl— Pitt Men's Soccer (@Pitt_MSOC) November 18, 2019 Pitt, ranked for...
Here’s how Pitt can play in the Orange Bowl (but it’s far from a lock)
Pitt never has played in the Orange Bowl, but two more victories in the regular season and some help the day after Thanksgiving could make it happen. If Clemson wins the ACC championship and is among the top four teams in the College Football Playoff rankings at season’s end, the...
West Virginia thunders past Pitt with 2nd-half surgeVideo
If the Backyard Brawl is supposed to create a hostile environment for the opposing team, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins didn’t see anything like that Friday night at Petersen Events Center. Pitt was anything but a hostile host in a 68-53 loss to Mountaineers in the 187th renewal of one...
Pitt-North Carolina wrap-up: Kenny Pickett, penalties, Coastal chances
In the aftermath of Pitt’s 34-27 overtime victory against North Carolina, so many thoughts must be on the minds of Pitt fans. Some good, some concerning: • The resurgence of Kenny Pickett and the introduction of a deep passing game heads the list. • Too many penalties and Pat Narduzzi’s...
Pitt’s Shocky Jacques-Louis conducts himself — and the band — in a winning manner
Pitt sophomore wide receiver Shocky Jacques-Louis caught four passes for 104 yards, carried twice for another 20 and even returned two kickoffs for a total of 36. Then, after Pitt’s 34-27 overtime victory against North Carolina on Thursday night at Heinz Field, he climbed a ladder and conducted the Pitt...
Pitt ends skid against North Carolina with wild OT victoryVideo
When the band stopped playing and Heinz Field was nearly empty after Pitt’s tense 34-27 overtime victory, Jaylen Twyman turned to his older teammate, senior cornerback Dane Jackson, in one of those private locker room moments and put Thursday night in perspective. “It’s all for you, bro,” he said. Finally,...
