Observations from Pitt’s opening-night loss to Virginia
Some thoughts the day after the Pitt Panthers’ opening-night 30-14 loss to Virginia: • Pitt still has trouble completing passes to the tight end. Will Gragg caught three passes for 4 yards and Rutgers transfer Nakia Griffin-Stewart dropped a pass on third down. • Maurice Ffrench, Taysir Mack and Tre...
Pitt’s run game disappears in loss to Virginia
Damar Hamlin promised to go home, crank up his iPad and start figuring out what went wrong. Pitt’s senior free safety said he planned to do so early Sunday morning before he went to bed. Sleep probably came fitfully, anyway, for many of the Pitt players after their unfortunate performance...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt came dressed to kill, but the Panthers delivered a dudVideo
If the hangdog expression on Heather Lyke’s face didn’t display the depth of her disappointment in Pitt’s 30-14 season-opening loss to Virginia, Pat Narduzzi’s explanation filled in the blanks. Lyke looked like someone who spent countless hours decorating for and delivering a birthday extravaganza, only to see the surprise spoiled...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt falls flat in second half of season opener against Virginia
It was a picture-perfect setting for a season opener. Pitt looked resplendent in its new royal blue and university gold uniforms. The playing surface was impeccable, and the temperature at kickoff was 72 degrees. All the Panthers had to do was open with a victory. That was the problem. ACC...
Pitt lends Virginia helping hand in season-opening lossVideo
Pat Narduzzi trusted his quarterback Saturday night and paid the price in Pitt’s 30-14 loss to Virginia at Heinz Field. Opening night was supposed to trigger the rebirth of Pitt’s passing game, with junior quarterback Kenny Pickett directing an offense designed by first-year coordinator Mark Whipple. Instead, it was a...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi reveals names of freshmen who could play this season
Pat Narduzzi wants it both ways. He is curious to see what his freshmen have learned in training camp. But who can tell if the guys don’t play in real games? Yet, if Narduzzi plays them in five or more games, there goes the redshirt and one precious year of...
Pine-Richland grad Kristen Murslack named assistant coach with Pitt swimming
Pine-Richland graduate and former Auburn swimmer Kristen Murslack is returning to the scene of some of her greatest high school accomplishments. Murslack, 24, recently was named an assistant coach with Pitt swimming and diving. “I grew up swimming and competing at Trees Pool,” said Murslack, a four-time WPIAL Class AAA...
Analysis: Game-by-game predictions for Pitt football
Predicting Pitt’s season, game-by-game: Saturday vs. Virginia: The Cavaliers’ 3-4 defense is a tough matchup for a young offensive line in Week 1. Virginia 20, Pitt 13. ••• Sept. 7 vs. Ohio: Another running QB gets in Pitt’s way, but Panthers find a way to slow down Nathan Rourke. Pitt...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett: Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple brings swagVideo
In the final days of Pitt’s nearly summer-long prep for Virginia, Kenny Pickett made an interesting observation about his first-year quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. “When you see the confidence (Mark Whipple) has and the swag he walks around with, it affects everybody,” Pitt’s junior quarterback said. “If you can...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi unafraid to admit nerves are part of any game
After weeks of preparation for his fifth season opener as Pitt’s coach, Pat Narduzzi said his feelings of nervousness are the same for ACC foe Virginia as they were in 2015 when Youngstown State was on the other sideline. Only the stakes change. “If someone tells you,’I’m not nervous,’ maybe...
Pitt cross country set to host first home meet in 42 years
For the first time in 42 years, the Pitt men’s and women’s cross country teams will start their 2019 season by hosting five programs for the inaugural Pitt Panther Opener at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Swissvale. While the season-opening meet will be special for the Pitt cross country program,...
Top 2018 Pitt recruit Mychale Salahuddin leaves program
Redshirt freshman running back Mychale Salahuddin, a four-star running back in high school and the highest-rated recruit in Pitt’s Class of 2018, decided to leave the program, coach Pat Narduzzi said Thursday. Salahuddin was limited throughout most of training camp while recovering from knee surgery after an injury suffered during...
Pitt’s Tre Tipton gets head start on his last chance
At age 23, Tre Tipton might be approaching the end of his football career. He knows it, accepts it and doesn’t regret it. But before he gets there, he has work to do, goals to reach and, he hopes, some fun to experience on Pitt football game days. Tipton, a...
Virginia presents an array of issues for Pitt in season openerVideo
In so many ways, Virginia is not a typical opponent for Pitt to confront at the outset of the season. Pitt has opened the season with a conference game only twice, losing to West Virginia, 34-0, in the Big East in 1996 and Florida State, 41-13, in 2013. Pitt is...
After only 2 scrimmages, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi looks for clean opener
NFL teams play four exhibitions before games start to count. College football isn’t designed that way. Teams conduct a few live scrimmages plus almost daily practices. Much of it, however, is held with limited contact in the hopes of keeping players healthy for the season. Pitt had two scrimmages, the...
Steady Stephanie Williams plays key role in rise of Pitt volleyball program
After taking a look at the video sent by assistant Craig Dyer, Pitt women’s volleyball coach Dan Fisher nodded knowingly. He immediately was convinced he needed to make Stephanie Williams part of his burgeoning program. At a smidge under 6-foot, she wasn’t the tallest outside hitter. She wasn’t the flashiest...
Virginia will be tough for Pitt to beat, ACC analysts believeVideo
ACC Network analysts Tim Hasselbeck and Jon Beason didn’t come out and directly predict Pitt will lose to Virginia on Saturday night. But while speaking to reporters on a conference call Monday morning, they gave a clear indication the Cavaliers will be tough to beat. “It’s going to be tough...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi names starters at most positions, but still likes the depth of his roster
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi thinks and acts like almost all of his coaching brethren. They all follow these strict tenets: • Don’t give up too much information. • Be as vague as possible when discussing personnel and strategy. • Keep alive the notion of competition at every position. Yet when...
Kevin Gorman: For Pitt football, winning at home would be nice startVideo
Pat Narduzzi was so thrilled to learn he’s undefeated in his first four season openers you would have thought someone switched Pitt’s colors back to Navy and Vegas gold. “I didn’t know that,” Narduzzi said with a sigh, grumbling his gratitude. “Thanks for letting me know.” Forgive the Pitt football...
Kevin Gorman: Center Jimmy Morrissey might be Pitt’s most pivotal player
When Jimmy Morrissey ran through the tunnel at Heinz Field on Friday at Pitt’s rehearsal scrimmage for the season opener, it was not just as the starting center but a team captain. It’s just the latest accolade for Morrissey with the Panthers. He’s ascended from former walk-on to All-ACC third-team...
Pitt dietitian Jen Hatz leads football team on calculated feeding frenzyVideo
If the Pitt football team looks back on training camp in three months and sees it as the launching pad for a successful season, Jen Hatz might credit Cap’N Crunch. Or, maybe she will say it was the work of leprechauns. Or, more realistically, it was just Hatz’s beloved carbohydrates...
Pitt running backs don’t mind trying to clear high hurdles
The names Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall still resonate loudly throughout the halls and fields of Pitt’s practice facility. And, really, Todd Sibley Jr. doesn’t mind. “We know those two guys are really, really good,” said Pitt’s sophomore running back. “It’s hard to replace two 1,000-yard rushers.” But Sibley believes...
Pitt gets verbal commitment from offensive lineman Branson Taylor
Surrounded by his teammates on the Elyria Catholic football field, offensive lineman Branson Taylor made a verbal commitment to Pitt on Friday night. Taylor, rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, is the second offensive lineman in Pitt’s class of 2020, joining Michael Statham of Baltimore. He is the second Pitt...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi names co-captains, gives them their sayVideo
Knowing the right time to blitz or call a gadget play are skills every coach should know after gaining years of experience. But the other side of coaching — the personal interaction with players, especially off the field — is something Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi says he takes seriously. Which is...
Pitt’s Habakkuk Baldonado got late start growing up in Italy, but he’s catching up
Born in Rome, Habakkuk Baldonado appreciates the opportunity he has at Pitt to get a free education while playing football in a Power 5 conference. He loves his teammates and enjoys the journey they are on together as the college football season approaches. Sure, others received a more extensive football...
