Pitt swallowed up by mistakes in loss to Cincinnati
Phil Jurkovec’s footwork was bad. He was not in rhythm. He failed to trust the things he learned playing quarterback for three teams and six seasons. He either left the pocket too early or held onto the football too long. He was sacked five times. Those points could have been...
Pitt Take 5: Teams haven’t met since 2012, but Panthers still stoked for River City Rivalry
There is no reason to suspect that any couches were burned in Cincinnati when Pitt lost to the Bearcats in 2012 in the most recent installment of the River City Rivalry. A crowd of 27,112 — 71% of capacity — showed up at Nippert Stadium on the second week of...
Young Pitt ‘gunners’ go to school after failing to down punt in opener
Pitt only punted twice in its opener against Wofford last week, and the first one triggered some angst on the sideline. Pitt had fourth-and-20 on the Wofford 45-yard line in the first quarter when Caleb Junko placed a punt near the goal line. Three Pitt players — they’re called gunners...
Pitt notebook: Jake Kradel at center of chaos when Panthers meet Cincinnati’s ‘Godfather’
After lining up either as a guard or center over his six seasons at Pitt, senior Jake Kradel finally came to his coaches with a definitive choice. Kradel (6-foot-3, 305 pounds) is a center and, he hopes, that will be so for a long time. “Jake really wanted to do...
Tailgate turmoil: North Shore development cuts into game-day experience for Pitt, Steelers fans
Dustin Helm arrived on the North Shore 90 minutes before parking lots opened for the first University of Pittsburgh football game of the season, as he has done for the past seven-plus years. When the lots opened last weekend, Helm attempted to turn left in Lot 7C and make his...
Pitt freshman forward Papa Amadou Kante injures knee, lost for the season
Jeff Capel’s roster rebuilding efforts suffered another blow Thursday with the announcement that freshman Papa Amadou Kante, a forward who might have provided a rebounding and defensive presence off the bench, will miss the entire 2023-24 season with a knee injury. Amadou Kante suffered a non-contact injury during a workout...
Running, sticking to disciplined diet pay off for Pitt tight end Karter Johnson
For a year when he was thirsty, Pitt tight end Karter Johnson drank nothing but water. His regimen for a long time included waking up most mornings and going on runs of between 1 and 5 miles. “On days I didn’t run, I would go and work out,” he said....
Pitt linebackers coach Ryan Manalac learned the game while working side-by-side with Pat Narduzzi
Imagine, if you can, Pat Narduzzi as a mortgage banker, sitting alone behind a desk, shuffling papers, pecking at a calculator, working the boring 9-to-5 daily routine. Makes no sense, right? It’s been said that Pitt assistant coach Ryan Manalac mirrors Narduzzi in many ways. They both played linebacker in...
Pitt assistant Andre Powell considers several factors when assembling a rotation for running backs
Running to daylight never has been enough for Pitt’s running backs in their quest to please Andre Powell, their position coach. They can penetrate the first wall of defenders, and that’s good. But after getting past defensive linemen, they must make a linebacker or safety miss (better yet, run him...
Former Pitt star RB Qadree Ollison glad to be back in town on Steelers practice squad
Countless times, Qadree Ollison had been on the fields of UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Pittsburgh’s South Side. For five years, he spent plenty of time on them while playing for Pitt. For Ollison’s final season with the Panthers, when he gained 1,213 rushing yards, it was Kenny Pickett handing...
No Paddlewheel Trophy, but much at stake Saturday when Pitt meets Cincinnati
The River City Rivalry between Pitt and Cincinnati lacks the hate, intensity and longevity of the Backyard Brawl. But in its day, the rivalry did have something the Brawl lacks: a trophy presentation for the winner. The 95-pound Paddlewheel Trophy has been retired, but from 2005-2012, it symbolized the Ohio...
Mark Madden: Early-season mismatches part of college football’s flawed system
College football is stupid. We got reminded of that this past weekend when powerhouses played pushovers to produce scores like 81-7, 73-0, 73-7, 66-14 and 56-3. Even Pitt got to pummel some sacrificial lamb. (Anybody know where Wofford is located? Without using Google.) These mismatches are the progeny of college...
Pitt notebook: Panthers turn the page after easy victory against Wofford
The victory counts for one, just like it would have if Pitt had defeated Florida State or North Carolina. Actually, viewed through another prism, defeating Wofford of the FCS on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium is worth a bit less because the nonconference game does nothing to enhance Pitt’s hopes of...
Phil Jurkovec leads Pitt to 45-7 victory against Wofford
Long before kickoff, Pat Narduzzi and everybody in the crowd of 45,096 at Acrisure Stadium knew Pitt would defeat tiny Wofford on Saturday. Clean execution and careful planning had plenty to do with the 45-7 victory that, in reality, was easier than the final score indicated. Wofford, an FCS team...
Jeff Capel boosts Pitt’s depth, adds grad transfer guard Michael Hueitt
A week after guard Dior Johnson left school, Pitt basketball coach Jeff Capel moved to bolster his depth at the position by adding graduate transfer Michael Hueitt Jr. to the roster. Pitt will be Hueitt’s fourth school since finishing his high school career at Northwood Temple Academy in Fayetteville, N.C.,...
ACC becomes latest power conference to expand cross-country by adding Stanford, Cal and SMU
The ACC voted Friday to add Stanford, California and SMU to the league next year, providing a landing spot for two more schools from the disintegrating Pac-12 and creating a fourth super conference in major college sports. The additions make the ACC the latest power conference to expand its membership...
Pitt Take 5: Close call in opener against Wofford won’t be tolerated
Wide receiver Jerrod “Bub” Means put Pitt’s opener Saturday against tiny Wofford in its proper light. “We take every team the same way,” he said. “We respect all of our opponents. We don’t care who the opponent is. We don’t let up. We prepare the same way. We go out...
Pitt notebook: Answers to everyone’s questions will start to come in Saturday
Pat Narduzzi is not directly in the business of selling tickets, but he sounded a bit like a carnival barker Thursday when he met with reporters two days before Pitt opens its season against Wofford. If you want to get the first glimpse of what Pitt may be like this...
For more than 50 years, Bill Hillgrove’s voice has been ‘the soundtrack to our sports memories’
Before he called Tony Dorsett’s 303rd rushing yard against Notre Dame in 1975, Kenny Pickett’s fake slide in the 2021 ACC championship game or M.J. Devonshire’s pick-6 against West Virginia last year, Bill Hillgrove’s first venture behind a microphone required him to play the part of a brat. It was...
Pitt’s deep tight end group gives assistant coach Tim Salem lineup options
Tim Salem didn’t want to answer the question. Which was a surprise. Normally, Pitt’s tight ends coach loves to talk about his men, but this question didn’t interest him: Is Pitt’s current crop of tight ends the program’s deepest since he was hired nearly nine years ago? Salem started to...
Bub Means, A.J. Woods hope to get a kick from Pitt’s passing game, special teams
Wide receiver Bub Means has a ready explanation for why he is listed as the No. 1 kickoff returner on the Pitt depth chart. In his mind, it’s simple, really. “They’re trying to get the playmaker the ball. That’s what I see. Me and my dog back there,” he said,...
First Call: Mike Tomlin’s spot among coaches in AP poll; Josh Dobbs’ chances of starting in Arizona
Tuesday’s “First Call” features Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and his place among other NFL coaches. We also take a look at Josh Dobbs’ chances of becoming a starter in Arizona. And we have some wild stats about Johan Oviedo’s complete game win for the Pirates in Kansas City on...
After slight shuffling of personnel, Pat Narduzzi will ‘find out on game day’ Pitt’s true identity
Pat Narduzzi was careful Monday not to inaccurately describe the personality of his ninth Pitt team at the outset of the first game week of the season. “We got a great group of guys,” he said. “I don’t want to say polite.” Polite usually doesn’t carry the day in college...
Madden Monday: ‘There’s just not anything to dislike’ about Kenny Pickett’s preseason for Steelers
After a 3-0 preseason for the Steelers, many in Pittsburgh are bumping up their 2023 win total predictions by multiple games. Mark Madden of TribLIVE and 105.9 The X has a more conservative approach. “I might be coerced into 10-7 instead of 9-8. But, for me, there’s still plenty of...
Jeff Capel credits administrative support system for Pitt basketball turnaround
The dramatically positive revival of Pitt basketball this year was the result of coach Jeff Capel recruiting and developing the right men and helping them bond as more than teammates. In a span of only a few months, they became friends who had each other’s backs. But what spawned the...
