Ithiel Horton’s 25 points help Pitt beat Florida State, stop 4-game losing streak
Ithiel Horton knows what it takes to shoot a basketball through the cords. Eyes on the rim. Feet square. Ball secure. Fire. But there was much more to it Wednesday night when he scored 25 points in his first start of the season, leading Pitt (9-16, 4-10 ACC) to a...
How Pitt WRs coach Tiquan Underwood learned Bill Belichick is ‘a man of his word’
Tiquan Underwood caught three passes for 30 yards for the New England Patriots during the 2011 season. Yet, he was proud to be part of the team the week before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Then, the day before the game, he got the call: Bill Belichick wanted to see...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Damarri Mathis, Cal Adomitis invited to NFL Combine
If you want to keep up with Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Damarri Mathis and Cal Adomitis in their quest to reach the next level of football, you need to be willing to travel as much as they do. All three Pitt products have been invited to be among the 324 former...
Road trip takes Pitt to Florida State in quest to avoid last place in ACC
Jeff Capel and his Pitt basketball team have not been home since Sunday, and they won’t return to campus until Thursday. So, Pitt’s coach probably hasn’t had time to look at the ACC standings. If he did, he’d see Pitt (8-16, 3-10) has fallen into the basement, tied with N.C....
No rally this time: Pitt goes down without a fight in 2nd loss in 3 nights to Virginia Tech
There’s not much time for players and coaches to think about all the problems plaguing Pitt’s basketball team. After another embarrassing effort Monday night turned into a 74-47 loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., the Panthers must find a way to regroup in time for another road test Wednesday...
‘Tough-minded’ Pitt lacrosse coach Emily Boissonneault may show emotional side at opener
Building a sport from nothing at a major university requires plenty of work and sacrifice. So, Emily Boissonneault happily grabbed a snow shovel Monday morning and began scraping away some of the excess ice that had accumulated on the edges of the turf field at Highmark Stadium. Five minutes later,...
Pat Narduzzi, Pitt ‘close’ on contract extension, according to AD Heather Lyke
Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke said she has made “lots of progress” toward a contract extension for football coach Pat Narduzzi, who is signed through the 2024 season. “We, hopefully, will have an announcement shortly. We’re close,” she said. Narduzzi was hired in December 2014, as a first-time head coach...
Pitt AD Heather Lyke expresses ‘a lot of confidence’ in Jeff Capel
Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke expressed confidence Monday morning that men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel can reverse the team’s fortunes. “I wish we had better news there. It’s tough rebuilding it,” she told a small gathering of reporters at Highmark Stadium. Lyke was there to address the women’s lacrosse team...
From WPIAL to Pitt to Super Bowl, Tyler Boyd, Aaron Donald chasing dream to win a ring
Tyler Boyd was one of a handful of Cincinnati Bengals players standing on the stage at Arrowhead Stadium as they celebrated their first AFC championship in three decades after an epic comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs. Then the audio went out on the loudspeakers, and Boyd couldn’t hear a...
How Pitt rallied from 28 points down and still lost to Virginia Tech
A closer look at Pitt’s dramatic — but failed — comeback from a 28-point deficit against Virginia Tech exposes some surprising revelations. It was said through most of this season that Pitt was lacking in the type of quality outside shooting that could ease pressure on center John Hugley. Pitt...
Pitt’s rally from 28-point deficit falls short in loss to Virginia Tech
Jeff Capel has been disappointed in his team this season more often than he cares to remember. Saturday night, Pitt’s coach added embarrassment to what he was feeling. But how often does a coach experience both of those emotions — and top it off with a dose of pride? All...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi completes staff, names Tiquan Underwood wide receivers coach, pass game coordinator
With the contact signed and filed, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi filled the last vacancy on his coaching staff Saturday, officially naming former NFL player Tiquan Underwood as the Panthers’ wide receivers coach — with a twist. Underwood also will carry the title of pass game coordinator. The hiring of Underwood...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett auditions to be first QB drafted with strong Senior Bowl showingVideo
MOBILE, Ala. — The Senior Bowl quarterbacks are vying to be No. 1. In an NFL Draft where it seems unlikely for a passer to be the top overall pick, that means a competition among players like Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, North Carolina’s Sam Howell and Liberty’s Malik Willis to be...
Take 5: Difficult times hover over Pitt, but players haven’t lost hope
Almost nothing worth mentioning happened during Pitt’s 91-75 loss to Wake Forest on Wednesday night. Double-digit losses are becoming the norm. But it was instructive to hear what sophomore guard Femi Odukale had to say in the aftermath. He offered hope that players still care after 14 losses in 22...
Pat Narduzzi likes his 2022 Pitt roster, but 3 transfers fill some holes
Pat Narduzzi’s feelings shifted from pleased to proud when he walked inside Pitt’s indoor practice facility. There, he found the defending ACC champions in the midst of workouts, preparing for the start of spring — actually, late winter — drills Feb. 28. “When you look around,” he thought to himself,...
Wake Forest rolls over Pitt; road losing streak in ACC reaches 11 games
Pitt coach Jeff Capel is well aware playing good defense is his team’s only hope this season. When he saw Wake Forest ball handlers enjoying open spaces and shooters getting time to gauge their shots, he knew his team was in trouble. So, it was no wonder Wake Forest rolled...
Pat Narduzzi: Notre Dame ‘back channels’ asked Kenny Pickett about transferring before ’21 season
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Wednesday that tampering with other schools’ players — in this age of uncontested transfers — has become a serious problem in college sports. How serious? During an interview on Sirius XM ACC Radio, he said people with connections to Notre Dame tried to get former...
Home again, Frank Cignetti Jr. eager to get his hands on Pitt’s offense
Frank Cignetti Jr. took big, eager steps Wednesday when he entered Pitt’s team meeting room. There, he hugged an old friend, acknowledged another with a great-seeing-you-again wave and, truly, looked like a guy who had just returned home for the first time in years. Which is, actually, the case. “It’s...
Kenny Pickett gets his 1st taste of the NFL at Senior Bowl
Still months removed from his first NFL paycheck, Kenny Pickett nonethless is getting his first taste of life as pro quarterback this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Four hours of interviews with NFL personnel Monday, followed by full schedule Tuesday that included practice, more interviews and a...
Wake Forest ready for Pitt after deep dive into ‘portal potty’
Let’s see if you can name the ACC basketball coach who said the following: “(We have to) learn from our mistakes and move on, have a short memory. Next play mentality, next game mentality.” If you assumed that was Pitt’s Jeff Capel speaking after one of the Panthers’ 13 losses...
Why Pitt’s Kenny Pickett didn’t want his hands measured at the Senior Bowl and what he’s doing about it
Questions over the size of Kenny Pickett’s hands have long been part of his pre-draft conversation. According to the ProFootballNetwork, the former Pitt Panthers quarterback is reported to have hands that measure only 8¼ inches. The standard by which most quarterbacks are measured is 9 inches. The concern is ball...
Pitt football schedule features 5 home games in 1st 6 weeks
If Pitt needed a favorable launching point for next season, the schedule maker may provide it. The football team will play five of its first six games at Heinz Field, starting with the nationally televised (ESPN) 105th Backyard Brawl between the Panthers and West Virginia. It’s the first of four...
Jeff Capel hopes to reverse Pitt’s post-January losing ways
Jeff Capel began his 10-minute session on the ACC coaches’ conference call Monday with the words, “I’m OK.” Give Capel credit for not complaining about his current situation. It would be so easy to do. He and his brother and assistant coach, Jason, are in covid protocol while players and...
Pitt falls at Boston College in twice-delayed game
The message directed toward Pitt’s team Sunday afternoon was clear: No excuses. Play for each other. There’s no time to feel sorry for yourself. But when a storm that dumped 2 feet of snow on Boston mixes with the relentless effects of the covid-19 pandemic, the situation can be difficult...
Report: Pitt hires former Rutgers assistant Tiquan Underwood to coach wide receivers
Pitt has hired Tiquan Underwood to be its next wide receivers coach, according to ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel. Underwood, 34, brings to the team eight seasons of experience playing the position in the NFL and CFL and four years coaching. He spent the past two seasons as the...
