Pitt and Notre Dame have hooked up in some classic contests throughout history. Saturday wasn’t one of those days. The Pitt offense struggled from the get go and the Panthers’ defense allowed too many big plays as Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer threw for five touchdowns and ran for another as No. 8 Notre Dame had their way with Pitt 42-30. “We are never happy after a loss,” said Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi. “I don’t know what the record of the three teams we lost to this year, but ... Read More
Pitt still searching for big plays from passing game
Since taking over for Chad Voytik as the starting quarterback, Pitt signal caller Nate Peterman has played particularly well. He’s done a solid job of taking care of the football, which has been his best quality. Overall Peterman has completed 120-of-178 pass attempts for 1,373 yards with 10 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. Peterman has taken such good care of the football that he hasn’t thrown a pick since September 19 at Iowa. But while Peterman has played pretty well, ... Read More
Pitt defense looks to bring the sack back
One thing that was present in the Pitt Panthers impressive start to the season was the Panthers ability to get to opposing quarterbacks. Under head coach Pat Narduzzi, the Panthers have sacked opposing quarterbacks 22 times through eight games this season. That's impressive, considering that they got to the quarterback only 19 total times last season. Unfortunately for the Panthers, mostly all of those 22 sacks came during the first five weeks of the season as getting pressure on the ... Read More
Slow start dooms Pitt in loss to North Carolina
The 23rd ranked Pitt Panthers football team entered Thursday night’s primetime showdown against North Carolina looking to show the nation that they have arrived. Those plans are on hold for just a little bit longer. While the Panthers have been able to pull out some fourth-quarter heroics so far this season, it wasn’t meant to be as Pitt didn’t have enough magic in their hat, falling 26-19. Pitt (6-2, 4-1 ACC), who struggled on both sides of the ball in the first half and trailed for ... Read More
Pitt offense closes out win vs. Syracuse
One thing that No. 25 Pitt has been able to do since Pat Narduzzi took over as head coach is close out games. That was on display once again on Saturday at Syracuse. While the defense has closed out a few games to this point, this time it was on the shoulders of the offense. With the game tied at 20 in the fourth quarter, the Panthers went on a 19-play drive that covered 89 yards and milked 9:20 off the game clock. The end result was a 25-yard field goal from Chris Blewitt as time ... Read More
Pitt off to best start since 2009 after win vs. Georgia Tech
Much has gone right this season for Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt football program. Thanks to a record-breaking kick from kicker Chris Blewitt that trend continued for the Panthers as Pitt defeated Georgia Tech 31-28 to improve to 5-1 for the first time since the 2009 season. The win also improves Pitt to 3-0 in ACC play, setting the Panthers up very nicely in the Coastal Division race. Pitt (5-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) is unbeaten in its first three conference games for the first time ... Read More
Pitt is starting to buy into what Pat Narduzzi is selling
If you were watching Pitt's victory over Virginia on Saturday at Heinz Field, you probably had similar reactions to what I did. Leading 26-13 in the fourth quarter, the Panthers defense watched Virginia quarterback Matt Johns connect on a 32-yard touchdown pass to make it a one possession game. Then predictably the Panthers had to punt the ball back to the Cavaliers, who had the ball with a chance to tie the football game late in the fourth quarter. I for one found myself saying in the ... Read More
Pitt starts fast, holds off Virginia
Pitt fans have seen the story plenty of times over the year. The Panthers win a big game and then somehow find a way to take two steps backwards the next couple weeks. After a road victory last Saturday at Virginia Tech, Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt team was looking to avoid that trap when they hosted Virginia on Saturday at Heinz Field. The Panthers started fast and nearly gave one away, but at the end of the day Pitt escaped with a 26-19 victory, improving to 4-1 for the first time since the 2009 ... Read More
Pitt defense looks to build off dominating performance
As soon as Pat Narduzzi was announced as the new head football coach at the University of Pittsburgh, many wondered exactly how long it would take until the Pitt defense resembled that of which he oversaw at Michigan State. Judging by the season opener when Youngstown State stayed in the game by hitting numerous big plays on the Panthers, things looked like it could take long while to come to fruition. But in the three games that have followed, the Panthers have bought into what Narduzzi and ... Read More
Pitt finding it tough to develop second WR option
As things move forward for the Pitt Panthers, especially their offense, one thing that could prove vital for the rest of the season, and moving into the future, is developing a compliment to Tyler Boyd. It seems like the Panthers have been searching for a No. 2 wide receiver for a long time now and even though the Panthers sit with a 3-1 record, that search is continuing. “It’s a process,” wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman said before the Virginia Tech game. “It’s an evaluation process. ... Read More