It has been a struggle for the Pitt football team as of late, losers of three in a row and six of seven overall. But Pitt’s bowl hopes are still mathematically alive, having to win out to become bowl eligible. That all starts this weekend when a familiar foe comes to Heinz Field in Syracuse. The Panthers and Orange have played every year since 1955. The last couple meetings between the two former Big East foes have been nail biters, including last season when Pitt became bowl eligible ... Read More
Pitt must get defensive with bowl hopes on the line
Entering the 2014 season, the one thing on paper that you could have pointed to that could cost the Pitt Panthers in a major way was their defense, in particular their secondary, which was dinged up by injuries, defections and suspensions. Yet on paper halfway through the season it looked as if the Panthers defense was playing particularly well as they were ranked as one of the better all-around units in the nation. But sometimes numbers lie and this was certainly one of those ... Read More
Pitt’s T.J. Clemmings accepts Senior Bowl invitation
Not much has gone well for the Pitt Panthers this season, but for offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings, the 2014 season has been an eye opener for NFL scouts. Clemmings, who was voted a captain before the season began, has seen his stock soar as a draft prospect and on Monday accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl. The senior is a three-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week this season and some project him early on as high as a second-round draft pick in this springs ... Read More
Penn State becomes bowl eligible with win over Temple
Penn State (6-4, 2-4 Big Ten) used an action-packed second half to top Temple (5-5, 3-3 AAC) in its 31st consecutive win over the Owls. With this victory, the Nittany Lions are bowl eligible. Penn State kicker Sam Ficken tallied six points in the opening 30 minutes, one from the 29-yard line in the first and one from the 50-yard line in the second quarter. With those two kicks, Ficken tied for second place on Penn State’s all-time career field goal list. He is one of only three players to ... Read More
Pitt wastes another big day from James Conner in loss to UNC
Pitt Panthers running back James Conner keeps on putting up big numbers during his record breaking sophomore season. And the Panthers keep on wasting his big performances. Conner rushed for 220 yards and scored four touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough as North Carolina rallied late to defeat Pitt 40-35, all but sticking a fork in the Panthers bowl hopes. Conner’s fourth touchdown of the game put the Panthers on top 35-34 with 3:33 remaining, but it turned out to be too much time left on ... Read More
Penn State hosts Temple in must-win game
The Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) will host their final non-conference game of the season against the Temple Owls (5-4, 3-3 AAC) this weekend at Beaver Stadium. Penn State is riding its 13-7 win at Indiana last weekend, having snapped a four-game losing streak while holding the Hoosiers to the fewest amount of points at home since 2006. Bill Belton’s record-making 92-yard run for a touchdown drove the win, and the Nittany Lions will look to ride his confidence in the effort this ... Read More
Bowl eligibility is within reach for Penn State
For the first time since 2012, Penn State has the chance to go to a bowl game. In September, the NCAA announced that, in light of Penn State’s tremendous efforts to correct their poor reporting measures and make sure that the appropriate resources were available to students, faculty, and fans, the university would be given the chance to play in a postseason game two years earlier than the sanctions originally dictated. Given that Penn State was on its way to a 4-0 start at the time, the ... Read More
Record rushing touchdown lifts Penn State over Indiana
Penn State (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) ended its four-game losing streak against Indiana (3-6, 0-5 Big Ten) with a final score of 13-6 on Saturday afternoon. Neither team scored in the first quarter, despite chances for both the Hoosiers and the Lions. The teams combined for a total of seven punts (averaging one every 2:14) in the first, but the inability to start any kind of sustainable offense plagued both teams through the game. It wasn't until the second quarter that the Hoosiers opened up the ... Read More
Penn State travels to Indiana to try to snap losing streak
The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-4, 1-3 Big Ten) will travel to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (3-5, 0-4 Big Ten) on Saturday for the second year in a row. Penn State is seeking redemption after narrowly losing 20-19 to Maryland last week and will look to kicker Sam Ficken and quarterback Christian Hackenberg to lead the offense. Ficken has connected on 17 of his 19 attempts this season, including three from behind the 45-yard line. Ficken is the first player from Penn State to ... Read More
Pitt S Terrish Webb out for the remainder of the season
The Pitt football team has been experiencing losses in their secondary since before training camp began, so they should be used to losing bodies by now. That doesn’t make losing strong safety Terrish Webb any easier. Webb, who started all eight games before injuring his right ankle Oct. 25 against Georgia Tech, had surgery Friday and will miss the remainder of the season. The Clairton graduate is tied for the team lead in interceptions (two) and has been fairly productive for the ... Read More