For the past couple of seasons, people like myself have been begging the Pitt panthers to get their pair of talented tight ends more involved in their passing game. That is finally happening this season as both J.P. Holtz and Scott Orndoff have made big plays every week. Holtz in particular has garnered some attention. The senior and graduate of Shaler Area High School, has been named to the midseason watch list for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the most outstanding ... Read More
AM Joe: The greatest home run, ever
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Monday, October 12, 2015. What's on tap for today: The Penguins (0-2-0) will start their 2015-16 home slate by hosting the undefeated Montreal Canadiens (3-0-0) at Consol Energy Center. Head coach Mike Johnston's team, which has struggled to overcome two hot goaltenders in its opening-week losses, will face another stern test in Habs goalie Carey Price. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ROOT Sports Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ... Read More
Pitt duo earns ACC weekly honors
The Pitt Panthers improved to 2-0 in ACC play with Saturday’s 26-19 win vs. Virginia and a couple players have earned recognition from the conference. Pitt junior linebacker Matt Galambos and freshman strong safety Jordan Whitehead were honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference today after strong showings on Saturday. Galambos was named the ACC’s Linebacker of the Week, while Whitehead received the ACC's weekly rookie honor. Galambos had a pair of quarterback sacks and a big third ... 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
Lions’ offense takes off against Hoosiers, final score 29-7
A strong offensive outing from Christian Hackenberg lifted the Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) over the Indiana Hoosiers (4-2, 0-1 Big Ten) on Saturday. The final score was 29-7 on a beautiful afternoon in Happy Valley. Major Plays: Both teams picked up a touchdown in the first quarter, but Hackenberg was responsible for all four of the Nittany Lions’ touchdowns during the game. The Penn State defensive line lived up to its high expectations and held off the Indiana offense, ... Read More
Penn State clashes with Indiana during Homecoming weekend
The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-0) will round out a five-game home series on Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers (1-3) at 12 p.m. The nationally televised game will air live on ESPN. Fast Facts: This is Penn State’s 96th annual Homecoming game and the fifth of its seven home games this season. Head coach James Franklin is looking forward to welcoming back the extended Penn State family this weekend. "We really appreciate the support of the students and especially all of the alums ... Read More
Virginia vs. Pitt: Preview, Analysis, Prediction and more
The Pitt Panthers finally have a home game as they look to build off a solid 3-1 start to the season. It seems like forever since the Panthers were last at Heinz Field and they return home after a dominating defensive performance in a win against Virginia Tech. Virginia makes the trip to Heinz Field and Mike London's team is struggling at 1-3, but their three losses have come against UCLA, Notre Dame and Boise State. Pitt will look to continue their momentum and if they can pull off a ... 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
ACC Power Rankings: Week 6
As we head into another week of ACC football, the conference is heading into the week after finally getting a signature victory when Clemson beat Notre Dame. We saw North Carolina look impressive and to a degree so did the Pitt Panthers. Overall though it was a week filled with disappointing performances for most of the team in the conference. How did that effect this week's rankings? Let's take a look. 1. Clemson (4-0, 1-0 ACC, defeated Notre Dame 24-22, Last Week- No. 1) The ACC ... Read More