Many have been awaiting the day that Pitt star running back James Conner would make his return to the football field. Unfortunately that return has been put on hold as at a press conference on Friday, Conner announced that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma this week. “When I heard those words — ‘You have cancer’ — I admit I was scared,” Conner said. “But after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that fear is a choice. I choose to not fear cancer. I choose to fight it and I will ... Read More
Bowl bound: Where does Pitt go?
Although University of Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi might suggest he's not fully satisfied with his Panthers final 8-4 regular season record, there's no question that the program has taken a signficant step in the right direction in his first year at the helm. That's because the eight-win season follows four straight 6-6 campaigns that would end with invitations to bowl games that even the most die-hard Pitt fan would have trouble getting up for. This included back-to-back trips to ... Read More
Three-star DE Patrick Jones commits to Pitt
In his first full year of recruiting, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has landed some quality talent for the future. That continued on Wednesday when defensive end Patrick Jones of Chesapeake, Va. gave the Panthers a verbal commit. Jones stands 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and is coming off a season in which he had 100 tackles and 8.5 sacks for Grassfield High. He was named first-team all conference this and also was named Defensive Player of the Year. He is the eighth defensive player in the ... Read More
Jordan Whitehead, Qadree Ollison win ACC Rookie honors
Pitt football players have made it a habit of winning individual awards ever since the Panthers joined the ACC. Aaron Donald was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and James Conner was named the ACC Player of the Year last season. You can add a couple of more players to that list of award winners. Freshman safety Jordan Whitehead was named both the ACC’s overall and defensive Rookie of the Year, while freshman running back Qadree Ollison was named the ACC’s offensive ... Read More
Pitt lands eight on All-ACC team
After an eight win regular season that opened up some eyes, eight Pitt football players were recognized Monday by the ACC when their season awards were handed out. Junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd and senior defensive end Ejuan Price both landed on the All-ACC first team. Boyd, who became the Panthers all-time leading receiver during the season, led the ACC in receptions per game (7.7 avg.) and receiving yards per game (79.4 avg.). It's the third consecutive season Boyd has earned All-ACC ... Read More
Lions fall to Spartans in regular-season finale, 55-16
The Penn State Nittany Lions (7-5, 4-4) fell to the fifth-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Saturday afternoon in East Lansing. With the win, the Spartans took home the Land-Grant Trophy and claimed the division title. Fast Facts: Penn State’s Chris Godwin hauled in two touchdowns in the loss; Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook threw three in the win. Saquon Barkley finished the regular season with 1,007 rushing yards, a Penn State freshman record. In the past two years, Penn State ... Read More
Slippery Rock advances to NCAA quarterfinals
The longest active home winning streak in Division II football belongs to Slippery Rock University after the 10th ranked Rock held off No. 19 Assumption College, 41-39, Saturday in the second round of the NCAA playoffs at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. The victory is the 17th straight at home for Slippery Rock and sends the team to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 1998. The Rock (12-1), seeded second in Super Region One, will travel to the region's top seed, Shepherd, next Saturday ... Read More
Pitt gets verbal commitment from DE Zach Gilbert
Things didn't go the way the 8-4 Pitt Panthers may have wanted on Friday against Miami, but Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi had a good day nonetheless when the Panthers received a verbal commitment from South Mecklenburg (N.C.) High School defensive end Zach Gilbert. Gilbert is the son of former Pitt star Sean Gilbert. The Aliquippa native ended up having a very good NFL career, which is something he can only hope for his son. The younger Gilbert also has a couple other ties to the Pitt program ... Read More
Penn State travels to Michigan State to close out regular season
The Penn State Nittany Lions (7-4, 4-3) will travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans (10-1, 6-1) in a 3:30 kickoff; this will be the final regular season game of 2015 for the Lions. ESPN will broadcast the matchup. Fast Facts: This is the second week in a row and the third time this season that Penn State will compete against a Top 12 team. The previous two games were both losses – falling 38-10 to Ohio State and 28-16 to Michigan. The last time the Nittany Lions ... Read More
Sluggish start dooms Panthers in a 29-24 loss to Miami
It looks like the Pitt Panthers might have slept in a little late post-Thanksgiving for their noon kickoff today against the visiting Miami Hurricanes. In spite of having the opportunity to earn their ninth regular season win for only the third time in 32 years and send their seniors out victorious in their final game at Heinz Field, the Panthers (8-4, 6-2 ACC) were unable to overcome a lethargic start that led to a 23-3 halftime deficit, ultimately suffering a disappointing 29-24 loss to the ... Read More