Heather Lyke out as athletic director at Pitt
Passed over for the Northwestern athletic director’s job last month, Heather Lyke now finds herself out as AD at Pitt. Pitt chancellor Joan Gabel released a statement Monday morning, ending Lyke’s 7 1/2-year tenure as head of the athletic department. “Today, I informed University of Pittsburgh director of athletics, Heather...
At the dawn of WVU week, undefeated Pitt still has significant clean-up dutyVideo
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi’s main thrust Sunday at the start of West Virginia week is to wash off the euphoria of a big victory and get ready for another difficult test next Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. There was so much good about the 28-27 comeback victory against Cincinnati that some...
Pitt’s rousing rally brings back memories of comebacks for former QB Dave Havern
Dave Havern was enjoying a relaxing afternoon Saturday, listening to the Pitt game on the radio while driving to Erie to celebrate his wife MaryJean’s birthday. “We listened to it up until about Meadville,” the former Pitt quarterback said. “I thought that I heard the field goal was good, but...
Pitt notebook: Road victory held hometown feel for Ben Sauls, Rasheem Biles
Included in the crowd of 37,992 that witnessed Pitt’s 28-27 victory against Cincinnati on Saturday were several friends and family members of kicker Ben Sauls and linebacker Rasheem Biles. Biles grew up in Columbus, Ohio, 97 miles from Cincinnati. Sauls’ hometown of Tipp City, Ohio, is only 40 minutes up...
Pitt rallies with 22 unanswered points in 2nd half to defeat Cincinnati, 28-27
Perhaps the belief that helped Pitt crawl purposefully out of a huge hole to record a 28-27 victory against Cincinnati started when the embarrassment of 3-9 started to settle into players’ brains. The belief appeared to grow over the winter and spring months and throughout summer training camp until it...
Pitt Take 5: Cincinnati game offers opportunity for rare road victory vs. Power 4 school
Without giving it a second glance, Pitt’s game Saturday at Cincinnati looks like just another noon kickoff among so many others across the country. Yet the game against a Big 12 foe presents an opportunity for the Panthers to start regaining some of their national relevance. First of all, it’s...
Pitt needs stronger run ‘D’ to prevent 2nd consecutive loss to Cincinnati
After the final score, the next-most important number Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi will want to see Saturday at Nippert Stadium is Cincinnati’s yards gained on the ground. Perhaps no Pitt unit on either side of the ball will have a more challenging task than the rebuilt defensive line. The Bearcats...
Eli Holstein’s high school coach says mix of humility, confidence set Pitt QB on right path
One of the first to speak to Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein on Saturday after his successful introduction to college football was David Brewerton, his coach at Zachary (La.) High School. “We talked after the game for a while,” Brewerton said. “It was good to hear his voice.” Brewerton’s praise for...
Special teams, Desmond Reid play big role in Pitt victory, but kicker Ben Sauls is willing to wait his turn
The football rested on the Kent State 10-yard-line, fourth down, 5 yards to go. It was early in the second quarter Saturday, and Pitt was leading the Golden Flashes by a mere touchdown. Decision time for coach Pat Narduzzi. Should he opt for the 28-yard field goal and an easy...
Quarterback question closed for ‘right now,’ Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi concentrates on cleaning up the ‘bad and ugly’
Pat Narduzzi gave a quick — and totally expected — response Monday when he was asked directly if Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein is “the guy” moving forward. “Right now he is,” Pitt’s coach said. Smart on Narduzzi’s part to include that “right now” qualifier. There are 11 games remaining and...
Pitt notebook: Eli Holstein’s connection with his new teammates started in JanuaryVideo
Football is a game of trust, camaraderie and the ability to mesh different skill sets and personalities into one efficient unit. So, how is this possible? The seven players most responsible for Pitt amassing 570 yards and seven touchdowns Saturday in a 55-24 victory against Kent State were attending four...
Pitt surpasses the half-century mark in 55-24 victory against Kent State
Finally, after 3 hours, 26 minutes, 14 carries, 145 yards and the decisive touchdown run in the third quarter, Desmond Reid was stopped in his tracks. All it took was a question in the postgame news conference after Pitt’s 55-24 opening day victory against Kent State on Saturday in front...
Pitt senior running back Rodney Hammond ineligible for 2024 season
Pitt’s depth at running back suffered a significant blow Friday — the day before the opener against Kent State — when senior Rodney Hammond Jr., who’s been a valuable member of the offensive unit since 2021, was declared ineligible for the entire season. Pitt officials did not give a reason....
Pitt Take 5: Playing clean game just as important for Panthers as scoring lots of points
At the end of Pitt’s opener Saturday against Kent State at Acrisure Stadium, the statistic that will matter most will be points scored. But unless the Panthers beat the 551⁄2 over/under by themselves — 50 is offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s goal, anyway — it might be more instructive to check...
Analysis: Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi must keep eyes wide open after putting redshirt freshman QB Eli Holstein in starting lineup
Even though Pat Narduzzi named Eli Holstein his starting quarterback for Pitt’s opener Saturday against Kent State, he said Nate Yarnell will play. You should believe him. Narduzzi said the competition at quarterback remains open. Again, you should believe him. Pitt fans should hope and expect that there will be...
Alabama transfer Eli Holstein to start at quarterback for Pitt against Kent State
Redshirt freshman Eli Holstein will be the starting quarterback for the first snaps of Pitt’s football season when the Panthers meet Kent State at noon Saturday, coach Pat Narduzzi said Thursday. The Alabama transfer was named Pitt’s starting quarterback, though incumbent Nate Yarnell also will play, Narduzzi said. That division...
Report: Northwestern plans to hire Villanova’s Mark Jackson as AD, passing on Pitt’s Heather Lyke
Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke was one of three candidates to become the next AD at Northwestern, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday night that Villanova’s Mark Jackson has emerged from a field of three candidates. A deal between Jackson and Northwestern could be finalized soon, Thamel reported. The Chicago...
Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell has been immersed in quarterback competitions as player, coach
If you believe the old dictum that if you have two quarterbacks you really have none, perhaps you think Pat Narduzzi is wrong to take his two-headed quarterback derby into the season. After all, scrimmages are finished, experimentation is for training camp and game outcomes will matter starting Saturday when...
Pitt’s Randy Bates eager to see what his young, hungry defense can accomplish
Randy Bates was joking when he wondered about his career path and those he has allowed to impact it. “Why I took a job where my life is dependent on 17- and 18-year-old guys being consistent is silly,” he said. Yet he has been coaching for 43 years, seven as...
Source: Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke under consideration to be next AD at Northwestern
Heather Lyke, whose seven-year tenure as Pitt athletic director has included firing, hiring and extending contracts of several coaches, is under consideration for the same position at Northwestern, a source told TribLive. Lyke, whose Pitt contract is due to expire this year, is expected to meet with Northwestern officials this...
Former Pitt QB Chad Voytik says sharing the position can be stressful but still have a happy ending
Pat Narduzzi will start the 2024 Pitt season with a question mark at the game’s most important position. Quarterbacks Nate Yarnell and Eli Holstein will play in the opener Saturday against Kent State, the coach said. He has yet to name a starter. It isn’t ideal. Narduzzi didn’t have this...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi still searching for QB1, will use Nate Yarnell, Eli Holstein in opener
If you’re looking for clues to help uncover the winner in Pitt’s quarterback derby, you’re probably wasting your time. Coach Pat Narduzzi said Monday at his news conference that Nate Yarnell and Eli Holstein will play Saturday in the opener against Kent State at Acrisure Stadium. Someone must take the...
Ravens OL coach, Sewickley native Joe D’Alessandris dies
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Joe D’Alessandris, whose nearly half-century of coaching offensive linemen eventually brought him to four different NFL teams, has died. He was 70. The Baltimore Ravens, D’Alessandris’ employer since 2017, announced that he died Sunday. He was hospitalized earlier this month with an unspecified illness, and that...
Analysis: Examining Pitt’s degree of difficulty in each of its 12 games
A popular query from local college football fans over the past month has been, “How is Pitt looking?” Beyond the unoriginal, not-funny-anymore answer — “big and sweaty” — it’s difficult to come up with a definitive response. The most consequential moments of practice, plus two scrimmages, are closed to the...
Power move: Realignment, NIL have drastically changed the framework of college football
Before kickoff next Saturday when Pitt opens its 2024 season against Kent State, tradition will prevail, and players — properly dressed in shirt and tie — will follow coach Pat Narduzzi into Acrisure Stadium. Inside, more memories will be made over the course of the season, perhaps similar to M.J....
