Freshman QB Mason Heintschel propels Pitt to blowout win over Boston College, 1st ACC win
Pat Narduzzi must have felt major confidence in Mason Heintschel to turn to the freshman quarterback Saturday versus Boston College. With Pitt riding a two-game losing streak and Eli Holstein looking lost, Narduzzi went with Heintschel to stabilize a season that was on the verge of slipping away. Heintschel, listed...
Pitt RB Desmond Reid, DEs Blaine Spires, Zach Crothers listed as out vs. Boston College
Pitt will play another game without its most dynamic offensive player, as tailback Desmond Reid has been ruled out of Saturday’s contest vs. Boston College at Acrisure Stadium. The Panthers listed Reid as out on their final weekly player availability report, released at 10 a.m. Saturday. Pitt (2-2, 0-1 ACC)...
Report: Pitt to start true freshman QB Mason Heintschel vs. Boston College
Pitt will make a change at quarterback Saturday vs. Boston College, ESPN reported, as true freshman Mason Heintschel is set to start vs. the Eagles. Coach Pat Narduzzi told reporters Thursday afternoon that redshirt sophomore Eli Holstein would remain as starter, signalling he was sticking with Holstein through a period...
Apollo-Ridge, Pitt grad Tre Tipton continues crusade for mental health awareness, has big plans for future
How are you doing? The question is asked all the time, mostly casually. But Tre Tipton believes it is the most important question someone can ask. Because, as Tipton knows all too well, no matter how happy someone looks on the outside, what is going on inside might not align....
Boston College’s 4th-ranked passing offense to present challenge for Pitt’s secondary
Pat Narduzzi understands a team’s record goes a long way in shaping perceptions. At 2-2 (0-1 ACC), Pitt appears less than formidable. The same could be said of the Panthers’ upcoming opponent, Boston College (1-3, 0-2), which visits Acrisure Stadium at noon Saturday. Narduzzi would be guilty of significant dereliction...
First Call: Could Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson really be moved again?; Gavin McKenna to make PSU debut
Friday’s “First Call” links Kenny Pickett’s name to trade speculation again. A pair of ex-Pittsburgh Pirates performed well in MLB playoff elimination games. Local college hockey is getting ramped up. And there is a full weekend of bounce-back potential for some regional college football teams. Pickett predicament Could ex-Steeler Kenny...
Pitt football notebook: Struggles on 3rd down plague Panthers offense
There was plenty in Pitt’s offensive performance against Louisville last weekend that merited concern. At different junctures and to varying degrees, quarterback play, coordinator Kade Bell’s calls and a lack of a run game contributed to Pitt managing only 10 points after the first quarter. But all of those areas...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi names QB Eli Holstein starter against Boston College
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Thursday he is sticking with Eli Holstein at quarterback against Boston College, which visits Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. Holstein was benched in the fourth quarter of the Panthers’ 34-27 loss to Louisville last weekend after throwing two costly interceptions, including one at the Cardinals’ 2-yard...
Pitt left guard Ryan Carretta prepares for larger role, 1st collegiate startVideo
Already through the season’s first month, Pitt has had to dig down its depth chart to plug holes caused by injuries to starters. Juelz Goff and Ja’Kyrian Turner have filled in for All-American tailback Desmond Reid, whereas Shawn Lee and Shadarian Harrison have seen heavy snaps at cornerback with Tamon...
‘Medical situation’ sidelines Pitt center Dishon Jackson indefinitely, Panthers announce
Pitt center Dishon Jackson is out indefinitely as he deals with an unspecified medical condition, the Panthers announced Wednesday. Declining to offer any additional comment, Pitt released a statement on behalf of Jackson. “I’ve appreciated the concern and outreach recently,” Jackson said. “I’ve been dealing with a medical issue for...
‘That ain’t happening again’: Pitt resolves to move past special teams miscues
Pitt’s special teams began the year in the splashiest of fashions. In Week 1 vs. Duquesne, Desmond Reid returned a punt 88 yards for a score, and Kenny Johnson took a kick back 78 yards in the Panthers’ blowout win. Special teams play remained competent in Weeks 2 and 3,...
Pitt hoops announces player representatives for ACC Tipoff event
Pitt forward Cam Corhen and guard Brandin Cummings will join coach Jeff Capel at the 2025 ACC Tipoff held in Charlotte, N.C., the Panthers announced Tuesday. Third-year women’s coach Tony Verdi will be accompanied by guards Amiya Jenkins and Mikayla Johnson. The women’s event will be held Oct. 6-7, with...
Amid QB woes, blown leads, Pat Narduzzi preaches confidence in Pitt
Pat Narduzzi had a lot on his mind Monday afternoon at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. It’s routine for Narduzzi, after a day-plus of watching game film from the prior weekend, to offer more detailed answers and insights than fresh from the sidelines, when reporters meet with...
Pitt loses starting left guard Keith Gouveia to season-ending injury
The manner in which Pitt left guard Keith Gouveia went down with a right leg injury during the third quarter of Saturday’s 34-27 loss to Louisville appeared serious, as he was quickly fitted with a temporary cast and carted off the field. On Monday, coach Pat Narduzzi revealed that Gouveia...
Kickoff time, TV details released for Pitt’s game at Florida State
Pitt and Florida State will kick off at noon Oct. 11 in Tallahassee, Fla., the ACC announced Monday morning. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. Following a 46-38 double-overtime road defeat to Virginia last weekend, the Seminoles (3-1, 0-1 ACC) dropped from No. 8 to No. 18 in the...
Analysis: Onus on Eli Holstein to solidify position as Pitt’s starting QB
During the opening 15 minutes of Pitt’s Saturday afternoon contest vs. Louisville, the Panthers played like a team that had turned a corner and made significant strides from the last time it took the field. But over the ensuing three quarters at Acrisure Stadium, shaky quarterback play, two double-digit leads...
ACC issues statement on controversial Pitt-Louisville no-call
Early in the second quarter of Pitt’s 34-27 loss to Louisville on Saturday, a controversial no-call set up the Cardinals at the Panthers’ 3-yard line, leading to an easy touchdown. With 14 minutes, 15 seconds to go before halftime, Pitt punt return man Kenny Johnson was first ruled to have...
Special teams fiascos, 2 INTs by Eli Holstein sink Pitt in ACC-opening loss to Louisville
Earlier this week, Pat Narduzzi asserted Pitt beat itself in the Panthers’ deflating Backyard Brawl loss to West Virginia two weeks ago. After his team’s 34-27 defeat to Louisville to open ACC play Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, Narduzzi can conclude the same thing. Pitt went up 17-0 after the first...
Pitt tailback Desmond Reid ruled out against Louisville
Pitt will be without All-American tailback Desmond Reid on Saturday vs. Louisville, per the Panthers’ final player availability report submitted to the ACC at 10 a.m. Pitt (2-1) and Louisville (3-0) kick off from Acrisure Stadium at noon following a Panthers bye week. Reid, who has rushed 24 times for...
Pitt expecting usual challenge from Louisville ‘QB whisperer’ Jeff Brohm
A few weeks ago, as Pitt prepared to host Central Michigan, Chippewas coach Matt Drinkall was effusive in his praise of Pat Narduzzi. Narduzzi, Drinkall said, has set the standard for defensive football in college for multiple decades. This week, with Pitt (2-1) preparing to host Louisville (3-0), Narduzzi was...
Pitt football notebook: Pat Narduzzi hopes Panthers have learned from early-season loss
A Week 12 loss to Louisville was a particularly unpleasant experience for Pitt’s football team in a latter half of a 2024 season that did not lack disappointment. Not only did the Panthers suffer their most lopsided defeat of the season, 37-9 to the Cardinals, but quarterback Eli Holstein, after...
‘Capable of more’: Pitt’s DL flexing depth but aims to be more disruptive
Moving on from losses and directing attention toward the next game applies across sports. That’s currently the task facing Pitt, which used its recent bye week to further digest a disappointing defeat at the hands of West Virginia on Sept. 13 in the 108th Backyard Brawl. Now, it’s onward to...
If Juelz Goff is to assume more prominent role, Panthers confident in their redshirt freshman RB
After earning Pitt’s primary backup tailback spot coming out of fall camp, Juelz Goff positioned himself to be a part of the Panthers’ ground attack in 2025. Desmond Reid was going to continue receiving the lion’s share of carries, in addition to being a regular threat through the air out...
Pitt announces kickoff time, broadcast details for Boston College game
Pitt’s Oct. 4 home game vs. Boston College will kick off at noon on the ACC Network, the school announced. That showdown comes after the Panthers host Louisville at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday and will be Pitt’s second ACC league game of the season. So far, all of Pitt’s games,...
First Call: Steelers’ blunt assessment of Patriots’ offense continues; Jordan Addison returning for Vikings
Tuesday’s “First Call” has some interesting quotes in the wake of the Steelers-Patriots game. The Minnesota Vikings are getting an offensive weapon back in advance of their contest against the Steelers in Ireland. Derrick Henry suddenly has a fumbling problem in Baltimore, and the Pirates could influence the National League...
