Blogs

Pitt allowed national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming to stage the cover photo for his Prep Football Report Saturday at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on the South Side. That conveniently brought the best and brightest high school football prospects in the state to Pitt for its Blue Chip Day. Among those in attendance were the [...]

Practice No. 9 – Scrimmage No. 2 &#149 Let’s start off with apologies to Joe Starkey, ESPN Radio 1250 and those who were listening for my Pitt spring football report, which never materialized because I was called away from the scrimmage to work on a story about the shooting of Aliquippa basketball star Herb Pope. [...]

Spring Practice No. 8 &#149 Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt finally said what everyone was thinking: Bill Stull is “a little bit ahead” of Kevan Smith in the quarterback competition, mostly because of his edge in experience, but a final decision on a starter won’t be made by the end of the spring. What Wannstedt didn’t [...]

When Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt hired Buddy Morris to run his strength and conditioning program, it provided a shock to the system to the Panthers, who had gone 11-12 and without a bowl appearance the past two seasons. Morris made an immediate impact in his third stint at Pitt by attempting to break players down [...]

Spring Practice No. 7 &#149 After viewing tape of Saturday’s scrimmage, the first of spring drills, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was pleased with the play of quarterbacks Bill Stull and Kevan Smith. Stull played with the first team against the first-team defense and completed 14 of 16 attempts for 130 yards, with a long of [...]

Spring Practice No. 6 – The First Scrimmage &#149 With the sidelines filled by spectators that included many of those attending Pitt’s coaching clinic, there was a nice atmosphere for the first scrimmage of spring practice Saturday at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex indoor facility on the South Side. The Panthers played 10 series, with [...]

Spring Practice No. 5 &#149 Talk about your great recoveries. Redshirt sophomore Derrell Jones, who went from no-man’s land to second-team defensive tackle after losing 42 pounds, fell on the ball after Kevan Smith fumbled a snap. Shane Brooks, who has been prone to fumbling, showed an aptitude for picking the ball up off the [...]

After scoring a sixth-round technical knockout over former heavyweight champion Axel Schulz in Germany last November, Butler’s Brian Minto returned there to fight Luan Krasniqi for the vacant WBO Intercontinental heavyweight title last Saturday in Stuttgart. Minto (27-2, 16 knockouts), who was giving up 11-plus pounds to Krasniqi (29-2-1), was knocked down in the 12th [...]

Spring Practice No. 4 &#149 Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said he was pleased with how the Panthers have played through the first three practices, although he has tempered his expectations because of the inexperience of players competing for starting positions. “As a head coach, you want to see the big picture,” Wannstedt said. “I have [...]

Former Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis solidified his status as an NFL first-round draft choice at Pitt’s Pro Day last Friday when he answered any questions regarding his speed. Revis reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in the 4.36- to 4.41-second range and recorded a 4.08 short shuttle (20 yards), a 6.56-second three-cone drill, a 38-inch vertical [...]