Blogs

Pitt quarterback Kevan Smith threw his first career touchdown pass, a 50-yarder to tight end Nate Byham, as the Panthers rolled to a 31-10 halftime lead over Grambling State at Heinz Field. Smith, a redshirt freshman from Seneca Valley, got the nod over true freshman Pat Bostick to start in place of the injured Bill [...]

LeSean “Shady” McCoy showed shades of greatness in the first quarter, scoring three touchdowns to give Pitt a 21-7 lead over Grambling State at Heinz Field. McCoy, a 6-foot, 210-pound freshman tailback from Harrisburg, has rushed for 50 yards on four carries and caught one pass for 17 yards. Pitt used a 10-play, 71-yard drive [...]

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt named redshirt freshman Kevan Smith the Panthers’ starting quarterback against Grambling State today at Heinz Field. Smith got the nod over freshman Pat Bostick. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Smith, a Seneca Valley graduate, was 2 of 4 for 18 yards against Eastern Michigan in relief of junior Bill Stull, who injured his [...]

Pitt athletic director Jeff Long confirmed today that he has interviewed with University of Arkansas officials about their athletic director opening, but wouldn’t say whether he received a job offer. “I went to Arkansas and had a conversation with them about their athletic director’s position,” Long told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review before his radio show, “First [...]

Dave Wannstedt likes to use themes, and it appears the Pitt coach has a new one after a rash of serious injuries has given the Panthers several early tests on how to handle adversity. First, it was the cut on quarterback Bill Stull’s thumb in training camp. Then, it was receiver Derek Kinder’s torn ACL. [...]

Not only has Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt declined to name a starting quarterback, but practices are closed to the media after the first 30 minutes and Kevan Smith or Pat Bostick aren’t available for interview requests until after Saturday’s game against Grambling State at Heinz Field. So it isn’t easy to get a read on [...]

Interestingly enough, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt seems more concerned about the play of the offensive line than he is about who the Panthers’ starting quarterback will be, even though Kevan Smith and Pat Bostick are freshmen. Maybe that’s because Wannstedt realizes the quarterback’s success or struggles will depend largely on the play of the front [...]

Pitt punter Dave Brytus is the Big East Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Brytus averaged 45.4 yards per punt, with a long of 56 yards and one inside the 20-yard line in a 27-3 victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday at Heinz Field. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior, a West Allegheny High School graduate, was [...]

Pitt quarterback Bill Stull is out indefinitely after requiring surgery today to repair torn ligaments in the thumb on his right (throwing) hand. “We feel very disappointed for Billy,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He worked incredibly hard during the off-season to earn the starting job and those efforts showed in his strong play last [...]

For openers, Pitt’s 27-3 victory over Eastern Michigan was just what the Panthers needed and everything the they couldn’t afford. They beat a Mid-American Conference team, but lost starting quarterback Bill Stull to another thumb injury to his right (throwing) hand. Eastern Michigan running back Pierre Walker said he had tried to instill a mentality [...]