NEXT PANTHERS GAMEDAY:Signing DayFebruary 3rd 2010 Buy Pitt Tickets  
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 Posted on March 30th, 2010 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey It has taken nearly five years, but Pitt Coach Dave Wannstedt has established a program that is more than capable of contending for Big East championships and berths in BCS bowl games. For that hard work that just two-plus years ago, was bearing no fruit; the Pitt administration bestowed a two-year contract extension to Wannstedt. The extension was announced during a Tuesday afternoon press conference. It will also ensure Wannstedt will roam the sidelines at Heinz Field through at least 2014. “I greatly appreciate the confidence that Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, (Athletic Director) Steve Peterson and the entire administration have in what we are building and accomplishing,” the coach said Tuesday. “While we are all proud of the strides we have made, we look forward to even greater accomplishments in the future.” Those strides include 19 wins in two years. Last season saw the Panthers achieve heights they have not reached since the early 1980s. The Panthers finished 10-3 and capped the season with a hard-fought 19-16 win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. With several retuning starters such as running back Dion Lewis, fullback Henry Hynoski; receivers Jonathan Baldwin and Mike Shanahan; defensive ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard; and offensive tackles Lucas Nix and Jason Pinkston; the Panthers are expected to field a deep squad that should be favored to win the Big East. This is all heady stuff that seemed light-years away in mid-2007. The Panthers were foundering along and sputtering towards their third consecutive non-winning season under Wannstedt. Although plenty of young talented players populated the roster at the time, wins were hard to come by. Then came December 1, 2007. The seemingly undermanned Panthers marched into Morgantown, W.Va. and outhit West Virginia beat the Mountaineers and knocked them out of a spot in the National Championship Game. Since then, the Panthers have knocked off the likes of South Florida, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Iowa. Pitt now boasts a devastating ground game thanks to the likes of Lewis and the departed LeSean McCoy along with a defense that has feature the likes of Romeus, Sheard, and former players Scott McKillop, Mick Williams, Aaron Berry and Adam Gunn. Pitt appears poised to make the next step and earn that coveted BCS berth and a chance against a true college football heavyweight. The administration has done the right thing and will allow Wannstedt to have the security of an extended contract, giving him the opportunity to build the program even stronger. “We have always believed that when you have the right person, you should give them the time and support to accomplish all the goals they have for our program,” said Pederson. “Dave has done an outstanding job leading our football program.” Posted on January 19th, 2010 by David WhipkeyCourtesy University of Pittsburgh Scott Turner, an offensive assistant the past two seasons for the Pitt football program, has been promoted to wide receivers coach, it was announced Monday by Panthers head coach Dave Wannstedt. “It is always gratifying to be able to reward a member of our staff with a well-deserved promotion,” Wannstedt said. “Scott Turner was a major contributor in our offensive staff room this past season. He is a very bright football coach whose strong knowledge is matched by his equally strong energy and commitment. Our receivers are going to benefit tremendously from his influence. He is also going to be a great asset on the recruiting trail, especially in his assigned areas of Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C.” “I am very grateful for this opportunity to coach the wide receivers here at Pitt,” Turner said. “I have had the honor of being a part of this football program under Coach Wannstedt for the past two years. Pitt has such a great tradition as well as a very bright future and I am excited to continue to be a part of it. As a member of Pitt’s offensive staff the past two seasons, Turner aided in the accomplishment of back-to-back 1,000-yard rushers in LeSean McCoy and Dion Lewis. He also contributed to a 2009 unit that produced a 1,700-yard rusher (Lewis) and 1,000-yard receiver (Jonathan Baldwin). Lewis was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, compiling a Pitt freshman record 1,799 rush yards and 18 total touchdowns. Pitt averaged 32.1 points per game in 2009, the fourth highest scoring average in school history. A former quarterback at UNLV, Turner joined the Pitt staff in 2008 after working the prior two years on the prep level at South County Secondary School in Virginia. As South County’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, he helped the program to its first-ever playoff berth and also orchestrated an offense that produced two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season. In 2005, Turner was an administrative graduate assistant at Oregon State under Mike Riley. His responsibilities included assisting in all aspects of the Beavers’ program with a special focus on the offense’s weekly preparation. Turner was a three-year letterman at UNLV, earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the university in 2005. Scott is the son of Norv Turner, the current head coach of the San Diego Chargers. Norv and Dave Wannstedt served together on Jimmy Johnson’s Dallas Cowboys staffs of the early 1990s. Norv additionally was offensive coordinator with the Dolphins in 2002 and 2003 during Wannstedt’s head coaching tenure in Miami. Posted on January 8th, 2010 by David WhipkeyCourtesy The University of Pittsburgh Pitt true freshman tailback Dion Lewis added to his impressive list of honors earlier this week by being selected to the 2009 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team. The 28-player team was selected by an 11-person panel of nationally prominent college football writers led by Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News Sentinel. True freshmen and redshirt freshmen are both eligible for the team. This is the latest honor for Lewis, the most decorated freshman in all of college football in 2009. His other noteworthy honors include: Selection as the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, the first time a player has won both awards in the same season since Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick in 1999. Lewis was also named Unanimous First Team All-Big East, the first Pitt freshman to accomplish that feat since 2002 when receiver Larry Fitzgerald, now a perennial Pro Bowler with the Arizona Cardinals, earned the honor. · Recognition on no fewer than seven All-America teams, including The Associated Press, Sporting News, CBSSports.com, SI.com, Phil Steele, Rivals.com and Scout.com. · Unanimous Freshman All-America status. · Most Valuable Player honors for the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl after he rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown in Pitt’s 19-17 victory over North Carolina. · Selection as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Year. Lewis (Albany, N.Y./Blair Academy [N.J.]) rushed for a Pitt freshman-record 1,799 yards on 325 carries (5.5 avg.), surpassing the 36-year-old mark held by the legendary Tony Dorsett (1,686 in 1973). Overall, Lewis’ total is the second-highest single-season rushing mark in Pitt history, trailing only Dorsett’s 2,150 yards in 1976, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy and the Panthers won the national championship with a 12-0 record. Lewis additionally totaled 18 touchdowns (17 rushing) for a Pitt freshman-record 108 points, breaking the prior frosh record of 90 points set in 2007 by tailback LeSean McCoy, now of the Philadelphia Eagles. With its bowl victory over North Carolina, the Panthers finished with a 10-3 record, their winningest campaign since 1981. Posted on December 22nd, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey LeSean McCoy: Eagles running back: McCoy rushed for 48 yards on nine carries in Sunday’s 27-13 playoff-clinching win over San Francisco. His fourth-quarter touchdown run helped put the game away. Shawntae Spencer: 49ers cornerback: Spencer intercepted Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb late in the first half of the Niners 27-13 loss in Philadelphia. Andy Lee: 49ers punter: Lee boomed four punts for an average of 42 yards per kick in Sunday’s loss at the Eagles. He had two punts downed inside the Philly 20 and launched one punt 60 yards. Larry Fitzgerald: Cardinals receiver: Fitzgerald finished with four receptions for 36 yards in Arizona’s 31-24 win over Detroit. His one-yard scoring grab in the first quarter sent the Cards on their way as they clinched their second-consecutive NFC West title. Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis shut down another prolific receiver this past Sunday as he held Atlanta’s Roddy White to four catches that totaled 33 yards. The Jets could not overcome themselves and lost to the Falcons 10-7 in a snowy, windswept Giants Stadium. Jeff Otah: Panthers right tackle: Otah helped pave the way for Carolina’s rushing attack in the Panthers 26-7 upset over NFC North champion Minnesota. The Panthers ground out 126 yards rushing in the win. Posted on December 15th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey Hank Poteat: Browns cornerback: Poteat made a strong return to the NFL with a resounding four tackle, one sack performance against Ben Roethlisberger and the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland sacked Roethlisberger eight times in their 13-6 win over Pittsburgh last Thursday. Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis nabbed one interception and shut down Buccaneers receiver Antonio Bryant in the Jets 26-3 win at Tampa on Sunday. Revis has six interceptions on the season and is a sure-fire selection for the Pro Bowl. Clint Session: Colts linebacker: Session logged six tackles in Sunday’s 28-16 win over Denver. The Colts remain undefeated after 13 games and have clinched home-field advantage in the post-season. Shawntae Spencer: 49ers cornerback: Spencer rose to the challenge in Monday night’s contest against Larry Fitzgerald and the rest of the Arizona Cardinals. Spencer led a secondary that held Fitzgerald to two catches and the rest of the Cards passing attack to 160 yards in their 24-9 win. Gerald Hayes: Cardinals linebacker: Hayes had five tackles in the Cards 24-9 loss at San Francisco on Monday night. LeSean McCoy: Eagles running back: McCoy gained 54 all-purpose yards in Philadelphia’s wild 45-38 win over the rival New York Giants. The Eagles are now in the driver’s seat for an NFC East division title. Lousaka Polite: Dolphins fullback: Polite paved the way for the Dolphins running attack Sunday at Jacksonville. Miami rushed for 146 yards and outmuscled the Jaguars in their 14-10 win. The win kept their slim chances for an AFC East title alive. Andy Lee: 49ers punter: Lee averaged 38 yards per punt and pinned two of them inside the 20 in San Francisco’s 24-9 win over NFC West leader Arizona. Posted on December 9th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey Three Panthers recently received top Big East player awards for their performance on the field this season. Freshman running back Dion Lewis was named Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year while junior defensive end Greg Romeus and senior defensive tackle Mick Williams shared the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award. Lewis set the conference ablaze with 1,640 yards rushing to go with 17 touchdowns. He leads the Big East and is third nationally in rushing yards per game (136.67 avg.). The Albany, N.Y. native is the most prolific freshman ground gainer in conference history. He stands 46 yards shy of Tony Dorsett’s 1973 mark of 1,686 yards rushing. Lewis’ 102 points is the new record for points scored by a freshman, overtaking LeSean McCoy’s 90 points set just two years ago. Former Pitt receiver and current Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald earned the conference’s offensive player of the year award in 2003. Romeus led Pitt’s fierce defensive line with 40 stops, including 10.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback sacks. The Coral Springs, Fla. native also has two forced fumbles, an interception, a fumble recovery and one blocked kick. Williams was a dominant force in the middle. The senior from Monessen is second in the conference in tackles for loss with 15. He also has three sacks and three forced fumbles to with his 39 total tackles. Former Pitt linebackers H.B. Blades (2006) and Scott McKillop (2008) also garnered conference defensive player of the year awards. The Panthers also had 10 first-team all Big East selections overall. In addition to the unanimous selections of Lewis, Romeus and Williams, other Panthers included on the first team were sophomore receiver Jonathan Baldwin, senior cornerback Aaron Berry, senior tight end Dorin Dickerson, senior linebacker Adam Gunn, senior offensive guard John Malecki, junior offensive tackle Jason Pinkston and senior quarterback Bill Stull. Second team all-Big East included senior tight end Nate Byham, junior safety Dom DeCicco, junior placekicker Dan Hutchins and senior defensive tackle Gus Mustakas. Notes: Three members of Pitt’s coaching staff were selected as finalists for the FootballScoop.com Coaches of the Year award. They are offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, offensive line coach Tony Wise and Director of Football Operations Chris LaSala. Posted on November 30th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey Clint Session: Colts linebacker: Session enjoyed his best day as a pro with nine tackles and a game-clinching 27 yard interception return for a touchdown in Indianapolis’ 35-27 win over Houston. Indianapolis remains perfect at 11-0. Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis turned in a signature performance in the Jets 17-6 win over Carolina. The third-year pro intercepted Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme twice and returned one of the picks for a 67 yard touchdown. LaRod Stephens-Howling: Cardinals kick returner: Stephens-Howling was a bright spot in Arizona’s 20-17 loss at Tennessee. The rookie returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and gave the Cards momentum before the Titans won on the game’s last play. Antonio Bryant: Buccaneers receiver: Bryant has struggled this season with an injured knee along with an uncertain situation at quarterback. But the veteran did his best to keep the Bucs competitive with a three-catch, 91-yard performance at Atlanta. His 42 yard touchdown catch gave Tampa Bay life, but Atlanta still earned a 20-17 win. LeSean McCoy: Eagles running back: McCoy gained 101 yards combined rushing and receiving and scored an important two-point conversion in the Eagles come-from-behind 27-24 win over the Washington Redskins. Shawntae Spencer: 49ers cornerback: Spencer logged six tackles in the Niners 20-3 shelling of Jacksonville. Posted on November 23rd, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey They were five simple words. Five words that at the time made him look overly simple, but they were five words that were too true to be embellished. In Dave Wannstedt’s first year along the Pitt sidelines, he knew he had a football team that simply was not athletic enough to compete with the likes of West Virginia’s Pat White and Steve Slaton. Both White and Slaton ran past and around the Panthers on a cold Morgantown, W.Va. on Thanksgiving night in 2005. It was evident to Wannstedt that his Panthers were too slow. As he was walking towards the halftime locker room, he was interviewed by an ESPN sideline reporter before halftime and was asked how Pitt could stop WVU’s lightning-fast spread option attack. Wannstedt simply responded with the five words that mocked him for two-plus years: “We have to run faster.” West Virginia, led by Slaton and White, hung 90 total points on Pitt in 2005 and 2006. Pitt looked especially helpless in 2006 when both Slaton and White rushed for more than 200 yards in a 45-24 win at Heinz Field. Then came December 1, 2007. West Virginia entered the 100 edition of the Backyard Brawl with aspirations of a playing in the BCS National Championship game. The Mountaineers were 11-1 and were again led by an offense powered by quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton. They also throttled Connecticut 66-21 the previous week, giving them the Big East title and a ticket to one of the prestigious bowl games in early January. Pitt was reeling at the time. They were sporting a 4-7 record and were assured of missing out on post-season play for the third straight year under Wannstedt. The Panthers were 28 point underdogs and apparently were simply invited guests to West Virginia’s coronation before a sold-out Milan Puskar Stadium. Then came kickoff. The Panthers showed how much they learned in two years and how faster they had become. Pitt’s defense held the high-powered Mountaineers to 183 total yards, nine first downs and in check all night long. Pitt churned out enough offense thanks to then freshman running back LeSean McCoy and shocked West Virginia in Morgantown with a 13-9 upset. It would be Rich Rodriguez’s last game as Mountaineers coach. Days later, West Virginia’s then favorite son announced he was bolting for the vacant coaching job at Michigan. West Virginia was also not going to play for a national title in 2007 and has not been close since that year. Pitt parlayed the upset into a banner-year recruiting wise. The Panthers gained steam and won nine games in 2008, one of which included a 19-15 win over WVU at Heinz Field in late November. It is the Panthers that appear to be the superior team that will take the field in Morgantown on Friday night. Pitt’s defensive line, led by ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard along with tackles Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas; appear to have a distinct advantage against WVU’s strong but young offensive line. Players such as safety/linebacker Elijah Fields, linebacker Adam Gunn, safety Jarred Holley and cornerback Aaron Berry are the athletic-types that can run with WVU’s speedy skill players. It is obvious the Panthers needed to become faster. Five years after watching the Mountaineers run past his players, Wannstedt has a team that can and should short-circuit West Virginia’s speed. Posted on November 23rd, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey Larry Fitzgerald: Cardinals receiver: Fitzgerald is continuing his stellar season with an eight-catch, 87-yard, and one touchdown performance. Arizona defeated St. Louis 21-12 and strengthened their hold on the NFC West. LeSean McCoy: Eagles running back: McCoy’s impact Sunday night at Chicago was undeniable. The rookie rushed for 99 yards on 20 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown, a 10-yard scamper; late in the fourth quarter as the Eagles beat the Bears 24-20. Clint Session: Colts linebacker: Session continues to be a force in the middle of the Indianapolis defense. He finished with seven tackles in Indy’s 17-15 win at Baltimore. Lousaka Polite: Dolphins fullback: Polite was a force on Thursday night, plowing the way for Ricky Williams’ 119-yard, two touchdown evening in Miami’s 24-17 win at Carolina. Shawntae Spencer: 49ers cornerback: Spencer had eight tackles in San Francisco’s 30-24 loss at Green Bay. Jeff Otah: Panthers right tackle: Otah’s play on the offensive line helped pave the way for Carolina’s running game, which gashed the Dolphins for 182 yards on the ground on Thursday night against Miami. The Dolphins outlasted the Panthers 24-17. Andy Lee: 49ers punter: Lee continues to make a push for the Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. He averaged 42 yards on five punts in the Niners loss at Green Bay. Darrelle Revis: Jets cornerback: Revis held New England’s Randy Moss to five catches and 34 yards receiving in New York’s 31-14 loss at New England. Posted on November 18th, 2009 by David WhipkeyCourtesy www.pittsburghpanthers.com Pitt freshman tailback Dion Lewis has been named one of 15 “Players to Watch” for the 2009 Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, it was announced today by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Lewis is the only freshman on the Walter Camp list and one of just four running backs. The list will be pared down to five finalists on December 2, with the 2009 winner announced on December 10 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN SportsCenter. Pitt boasts three previous winners of the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, including running back Tony Dorsett (1976), defensive end Hugh Green (1980) and receiver Larry Fitzgerald (2003). This is the latest recognition for Lewis (Albany, N.Y./Blair Academy [N.J.]), who is also a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award (nation’s top running back) and Maxwell College Football Player of the Year Award. The 5-foot-8, 195-pound freshman is also poised to become the first player since Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick in 1999 to be selected the Big East’s Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season. Lewis is first in the Big East and sixth nationally in rushing yards per game (129.1 avg.). Overall he has 1,291 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 224 carries (5.8 avg.). He has scored 14 total TDs on the year. Lewis needed just eight games to reach 1,000 yards, matching Dorsett’s Pitt freshman record set in 1973. With three games remaining, he trails Dorsett’s Pitt freshman rushing record of 1,686 by only 395 yards. “I love watching the kid,” said Dorsett. “It brings back a lot of memories for me. I’m really happy for him that he has been able to excel. What I like most is he has no ego. He just runs the ball.” Lewis is also ready to become the most prolific freshman rusher in Big East history. He is just 37 yards away from matching former Pitt tailback LeSean McCoy’s Big East frosh mark of 1,328 yards set in 2007. Ranked No. 8 by The Associated Press and No. 9 in the USA Today coaches poll, Pitt has its highest November rankings since 1982. The Panthers moved up to ninth in this week’s Bowl Championship Series ratings, their highest BCS listing ever. Pitt achieved its lofty rankings after winning six consecutive games to improve to 9-1 on the year, its best start since the 1982 Panthers, led by quarterback Dan Marino, also started 9-1. The Panthers have a bye this week before putting their undefeated Big East record (5-0) on the line at West Virginia (7-3, 3-2) on Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Pitt will conclude its regular season against Cincinnati (10-0, 6-0) at Heinz Field on Dec. 5. Kickoff for the de facto Big East title game will be at noon and be televised nationally on ABC. |
 
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