NEXT PANTHERS GAMEDAY:Signing DayFebruary 3rd 2010 Buy Pitt Tickets  
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 Posted on August 9th, 2010 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey • Decorated defensive end Greg Romeus tweaked an ankle in practice on Saturday afternoon while reserve safety Andrew Taglianetti is still battling stiffness in his surgically repaired left knee. Coach Dave Wannstedt said he believes both should be back on the field in the very near future. • Romeus along with running back Dion Lewis and receiver Jonathan Baldwin were all selected as preseason candidates for several prestigious awards. • Romeus was named a candidate for the Chuck Bednarik Award which is given annually to the nation’s top defensive player. Both Lewis and Baldwin were named candidates for the Maxwell Award which honors the most outstanding overall player in college football. • Safety Dom DeCicco also got into the act by being named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list. The award is given annually to the nation’s top defensive back. • Pitt was rated no. 15 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, one spot behind former rival Penn State and nine spots ahead of conference arch-rival West Virginia. • According to Wannstedt, one of the early preseason surprises has been the play of freshman defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Though juniors Myles Caragein and Chas Alexcih are penciled in as the starters, Donald should help give the unit some depth in the middle while Brandon Lindsey is expected to do the same on the edge. Posted on August 6th, 2010 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey And now comes the hard part. Not since the early 1980s have the Pitt Panthers entered a college football season with this level of anticipation and expectation. Coach Dave Wannstedt greeted the media Thursday to kickoff fall practice for a squad that was overwhelmingly picked by the media to win the Big East conference for the first time since 2004. “I think it is great recognition for our team and players,” said the coach. “As a coach, you want people talking about this in December. The recognition is not going to win any games for us. Our focus is now on training camp and preparing ourselves to have the chance to receive such an accolade.” The Panthers won 10 games last season, including a 19-16 win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. But it could have been so much more. Pitt saw the Big East title slip from their grasp last December when Cincinnati came from behind and took the championship with a 45-44 win before a packed Heinz Field. All off season, the Panthers stewed and prepared themselves for another run at the top spot in the conference and the prize it brings; a coveted BCS bowl berth and national recognition. Now, this star-studded lineup that includes 2009 Big East offensive player of the year running back Dion Lewis, wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin and conference defensive player of the year defensive end Greg Romeus, is primed to take what eluded them last year. “We have good guys that know what it takes to win and they don’t take anything for granted,” said Wannstedt. “It is a team game and we’re only as good as our team is.” One of Pitt’s other key performers, starting defensive end Jabaal Sheard, did find himself in hot water as the off-season wound to c lose. Sheard was charged with assault along with other charges after he allegedly threw a man through a glass door during a fight on Pittsburgh’s South Side in late July. He was suspended indefinitely but reinstated after he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. Coach Wannstedt said the matter will now be handled internally. “After gathering all the information and our legal system took its curse, we are very comfortable with the decision we have made concerning Jabaal,” said Wannstedt. “You all know that we have had players in the past, as every school does, whether they are reasons on or off the field where it has not worked out. However, my responsibility to this university and to these kids is to be consistent and fair with the facts and handle it accordingly.” With the Sheard issue resolved, the Panthers staff now can focus on getting the squad ready, especially quarterback Tino Sunseri, who will take over for the graduated Bill Stull. “This is Tino’s time,” said Wannstedt. “He has the arm to make all the throws that we need to make. He’s more athletic on his feet than what people give him credit for. He’s very intelligent. He understands the big picture of what we’re trying to do from an offensive standpoint and I think that is very important.” Pitt officially opens fall practice Saturday August 7 at the UPMC South Side Complex. Posted on April 18th, 2010 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey The Pitt Panthers ended their spring football season with the annual Blue-Gold Game on a blustery Saturday afternoon before approximately 6,500 hearty souls at Heinz Field. Pitt’s defense, which comprised the Blue squad, had their way with the Gold side as they romped to a 62-24 win. As was expected, the defense showed they were well ahead of the offense. But that is to be expected this time of the year, since the coaching staff did not install much of an offensive game plan for both quarterbacks Tino Sunseri and Pat Bostick. Sunseri, a redshirt sophomore, appears to have a firm grip on the starting job heading into the fall. He finished the day with nine completions in 17 attempts for 82 yards and one rushing touchdown. The Pittsburgh Central Catholic product displayed a strong arm and escapability from the rush. Bostick, a redshirt junior, completed six of 13 throws for 59 yards. He was sacked twice and threw one ugly interception to second team safety and former quarterback Kolby Gray. Bostick clearly is the team’s second option behind center but does have game experience with wins over West Virginia and Notre Dame in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Jonathan Baldwin made one highlight reel catch, an 11-yard one-handed grab of a poorly thrown Susneri pass in the first quarter. He led all receivers with four catches for 37 yards. The junior also took advantage of some coaching from former Panther and current Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who returned to Heinz Field to take in some of the action. Fitzgerald was one of many former Panthers on hand Saturday afternoon. He stayed all day and chatted with several recruits in the hallway next to the Panthers locker room. Offensive tackle Jason Pinkston had a solid afternoon, walling off all-Big East defensive end Greg Romeus much of the day. Pinkston could take comfort in his performance, knowing if he could handle Romeus, he should overpower all other defensive ends he will face this year. Pitt’s linebackers showed they have big play capability. Sophomores Manny Williams and Dan Mason were all over the field. Williams made five tackles and one interception while Mason spent much of the day in the offensive backfield. Converted quarterback Greg Cross and tight end Mike Cruz showed they could add to the receiving weapons for Sunseri this season. Cross seems to have gained confidence playing the position as was evidenced by a nice 15-yard grab of a Bostick floater in the second period while Cruz hauled in a 20-yard bullet from Sunseri in the third. Sophomore running back Dion Lewis broke off a 52-yard run in the first quarter, showing he is ready to make a run at 2,000 yards this season. He finished with 74 yards on five totes. But the day belonged to the defense. Pitt’s defensive line garnered five sacks and controlled play all day, putting a large smile on defensive line coach Greg Gattuso’s face much of the afternoon. Notes: Romeus was named to the watch list for the 2010 Lott Trophy, which is presented annually to the best defensive player in college football. Last season, he garnered 8 sacks and 43 tackles, 11.5 of which were for a loss. He was named Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year along with teammate Mick Williams. Pitt’s season opening contest at Utah will take place at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 2. It will be broadcast nationally on Versus. Posted on February 9th, 2010 by Admin2008 Pittsburgh Panthers – Notre Dame HighlightsNovember 1, 2008 | Pitt 36, Notre Dame 33 Posted on February 5th, 2010 by pantherPitt Panther Videos:Pitt Panther Highlights throughout the years set to Rage Against the Machine’s “Renegades of Funk.” Posted on January 2nd, 2010 by Admin
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| Date | Game | Time (Eastern) |
| Sat, Sept. 5 | Pittsburgh 38 – Youngstown State 3 | W |
| Sat, Sept. 12 | Pittsburgh 54 – Buffalo 27 | W |
| Sat, Sept. 19 | Pittsburgh 27 – Navy 14 | W |
| Sat, Sept. 26 | N.C. State 38 – Pittsburgh 31 | W |
| Fri, Oct. 2 | Pittsburgh 35 – Louisville 10 | W |
| Sat, Oct. 10 | Pittsburgh 24 – UConn 21 | W |
| Fri, Oct. 16 | Pitt 24, Rutgers 17 | W |
| Sat, Oct. 24 | Pitt 41, USF 14 | W |
| Sat, Nov. 7 | Pitt 37, Syracuse 10 | W |
| Sat, Nov. 14 | Pitt 27, Notre Dame 22 | W |
| Fri, Nov. 27 | West Virginia 19, Pitt 16 | L |
| Sat. Dec 5 | Cincinnati 45, Pitt 44 | L |
| Sat. Dec 26 | Meineke Car Care Bowl – Pitt 19, UNC 16 | W |
Posted on December 27th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey
No, it wasn’t a win in a BCS bowl game, but the Pitt Panthers did indeed have their finest season since 1981.
Pitt’s hard-fought 19-17 win over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte gave the Panthers a 10-3 record, their best since Ronald Regan was in the Oval Office. Although the elusive Big East championship slipped through their fingers in a heart-wrenching 45-44 loss at home against Cincinnati earlier this month, the season was saved but a gutsy effort against a game Tar Heels squad geared to play the same smash-mouth style of football Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt enjoys.
“We really got down to business,” said Wannstedt. “I don’t think people really understand what 10-3 says about a program, even though nine wins is outstanding. Ten wins separates you and I don’t think that these guys know what they have accomplished here tonight and probably won’t for a few weeks or a month or however long.”
The usual suspects were at work for the Panthers against the Tar Heels. Freshman Dion Lewis again showed the nation he will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Lewis gashed the nation’s No. 6 defense for 159 yards on 28 carries and one score. Wannstedt said he was surprised his prized running back did not get the ball even more.
“Compared to last time (a 47-carry, 194-yard performance against Cincinnati), he took the day off,” Wannstedt said jokingly. “He is clearly a difference maker.”
Pitt’s final drive was vintage smash-mouth football. The Panthers took nearly nine minutes to travel 79 yards. Of the drive’s 17 plays, Lewis carried the ball on 12 of them for 62 yards.
“That last series, there was no question that a lot of the yards he made were not easy,” said Wannstedt. “Every inch counts and that made the difference in the game today.”
Lewis, the game’s Most Valuable Player, said he was quite pleased with the coaching staff’s faith in him, even with a lost fumble in the first quarter.
“It’s great to know that the coaches trust me like that,” said Lewis. “They trust me in a tough situation to get me the ball. I just want to make them happy. My teammates trust me and everyone trusts me so I just have to go out there and go to work.”
Pitt’s defense, somewhat maligned after the loss to Cincinnati, stepped up large Saturday night.
The pass rush was consistent all night. Co-Defensive Big East Player of the Year Mick Williams notched two sacks. Defensive end Jabaal Sheard notched the team’s third of the night while his cohort Greg Romeus, the other half of the Big East Defensive Player of the Year tandem; was a disruptive force all night.
With the three sacks, Pitt notched 47 sacks for the season, good for No. 1 in the nation.
Freshman linebacker Dan Mason stopped one Tar Heels drive with an interception while Jarred Holley and Max Gruder teamed up for force another North Carolina turnover in the first quarter.
The formula Pitt used to win games this season, ball-control offense and opportunistic defense; was on display on Saturday night. It is a formula that has brought the Panthers back to prominence and will surely be used as a springboard for greater things in 2010.
Posted on December 23rd, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey
A chance to salvage a good season is still possible for the Pitt Panthers should they take care of business in the Meineke Car Care Bowl against a strong ACC squad playing in their home state.
The North Carolina Tar Heels (8-4) will surely benefit from playing this game on the day after Christmas in front of a baby blue clad crowd in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Pitt was relegated to this bowl game after falling to Cincinnati 45-44 in the Big East title tilt at Heinz Field earlier this month.
Although it will not be a BCS venue, the Panthers are still playing for more than pride. Coach Dave Wannstedt has the Panthers (9-3) in a position to win 10 games in a season for the first time since 1981.
Wannstedt and UNC head coach Butch Davis are more than familiar with one another. They both coached together under Jimmy Johnson at Oklahoma State and Miami in college and with the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL.
“Dave Wannstedt is a guy I have known for many, many years since 1979 on Jimmy Johnson’s staff (at Oklahoma State),” said Davis earlier this week. “He is an outstanding coach. His teams are extraordinarily well coached and he has an excellent coaching staff – guys that have a lot of experience and some which have been with Dave for many years.”
Davis said he is impressed with the physical nature the Panthers display on a weekly basis.
“They are always a very physical football team. This year, they lead the nation in sacks. They have one of the nation’s premier running backs,” said Davis. “They are a very good football team. A nine-win team, like ourselves; smarting from the last game of the season and would certainly like to end the season on a positive note.”
Like the Panthers, the Tar Heels like to establish the running game on offense. UNC averages nearly 138 yards on the ground per game. Their rushing attack is paced by tailbacks Ryan Houston and Shaun Draughn. The duo has combined for 1,226 yards rushing and 10 scores.
Quarterback Tyler Yates has had an up and down season. He has completed 60 percent of his throws for 1,953 yards and 12 scores. But he has also tossed 14 interceptions on the season. This will be an opportunity for players such as Aaron Berry and Jarred Holley to make big plays in Pitt’s secondary.
Greg Little is the Tar Heels leading receiver with 637 yards receiving on 55 receptions. Freshman Jheranie Boyd is UNC’s big play threat with 22 yards per catch and four touchdowns.
But the Tar Heels calling card is a defense that can be destructive.
Defensive ends Robert Quinn and E.J. Wilson are disruptive forces on the defensive line. Quinn has 11 sacks to go with a team leading 19 tackles for loss while Wilson checks in with 11 tackles for loss.
Linebacker Quan Sturdivant leads the unit with 75 total tackles. He also has 12 tackles for loss. Safety Deunta Williams paces the pass defense with six interceptions.
The Tar Heels defense has terrorized offenses to the tune of 31 sacks and 19 interceptions. They also allow only 92.8 yards rushing per game.
No doubt the Tar Heels will serve as a mountainous challenge for Pitt in Charlotte.
Posted on December 17th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey
Talk of expanding one of the nation’s premiere collegiate athletic conferences may include the inclusion of the Pitt Panthers in their fold.
Big Ten officials admitted to the media earlier this week that the conference is looking into adding a 12th member and in the process, creating a conference title game that could become an economic bonanza for all involved.
Rutgers, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Missouri and Nebraska along with Pitt have been mentioned by speculators as possible candidates as the conference’s newest addition.
Notre Dame was offered an invite in 1999 and would likely turn it down again due to having NBC as its medium for promoting the program for three-plus hours on fall Saturday afternoons from South Bend.
Rutgers and Syracuse are attractive due to both school’s proximity to the coveted New York City television market. Rutgers becomes more of a tantalizing entre due to recent success in football, a large student population and the school’s reputation as a fine research institution.
But for my money, Pitt is a more than attractive option for the Big Ten honchos.
If Pitt is invited in the near future, they should not only listen, they should accept with the glee of a high-school aged girl being asked to the prom by the school’s star quarterback.
The Panthers were one of the Big East’s charter members in both basketball and football. They are one of the burgeoning conference flagships in football while their basketball program is firmly entrenched as a conference power on the basis of their performance this decade.
An additional upside is having two ready-made rivalries at hand should the Panthers be included at the Big Ten table.
Pitt fans would salivate at the prospect of playing Penn State and Ohio State each and every year. Both schools are less than three-hours away from Pittsburgh and would no doubt bring plenty of fans to Heinz Field on Saturday afternoons.
Add Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa and Wisconsin to the menu and you have quite an impressive schedule in the works each and every year in both football and basketball.
Plus, Heinz Field could be used every so many years as a site for the conference title game. Even without Pitt as a title game participant, Ohio State and Penn State or even Michigan fans would fill the stadium and bring much needed tourism driven dollars to the region.
Yes, Pitt could and probably would keep West Virginia on both the football and basketball schedules. I do not think the Backyard Brawl would be affected more than moving it on the schedule.
However, this is all merely speculation. The Big Ten has admitted that the matter is merely under investigation and that action will not be taken any time soon.
But if the Big Ten wants to talk, Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg and his associates better listen and act accordingly.
Posted on December 6th, 2009 by David WhipkeyBy David Whipkey
Contrary to what many esteemed football experts based in Western Pennsylvania may say, the Pitt Panthers still have much to play for this season.
Yes, the Panthers are heading to the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte later this month against North Carolina on the heels of two painful losses by a combined four points against West Virginia and Cincinnati.
Yes, a BCS berth in the Sugar Bowl was taken from them by Mardy Gilyard, Tony Pike and the rest of the Bearcats on Saturday.
And yes, it is well known that Pitt’s fan base may very well not make itself known in Charlotte the day after Christmas this season.
But this season still has some life and can still be deemed a success if the Panthers beat the Tar Heels in front of what will assuredly be a pro-North Carolina crowd in Charlotte.
Pitt has won nine games for the second consecutive season for the first time since the early 1980s. Coach Dave Wannstedt has the program on its feet and running in the right direction. Critics will say they still have no signature win in the Wannstedt era. But this program has won 18 of its past 24 games and is established as a Big East contender for years to come. Recruiting is at an all-time high and as a result; an improved talent base is in place. BCS berths and big wins are closer to the program more so than they were in the dark ages of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Pitt’s defensive line established itself as one of the premiere units in the nation. The Panthers racked up 45 sacks this season, 36 of which came from the defensive front. Seniors Mick Williams and Gus Mustakas will move on following the bowl game. But ends Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard are juniors and will probably return. Talented tackles Myles Caragein and Chas Alecxih along with ends Brandon Lindsey and Shayne Hale are also slated to return.
Linebackers Greg Williams and Max Gruder made strides this season. Talented Dan Mason will take over for departing senior Adam Gunn. No drop off will be expected from the linebackers.
The secondary will lose corners Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappel. Safety Jarred Holley may shift back over to corner to assist with man coverage. Safeties Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields each notched three interceptions and both will return. Fellow safety Andrew Taglianetti is slated to return following his knee injury. Antwuan Reed, Buddy Jackson and Ricky Gary will fight over the open cornerback positions.
Pitt will miss the services of quarterback Bill Stull. The fifth-year senior threw for 2,470 yards with 21 touchdowns. He had a marvelous season following an erratic 2008 performance. Now offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti has the chance to mold Pat Bostick or Tino Sunseri into a similar, if not better player in 2010.
Who ever gets to start at quarterback will get to throw to the sensational Jonathan Baldwin. The sophomore nabbed 54 receptions for 1,080 yards and eight scores. Although seniors Cedric McGee, Oderick Turner, Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson all move on, players such as Mike Shanahan, Cameron Saddler and Aundre Wright will have a chance to step up in 2010.
Pitt does lose three starters along the offensive line in guards John Malecki, Joe Thomas and Robb Houser. Tackles Jason Pinkston and Lucas Nix will return. Reworking the offensive line will be a priority after the bowl game and in the spring.
The Panthers do return their biggest weapon in running back Dion Lewis. As a freshman, Lewis shattered school records for rushing and scoring with 1,640 yards on the ground and 16 touchdowns. His 47 carry, 195 yard, three touchdown performance against Cincinnati was simply remarkable.
The explosive Ray Graham will also return and spell Lewis. He could start for any other team in the conference or across the country. Fullback Henry Hynoski will also be back clearing the way.
Not all is lost for Pitt this season. A win over the Tar Heels would give the Panthers 10 wins for the first time since 1981. Ask any Pitt fan in August if they would accept a 10-win season as a success, most likely they would say yes.
With the returning roster in 2010, another similar season could be in the offing, making the future of Pitt football still very bright.
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