Unofficial University of Pittsburgh Sports Analytics Blog.
There is something different about the final days of training camp. The excitement of returning to the field has settled in, the competition has intensified and the focus has shifted from simply preparing for the season to preparing to win. For Pitt football, the 2026 training camp has provided plenty of reasons for optimism.
Has playing football off-campus helped Pitt football? There’s no denying playing on the North Shore has its advantages in terms of parking, traffic and accessibility more so than playing in Oakland, but the gameday experience just isn’t the same off campus. Alumni love to visit where they spent their college years and all that rekindled, feel good nostalgia is lost by playing off campus. You can’t even see the Cathedral of Learning from the North Shore.
Alex Kessman set a school record for longest Field Goal last weekend against Boston College, but missed a potential game-tying PAT in overtime. Overall the game was a microcosm of his collegiate career.
The Pitt Panthers look to get their mediocre ground game going against a North Carolina State defense that is weak defending the run.
It’s not exactly controversial to say that Pitt has struggled to find sustained success on offense in recent years. While the 2016 team had a prolific attack, key player and coaching departures the following offseason began the current period of mediocrity. Over the past 41 games, stretching back to the beginning of the 2017 season,…
Pitt and Syracuse play for the 75th time in their respective histories and for the 8th time since they both joined the ACC in 2013. Since landing in their new conference home Pitt has experienced much more success.
Pitt enters their 2020 Season opener against Austin Peay with a mediocre history against teams from the FCS level.
Pitt cannot lean on their dominant defense if they hope to make noise in the ACC in 2020. The offense is going to need to pick up the slack this season, but what is the likelihood of that happening?
Look out! The University of Pittsburgh Men’s Basketball and Football programs both have Top 20 Recruiting classes for the 2020 season!! Thats right Pitt fans the talent is coming, and the hard recruiting work is starting to pay off. In a very tough ACC Conference Coach Capel and Coach Narduzzi are finding the talent. More…
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi along with his lead recruiter Chris Beatty are winning some big recruiting battles in his home state of Virginia. With the commitment of 3-Star Running Back Malik Newton, that gives the Pitt Panthers 4 commits in Virginia. Moving this recruiting class to 4th in ACC and 22nd Overall. According to 247Sports. Some…
Though most bowl games are nothing more than glorified exhibitions, Pitt football faces a must-win game when they face the Eastern Michigan Eagles in the Quick Lane Bowl.
With the end of the 2010’s upon us, it’s time to take a look back at the last 10 years of Pitt football with the Dream Backfield All-Decade team.
We preview the final Pitt regular season game of 2019 against former Big East foe Boston College.
We preview the Virginia Tech Hokies as Pitt gets ready to take them on in this very important matchup between two teams that are quickly becoming rivals.
Pitt looks to finally knock off the North Carolina Tar Heels after having lost all previous matchups since joining the ACC
We get you ready for this weekend’s Homecoming game against Miami by taking a look at what the Hurricanes bring to the table for this key Coastal division matchup.
We preview the Syracuse Orange in advance of Pitt’s Friday night matchup with them in the Dome.
Halfway through the 2019 season, we check in on how the offense is performing under new Offensive Coordinator Mark Whipple.
As Pitt and Penn State get ready to meet for the 100th and final time for the foreseeable future, we preview what the Panthers have to go against when they travel to State College this weekend.
Our ACC Power Rankings after the first week of the college football season.
Pitt takes on MAC front-runner Ohio this weekend, looking to bounce-back from their season-opening loss to Virginia
The new look Pitt offense was not great on Saturday against Virginia and a lot of it can be traced back to mistakes by the Line. With big non-conference games coming up, the young unit needs to quickly get up to speed.
We take a look at the hierarchy of teams in the ACC on the eve of the 2019 college football season.
We take a look at Pitt’s first opponent, Virginia, in advance of their clash this Saturday night at Heinz Field.
In advance of this weekend’s season opener against Virginia, we’ll do an analysis of the Pitt roster to get you ready. First, we take a look at what should be a new-look Panther offense.
Despite being the defending Coastal Champions, Pitt enters the 2019 season projected to finish in the middle of the division. However, the Panthers have a recent history of being underrated.
We take a look at the Past, Present, and Future of recently departed Pitt Running Backs Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison
Pitt’s disappointing loss to Stanford in the Sun Bowl has been the norm for the Pitt Panthers in their recent history when it comes to postseason contests.
Take a look back at Pitt’s bowl opponent Stanford’s 2018 season in advance of their match-up.
Pitt faces an uphill battle against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game this weekend. However, that was the case the last time they played the Tigers and came out of that game on top. I take a look back at that November day in South Carolina.
Pitt has already clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game, but they still have one game remaining against the Miami Hurricanes, who they can’t afford to look past.
Attendance has been rather tepid at Heinz Field for Pitt football this season. However, they improbably find themselves in first place in the Coastal Division. So now’s the time to come out if you haven’t been to a game recently.
We take a look at Pitt’s next opponent, Notre Dame, as they look to pull off the upset. We also offer a score prediction for the game.
The Pitt Panthers enter this weekend’s Homecoming game against Syracuse reeling. If they hope to turn their season around, then this weekend’s game is a must-win.
We take a look at Pitt’s next opponent, Central Florida, as they look to rebound from last week’s loss to UNC. We also offer a score prediction for the game.
We take a look at Pitt’s next opponent, North Carolina, as they look to build on last week’s win over Georgia Tech. We also offer a score prediction for the game
As we approach the last Pitt-Penn State game at Heinz Field for the foreseeable future, we examine how Penn State is at fault for the series not being renewed.
We take a look at Pitt’s first opponent of the 2018 season, the Albany Great Danes, and give a prediction on the outcome of the game.
Heading into their 2018 season opener against Albany of the FCS, we take a look at Pitt’s less than stellar history playing down to competition from the lower level.
In the lead-up to Pitt football’s season opener against Albany we will look at a rundown of every position group. Today we’ll take a look at the Offense.
Part 2 of our analysis of Pitt’s 2018 football schedule. This will look at the 2nd half of Pitt’s 12 game schedule, beginning with their October 13th game at Notre Dame.
A game by game preview of the first half of Pitt Football’s 2018 season with win odds and score predictions.
The 5th anniversary of Pitt joining the Atlantic Coast Conference occurred last month. How have the first five years gone? Where does Pitt stand in the ACC hierarchy? And what is Pitt’s outlook for the future in the ACC?
Pitt football has gained a reputation for seemingly losing many close games. Do the statistics back up this view and what reasons could there be for it beyond simply bad luck?
After a disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2017, Pitt Football coach Pat Narduzzi enters an important season that could determine long-term future as the Panther’s Head Coach.
You want to talk about two teams that are in two different emotional states right now, just look at the matchup at Heinz Field on Saturday between N.C State and PITT. The Wolfpack come into the game with a record of 5-1 (3-0 in the ACC) and in a tie for 1st with Clemson in…
We all remember last season’s PITT-Syracuse game where they ran up and down the court and were just hitting threes all night……Wait hold on they run up and down the court in Basketball. My bad, but it is a good comparison when talking about last seasons 76-61 PITT victory at Heinz Field in front of…
Yes, everyone involved with the PITT football program would rather be going into this game at 2-0 and coming off another big rivalry game victory. But, we all knew that 1-1 was a real good possibility heading into this season. But, unlike Penn State, PITT has another big game coming up this Saturday against Oklahoma…
It’s that week of the year that both PITT and Penn State fans look forward to. That’s right, don’t believe Penn State fans and media when they try to play down this week because they believe their athletic department when they say that they are “Unrivaled”. Which I call BS on because they need this…
Over the past few seasons since Pat Narduzzi has come aboard, the PITT Football program has started to prove that they belong in the conversation with the rest of the top tier teams in the ACC. And the next thing that they need to do is win the ACC Coastal and make an appearance in…
Pitt football has historically struggled with actual attendance in the seats. A new hidden reason will make it even more challenging in the years to come.
I guess I should finish the list of the 16 best moments or players from the 2016 PITT football season as the 2017 Spring Game is fast approaching. For this post, Who made the PITT offense go? Who helped James Conner make his comeback and look like he didn’t miss a beat? Who helped Nate…
The Pitt 2017 football recruiting class brought in by Pat Narduzzi is one of the brightest in recent memory.
Was there a player on the entire PITT roster who took a bigger step forward than Quadree Henderson this season? In my opinion, I don’t think so. We saw glimpses of what Henderson could do for this team as the 2015 season went on and saw him burst onto the scene in the Military Bowl…
Our #13 moment of 2016 goes to Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada. When Day 1 of the Matt Canada era began, it was safe to say many PITT fans did not know what direction the offense was going to go after Jim Chaney left after one year. And I say the Matt Canada era because…
The #14 moment goes with the #15 moment as it was the return of the true PITT identity. The block PITT was never the identity that fans and you could probably say the university never truly got behind. And when AD Scott Barnes, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher and the Athletic Department announced last season that PITT…
The #15 moment during the 2016 season is a pretty obvious choice and I’m surprised I don’t have it higher, but it has to be the return of the “PITT Retro”Colors for the homecoming game. Everyone was wondering how PITT would build off the momentum of a very good first year under Head Coach…
(Video Courtesy of ACC Digital Network) As we are 2 weeks away from the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City, I am going to pick the Top 16 games or moments from the 2016 football season. The #16 game was the “All Offense, Little Defense” day against Syracuse to close out the regular season. And…
Here are a few words and phrases you can use to describe PITT Running Back James Conner: Hardworking, Courageous, Never Give Up Attitude, The Will To Win and I could go on, but the point is made. When Conner announced that he would declare for the 2017 NFL Draft after the bowl game on December…
2019 WPIAL linebacker Tyler King is the next Prospect you need to hear about. This young man has the size, speed, and talent to play for the Panthers.
Kevin Howard is a nationally recognized WR recruit. Listed at 6’3 200lbs, he would be a valuable addition to the class of 2017.
Gio Vonne Sanders is a 2017 Pitt Recruit from Jeannette High School ( Slotback / Defensive Back )
A question that I didn’t think coaches and fans would be searching for answers at mid-season still is: What is wrong with the Secondary?
Interview with 2019 Pitt Target – Cody Ross (LB/FB)
Since Tony Dorsett, Pitt has had a reputation of recruiting top tier college football Running Backs. And this year’s stable of backs looks good for the years to come.
The WPIAL Class of 2017 has a number of elite recruits and one of those is Steel Valley’s Dewayne Murray.
What schools are Clairton’s Lamont Wade looking at? Thoughts on Pitt? DreamBackfield.com talks with him.
Top Iowa Offensive Lineman already hearing from Pitt.
The culture is changing.
2015 Pitt commit Nick Bowers recently attended the Panthers’ pre-season practice. We spoke with him about his experience.
Pitt head coach Paul Chryst and staff covets a large athlete out of Union City, NJ. DreamBackfield.com speaks with Daiquan Kelly.
2014 DT signee Connor Dintino is working hard to recover from surgery and make an early impact at Pitt.
The Pitt Panthers add OL walk-on Alex Galiyas from Novi, MI.
Florida LB James “Jay” Folston talks to DreamBackfield.com about his future as a Pitt Panther
DreamBackfield.com spoke one on one with 2014 defensive end Hez Trahan about his future as a Panther.
