Redshirt senior wide receiver Tre Tipton, gleaming with sweat, sauntered toward reporters assembled on the outskirts of Pitt’s practice field. The seventh-year wide receiver started his Q&A differently than most other players — he was the one asking a question when he got to the microphone.

While each player’s name, appearance, jersey number and position may differ, there was one constant among each athlete on the field that Thursday and every day of training camp thus far — the word “TEAM” was on the back of their jerseys instead of the players’ last names.

Because of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pitt played most of its home schedule last year in front of sparsely populated or wholly empty stands. But that will change on Saturday afternoon, when the home of the Panthers opens itself fully to spectators for the first time since 2019.

Lyke believed she hired the right man for the job, but when does that trust break? With a favorable non-conference schedule, and an elite assortment of talent, Narduzzi must produce results, or he should be firmly on the hot seat. 

Here’s what Panther fans can expect from Narduzzi and his squad heading into the 2021 season.

No. 9 Pitt volleyball traveled to South Carolina over the weekend, opening its season at the Carolina Classic. The Panthers swept the event with three victories against No. 23 Rice, No. 18 Washington State and unranked South Carolina.

Pitt women’s soccer extended its four-game win streak with a 5-0 shutout over the New Jersey Institute of Technology on a hot Sunday afternoon. With the win they remain undefeated on the season.

Pitt athletics announced updated COVID-19 regulations for spectators at on-campus sporting venues — the Petersen Sports Complex and the Fitzgerald Field House — last Tuesday afternoon.

In front of the first near-full-capacity crowd at the stadium in well over a year, the Panthers handily defeated the Dukes 7-0. 

Pitt women’s soccer handily defeated the Cleveland State Vikings 5-0 in its home opener on Thursday.