Virus issues postpone Pitt-Notre Dame matchup
Panthers have not faced an opponent since Dec. 22 loss
Pitt’s game Saturday against Notre Dame was scheduled to start 48 hours into a new year, one that will try to create some distance from its trying, taxing and tumultuous predecessor.
But, even as the calendar turns to a new page, some of the same problems persist.
The Panthers’ home game against the Fighting Irish has been postponed due to a positive COVID- 19 test within the Pitt program, as well as additional contact tracing related to a positive test outside the program, the university announced Thursday.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have determined it is in the program’s best interests to postpone Saturday’s game,” Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said in a statement. “We are testing daily within the program and will thoroughly conduct contact tracing to identify anyone who is determined to be a close contact. The health and safety of everyone in the program remains our focus as
INDIANA we look to navigate this pandemic.”
It marks the second postponed game this week for the Panthers, whose Dec. 29 matchup at Duke was also
pushed back following a positive COVID-19 test within the Pitt program.
It’s the latest development for a program that has been noticeably impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in recent weeks. On Dec. 19, the school announced Capel had tested positive for COVID-19, leading to a strenuous experience with the virus that he said nearly led to his hospitalization. Capel said in a video call with reporters Monday, shortly before the game against the Blue Devils was postponed, that he doesn’t believe “we should be playing right now” as the pandemic persists.
With the Notre Dame game delayed, Pitt isn’t scheduled to play again until Jan. 9, when it is set to host Florida State. Should that contest be played, Pitt will have gone 17 days without playing a game, going back to a Dec. 22 loss against Louisville.
The Panthers will continue to comply with the protocols outlined by the ACC’s medical advisory group. Players and those in close contact with the team in high-risk sports such as basketball are tested three times a week. Those involved in indoor high-risk sports must be tested on nonconsecutive days, have to undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen test within 48 hours of the conclusion of a game and are administered a PCR test within three calendar days prior to a game. While in-season, any member of the team must quarantine for 24 hours after returning to campus following a break of three days or more.
Women’s game stopped
Pitt’s women’s basketball game Thursday against Boston College at Petersen Events Center was postponed following a positive test and subsequent quarantining and contact tracing, within the Panthers’ team.
In accordance with COVID- 19 protocols, the Panthers’ next three games — North Carolina on Sunday, at Louisville on Jan. 7 and Clemson on Jan. 10 — have also been postponed.
The ACC’s announcement came just five minutes before the contest between Pitt and Boston College was set to tip off, with the teams taken off the court during warmups once the development arose.
In the meantime, the Panthers (3-3, 1-2 ACC), like the men, will be adhering to the conference’s COVID-19 protocols.
Thursday’s postponement is Pitt’s first of the season.
Weaver consensus pick
Rashad Weaver’s college football career is over, but his final season and the accolades it brought will live on in the Pitt record books alongside some of the program’s most legendary figures.
Weaver was named a first- team All- American Thursday by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), giving him his third first-team honor and, in the process, making him a consensus All-American.
The standout defensive lineman becomes the 52nd consensus All-American in Pitt history — tying it for ninth among all college football programs in that category — and is the Panthers’ first such player since Quadree Henderson in 2016. At his position, Weaver is in exalted company, as he’s the first Pitt defensive player to be a consensus All-American since Aaron Donald in 2013.
Among the other Pitt players who have earned consensus All- American status are Larry Fitzgerald, Tony Dorsett, Hugh Green, Bill Fralic, Mike Ditka, Jimbo Covert, Mark May, Craig Heyward and Antonio Bryant.
Weaver had previously received first- team nods from the Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Those two, along with the AFCA, Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation are used by the NCAA to determine consensus All-Americans, with a player needing at least three first-team recognitions to achieve that designation. Weaver was a second-team selection by the Sporting News while the Walter Camp teams won’t be unveiled until Jan. 7.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Weaver led the ACC in sacks and tackles for loss per game, averaging 0.83 and 1.6, respectively. His 14.5 tackles for loss were tied for first on the team and his 7.5 sacks ranked him second.
Along with Weaver, the AFCA named fellow defensive lineman Patrick Jones to its second team. Jones was a second-team AP All-American and was selected to the Sporting News’ first team. The Virginia native was first in the ACC and fourth nationally in sacks with nine, and was sixth in the ACC and 14th nationally in tackles for loss with 13.