Pittsburgh-North Carolina offers a matchup of star quarterbacks
Kenny Pickett stole Sam Howell’s thunder. The Pittsburgh quarterback’s brilliant play is commanding Heisman Trophy-attention, which his counterpart at North Carolina hogged during the run-up to the 2021 season.
Now Pickett and the 25th-ranked Panthers are eager to grab something more valuable: The Coastal Division title most thought was the Tar Heels’ to lose two months ago.
Heading into tonight’s showdown at Heinz Field, Pitt (7-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) and not UNC (5-4, 3-3) has the inside track for a spot in the ACC title game next month. It’s Pickett — more than Howell — who has dazzled while leading the top-scoring offense in the country.
Yet the Panthers remain wary. The early season malaise that dogged the Tar Heels has lifted. A 58-55 upset over previously unbeaten Wake Forest last week has provided Howell and North Carolina a needed jolt and set the stage for what could be a four-hour track meet.
“Whatever happened to 14-3?” said Pitt coach Narduzzi, a former linebacker and defensive coordinator. “Are those days gone? They’re gone.”
If the Tar Heels can beat a ranked opponent for a second time in six days, the chaos that’s become the Coastal Division’s calling card returns.
“We’ve got to keep improving as a football team, all the other stuff is out of our control,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “We’ve got to win another game to
go to a bowl. We’ve got to be as good as we can. But we don’t need to be talking about the end. We need to be talking about getting better.”
Particularly on defense. The Tar Heels are giving up a staggering 33.4 points per game, next-to-last in the ACC. And now they have to face Pickett, who needs just 113 yards passing to break Alex Van Pelt’s school record for career passing yardage.
A victory and Pitt could possibly clinch its second Coastal title in four years at home against Virginia on Nov. 20.
Frost makes sacrifices to keep Nebraska job
Scott Frost said Wednesday he had no problem taking a pay cut and firing four offensive assistants who also are friends if those moves give him more time to turn Nebraska into a winning program again.
Frost, 15-27 in four years and 3-7 this season, met with reporters for the first time since athletic director
Trev Alberts announced the coach would return for a fifth season under a restructured contract.
“I took this job because I love Nebraska and I love this university,” Frost said. “It would break my heart to think we made the improvements we have and gotten it so close in so many games and not get an opportunity to see it through. So it’s an easy decision to make any sacrifices I have to to have the privilege to continue to be here.”
Frost, who had been scheduled to make $5 million in 2022, will instead be paid $4 million. Frost said he was the one who suggested a pay cut. His buyout if he gets fired next year will go from $15 million to $7.5 million.
Frost fired offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Matt Lubick, offensive line coach/run game coordinator Greg Austin, running backs coach Ryan Held and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco. Lubick had worked with Frost at Oregon; the others were on Frost’s staff at UCF.
Garcia steps down as FIU athletic director
Florida International began a search for a new athletic director after Pete Garcia announced Wednesday that he is resigning following 15 years on the job.
Garcia is now a senior adviser to FIU President Mark Rosenberg, focusing on revenue generation and fundraising. Senior associate athletic director Heath Glick has taken over for Garcia overseeing the athletic department on an interim basis.
The school will likely want to move quickly on hiring someone permanently to lead the department — and decide how go to forward with football.
FIU coach Butch Davis is in the final year of his fiveyear contract. The Panthers stunned Miami 3024 on Nov. 23, 2019, and have gone 1-15 since — the lone win in that span coming against lower-division Long Island University to open this season.
Middle Tennessee staying in C-USA
Middle Tennessee State is sticking with Conference USA after the league announced the addition of four new members starting in 2023.
President Sidney McPhee said in a statement posted on the school website Wednesday that they’ve watched the Division I landscape for athletics change in the past several weeks. McPhee said MTSU appreciated the interest that other conferences showed in its program.
Mid-American Conference presidents met on Nov. 5 with possible expansion on the agenda and CUSA members Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State as potential options, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league’s discussions are private.
That same day, C-USA announced Liberty, Jacksonville State, New Mexico State and Sam Houston State as new members starting in 2023. McPhee said that gives the league a strong footprint in the South and Southwest.