Social media reacts to UNC basketball’s gritty win over Pitt

Social media reacts to UNC basketball’s gritty win over Pitt, winning their first conference road game of the season.

The UNC men’s basketball program traveled to Pittsburgh for their first road conference game of the season, as UNC looked to kick off the new year with a victory.

UNC had yet to beat Pitt in the [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag] era, losing three straight. So, when the Tar Heels got off to a slow start, going 0-10 before [autotag]RJ Davis[/autotag] broke the scoring seal, overreactions had already filled the timelines on social media.

In Pitt fashion, they kept the game physical, and without too many whistles blown, it was the ideal recipe to keep UNC uncomfortable. The lack of a whistle didn’t go unnoticed as social media gave referee Ted Valentine a piece of their mind, even former UNC QB Marquise Williams got in on the action calling out Valentine’s “agenda”.

Despite fighting tooth and nail for every ball with not much help from the refs, the Tar Heels were able to go on a few runs, creating a sizable lead late in the second half. Even with Pitt’s attempts at a comeback, UNC was able to close the show, beating the Panthers 70-57.

The hard-fought victory swept through social media, as some praised the Tar Heels and others saw a blind spot in UNC’s strengths. From the good to the bad, we take a look at how social media reacted to UNC’s gritty win over Pitt.

Notre Dame football: Mickey’s pick-six about much more than just football

Notre Dame cornerback Jaden Mickey’s pick-six was a highlight but as we’ve learned, was so much bigger than just any regular touchdown

Sports have a weird way of bringing people together.  They’re not the only thing that does as concerts, movies, and plenty else can, but the way sports tend to do it is truly unique.

One such example came in Saturday’s blowout win of Pittsburgh by Notre Dame.

Fighitng Irish sophomore cornerback Jaden Mickey intercepted a Pittsburgh pass attempt and made a house call in the third quarter as Notre Dame separated from the Panthers.

Mickey’s return made it a 31-0 score just minutes into the third quarter but the scoreboard didn’t matter in this case.  That sports bond I mentioned above however did, in a big way.

Mickey mentioned after the game that his mind immediately went to one place as he approached the end zone:

“I just was picturing my mom and my dad in the living room yelling. I said, ‘My mom gotta see this.’ I’m happy it happened today.” – Jaden Mickey

Late Saturday, Inside ND Sports revealed the news that Mickey’s mother Nilka entered Hospice care earlier this fall.  She was diagnosed with stage-4 colon cancer early in 2020 and has decided to stop her chemotherapy treatments.

Notre Dame head coach shared praise of Mickey following the game.

“And so, I’m really pleased with how he performed, how he’s been practicing, how unselfish he is. I love Jaden Mickey, man. He’s a great player, and is doing great things for us.” – Marcus Freeman

Milka shared her excitement shortly after on social media as well:

Bigger than football or the scoreboard, that’s for certain.

 

Tremendous photos from Notre Dame’s dominating win over Pitt

If you thought the game looked enjoyable on TV then check out the best pictures from Saturday’s blowout win!

It’s been a long time since Notre Dame hung 58 points on a Power Five opponent but thanks to a comedy of Pittsburgh errors in the third quarter Saturday, the Irish routed Pitt 58-7.

This came after a slow start from Notre Dame offensively, but on a day that defense and special teams did more than their own shares, combining to score three touchdowns themselves.

With the win, Notre Dame moves to 7-2 on the season and has a chance to end up in a New Year’s Six bowl game if they’re able to win their final three regular season contests.

Pitt however fell to 2-6 on the year and after the game, head coach Pat Narduzzi seemed to let a bit of the blowout get to him.

We have tons of coverage following Notre Dame’s dominating win that we encourage you to check out.  Of course, do so after checking out the very best photos from the blowout victory below.

Notre Dame routs Pitt, gets Pat Narduzzi to call out talent of team

Pitt fans might want to buckle up as only more turbulence seems to be headed their way.

Pat Narduzzi has been the head football coach at Pittsburgh since the 2015 season.  He’s had success, winning the ACC just two years ago and going 62-41 previous to 2023.

He and the Panthers have gone just 2-6 in 2023 however, with their latest defeat coming of the 58-7 variety at Notre Dame.  It was the biggest loss they’ve suffered under Narduzzi and the biggest blowout loss they’ve had since falling 60-6 to Notre Dame 27 years ago.

After the game Narduzzi took responsibility the latest loss, but only after questioning the overall talent of the 2023 Pittsburgh squad.

“You lose a lot of good players a year ago, you think as a coach you’re going to replace them, we obviously haven’t,” Narduzzi said. “It starts with me. I didn’t do a good enough job of coaching today. Put it on me. We’ve got to make plays. It comes down to making plays and doing a better job of coaching.”

Although Narduzzi stepped up and took responsibility for the rough state of affairs, some of his players weren’t thrilled upon seeing the quote.

Narduzzi followed that up with a tweet of his own shortly after, accepting responsibility for the loss.

It’s one of those things I think a few things can be true.  Narduzzi can be right that his team isn’t as talented as it was just a year ago, but I can promise you that saying his players lack talent immediately following another blowout loss isn’t exactly going to win back a locker room, and doesn’t simply just go away with a simple tweet.

Hidden plays that helped Notre Dame’s win at home against Pittsburgh

Which non-scoring plays stood out to you Irish fans?

[autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] routed [autotag]Pittsburgh[/autotag] 58-7 at home on Saturday afternoon, getting a win following a bye week.

The win improves the Irish’s record to 7-2 in the second year of the [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] era, and should make a move north in the next rankings.

It wasn’t a trap game, as it could have been, the Irish taking care of business, scoring the most points on the year. It’s a game that many of us will go back and watch again, multiple highlight plays for Notre Dame.

There were other plays, that we might not remember, but still made a difference in this game. Here are those plays.

Notre Dame-Pitt: Former Irish running back currently Panthers leading rusher

A familiar face is coming back to South Bend

When Notre Dame and Pittsburgh do battle on Saturday afternoon in South Bend it’ll be a game that features a couple of former Fighting Irish standouts now wearing a different shade of blue.

Linebacker Shayne Simon and running back [autotag]C’Bo Flemister[/autotag] both spent four seasons at Notre Dame before transferring and ending up at Pitt.

Flemister said earlier this week of his decision to attend Notre Dame out of high school, where he wound up getting his degree:

“The big attraction to me personally was my future,” Flemsiter said. “They preach four for 40. Four years for the next 40 years of your life. You’re building a huge network. That alumni network is awesome. That was pretty much my biggest deciding factor. I’m looking 40 years down the road how going there could have helped me coming out of high school.”

Flemister currently leads Pitt with 282 rushing yards and has added a pair of touchdown runs.  He’s come on largely over the past two games for Pitt, who is just 2-5 on the year.

Check out some of the best photos of Flemister during his Notre Dame days below!

Notre Dame-Pitt: How Beano Cook nearly ended annual rivalry game

Earmuffs!

If you’re a longtime fan of college football then the name Beano Cook certainly means something to you.

Cook was a prominent college football media member and played a huge role in ESPN developing as a college football brand.

Notre Dame fans remember Cook for his prediction about Ron Powlus winning multiple Heisman Trophies, but Cook was so much more than just that.

The following comes from “Haven’t They Suffered Enough?”, Cook’s biography written by avid college football fan and Notre Dame graduate John D. Luckas.  As you’d probably guess, the book has plenty of stories of Beano that involve Notre Dame.

Before his ESPN career that most of us knew him from, Cook served as a sports publicist at Pitt.  It was in that role that he nearly ended the Pitt-Notre Dame rivalry in 1958.

Notre Dame vs. Pitt: Staff Gameday Predictions

What happens today in South Bend?

It’s only been two weeks since Notre Dame played a game, whooping USC 48-20, but it feels like even longer.  Not because of what has necessarily gone on as much with Notre Dame, but because of all the major news that has come out of college football since then.

What Notre Dame team will come out of the bye week as they host a disappointing Pitt team this Saturday afternoon?

Will the Irish offense look improved compared to what we saw in games 5-8?  

Will the defense continue to be as stout as the impressive unit has been?

Or will Pitt have an impressive showing despite being just 2-5?  This is the only team to have handed Louisville a loss this season, mind you.

Here is what the Fighting Irish Wire staff sees happening on Saturday in South Bend:

Report: Sean Payton strikes again, signs Saints TE Lucas Krull to Broncos practice squad

Report: Sean Payton struck again, signing recently-waived New Orleans Saints tight end Lucas Krull to the Denver Broncos practice squad:

Sean Payton just won’t stop poaching former New Orleans Saints players. The Denver Broncos are reportedly signing tight end Lucas Krull to their practice squad after the Saints waived him on Tuesday, which is nothing if not annoying. Can’t Payton find his own players?

Krull will be backing up another ex-Saints tight end, Adam Trautman, in Denver while leaving behind a stacked depth chart in New Orleans. Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau figure to lead the Saints’ tight ends in snaps played this year with Jimmy Graham coming into games for a specific package of plays. Taysom Hill is also in the mix and the team hopes to expand his role as a receiver in the fall.

Still, it’s frustrating to lose Krull. He’s someone the Saints signed as an undrafted rookie out of Pitt and developed on the practice squad last year into an at-least-competent pass catcher. Now he’ll be working with Payton, the Broncos, and Russell Wilson. But that’s a risk the Saints accepted in waiving him.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Remembering Beano Cook and his Notre Dame moments 10 years after passing

Love him or hate him, few have ever been quite like Beano, who died 10 years ago today.

Ten years ago today a legend in the college football media world left us as Beano Cook passed away.  The 1954 University of Pittsburgh graduate went on to become one the most recognizable faces associated with college football media but before his ESPN career that most of us knew him from, he served as a sports publicist at Pitt.

Eventually Cook worked his way into the media world and upon doing so, waste no time becoming one of the biggest names in the business.

 John D. Lucaks, a Notre Dame graduate and passionate college football fan in his own right worked with Cook for years after developing a unique friendship on a whim.  Lucaks released Cook’s biography, “Haven’t They Suffered Enough?” in 2021 and as you’d probably guess, has plenty of stories of Beano that involve Notre Dame.

I was seven years old when Beano declared that Ron Powlus would win multiple Heisman Trophies and just assumed Cook was a Notre Dame backer at heart.  After reading this book I’ll let you know that he certainly wasn’t (doesn’t make him any less of a college football enthusiast) but sure did have some tales involving Notre Dame.

I’ll also say that in no point in my life have a I read a biography and in my head heard the featured person’s voice as clearly I did Beano’s with this book.

Find out below just a few of the stories that Lucaks shares in the book that involve Beano irritating a few Notre Dame priests during his publicist days at Pitt, the story behind his Powlus prediction, and what game Notre Dame won that earned Beano a huge pay day!

All are excerpts from the book that can be purchased for any longtime college football fan on Amazon.