The Pitt News
The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | September 23, 2016 | Volume 107 | Issue 32
CITY SPEAKS OUT Residents react after a violent night of protests in North Carolina, three more police shootings and Donald Trump’s Pittsburgh visit. Alexa Bakalarski and Emily Brindley The Pitt News Staff
Less than 24 hours after protests became deadly in North Carolina, Pitt students and Pittsburgh residents responded to the national uproar over police shootings of black men. Armed with banners, bandanas and staplers, more than 25 people gathered in front of the Porch in Schenley Plaza at about 9 p.m. Thursday.
Many of the protesters showed up to the plaza clothed in all black, with bandanas covering their heads or mouths. They talked quietly amongst themselves, smoking cigarettes or absentmindedly waving black cloth flags. One had used pink chalk to write on the brick ground, “Black Lives Matter.” According to one of the protesters, who wished to remain anonymous, the plan for the night was to post signs and See Police on page 3
Stephen Caruso SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
PITTSBURGH WEIGHS IN ON FRACKING Stephen Caruso and Amina Doghri The Pitt News Staff
Protesters gathered outside the Duquesne Club during Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh. Stephen Caruso SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
On land lined deep with Marcellus shale and the ancient fossil fuels it blankets, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump preached energy investment at a shale and natural gas convention Thursday. Outside the David Lawrence Convention Center Downtown, where he was speaking, fed up citizens and anti-fracking groups demanded environmental consciousness. The Republican presidential candidate presented his energy policy at the Shale Insight Conference, promising “an Americanfirst energy plan” which will “increase total
economic activity $20 trillion in 40 years” as well as cut energy prices. Natural gas has proven to be a major political touchstone in this presidential election. Both major party candidates for president — Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton — support fracking to an extent. Clinton sees a role for natural gas as an important piece “in the transition to a clean energy economy,” only if it is properly regulated, according to her campaign website. Trump, more focused on the economic possibilities of natural gas extraction, emphasized less regulation on Thursday.
See Fracking on page 3
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Photo galleries from today’s protests
TRUMP SPEAKS AT PGH SHALE CONFERENCE Rachel Glasser and Emily Baranik For The Pitt News
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump outlined his energy plan in Pittsburgh Thursday, which he said would improve the United States economy by reducing restrictions on the energy industry, At a Shale Insight Conference downtown, Trump discussed the plan he rolled out in May and said the key to a successful American economy is increasing energy production. “Producing more American energy is an essential part of my plan to making America wealthy again,” Trump said. The event Trump attended –– an annual twoday conference of the Marcellus Shale Coalition to about energy security and developments and innovations in the production of shale gas –– was held at the David Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh Wednesday and Thursday. Organizers said 1,300 people attended over the course of two days. Marcellus Shale Coalition is a group of united companies that produce natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” The process involves drilling into shale –– a type of sedimentary rock –– and then using highpressure water to force natural gas out of the rock. The rock fractures under the water pressure. In the Pennsylvania area, there are two types of shale rock, Marcellus shale and Utica shale. Fracking, though, has produced controversy among environmentalists, policy makers and industry advocates. Fracking uses large amounts of water that must be transported to the excavation site at an environmental cost. Environmentalists argue that harmful chemicals used at the fracking site can seep into and contaminate surrounding groundwater. The conference typically includes several speakers and panels from companies in the coalition. Scheduled speakers for this year’s conference included Gary R. Heminger –– chairman, president and CEO of Marathon Petroleum Corporation –– and former presidential candidate Rick Santorum. Trump’s talk Thursday comes as he gains leads
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Donald Trump spoke at the Shale Insight Conference Thursday morning. Jordan Mondell ASSISTANT VISUAL EDITOR in battleground states such as Ohio and Nevada. Hillary Clinton, however, is still maintaining the national lead by six points according to a NBC/ Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday. She’s also up by an average of six points in Pennsylvania, according to Real Clear Politics. In his talk, Trump said his plan will lift the environmental and regulatory restrictions on American energy, which will increase gross domestic product by more than $100 billion each year and increase federal, state and local tax revenues by almost $6 trillion over four decades. By his estimate, lifting restrictions will increase total economic activity in the United States by more than $20 trillion over the next 40 years. According to Trump, his overall economic plan will create 25 million jobs over the next decade. “I believe we can reach beyond, actually four percent growth, why not?” he said. Trump also slammed Democratic presidential candidate Clinton’s economic policies, including her stance on energy production, fracking and coal use.
“[Clinton’s economic plan] will help only her wealthy donors and global special interests who benefit from the rigged system.” Trump said. “Hillary Clinton wants to put the coal miners out of work.” William Wang, an investment manager from New York, said he didn’t come to the conference to see Trump, but rather to learn more about the Marcellus and Utica shale gas companies, as well as the shale industry. When it comes to the Republican presidential candidate, Wang said Trump’s actions are often based on his own personal interests. “My personal view? I would never support him,” Wang said. “There’s just not a single thing about this person that I can find that I respect. At all.” Ellen Montgomery, account representative at Cathedral Energy Services, said Trump’s economic plans made good business sense. “I think that [Trump] is quite understanding, not just of our industry, but of what we need to do in this country,” Montgomery said. “Lowering
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the taxes across the board for business is going to allow and encourage businesses to come back and to develop especially in this region.” According to Wright, the coalition invited the presidential candidates from both major political parties to the conference in an attempt to create a nonpartisan environment. However, Wright said Clinton respectfully declined. Clinton’s energy policies include switching from coal and oil energy to natural gas energy in order to reduce air pollution. Clinton’s policies also include safeguards such as replacing or repairing leaky natural gas pipelines and building high-quality new pipelines. Erica Clayton Wright, vice president of communications and membership for the Marcellus Shale Coalition and co-organizer of the event, said Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia play a critical role in the natural gas industry. “It simply just makes sense for us to partner as a region so that we have a unified voice, not only on regulatory topics [and] policy, but this industry is bigger than state borders,” Wright said.
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Protest, pg. 1
Fracking, pg. 1
But as Trump spoke, about 150 western Pennsylvania residents pressed back against Trump’s vision of “shale energy revolution.” Many of the protesters have a personal stake in the debate because of hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — occurring in their own backyards. Fracking involves drilling a hole into sedimentary rock –– also known as shale — and then shooting a high pressure stream of water and chemicals into the ground through the hole. This causes the shale to fracture and release natural gases, such as methane, which can be captured for energy use. Though these gases release less air-polluting carbon dioxide than burning oil or coal, some environmentalists worry about other pollutants caused in production that could contaminate water, as well as the potential for creating tremors in the earth. Conversely, Gov. Tom Wolf, along with politicians in surrounding states, want to harness the economic potential of one of Pennsylvania’s most valuable natural resources. See Protest on page 4 According to Reuters, 2,300 fracking
wells operated in Pennsylvania in 2012, each earning roughly $122,000 a year, or $2,440,000 over a projected 20-year life span. Speaking on a panel at Thursday’s conference, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, R-Ohio, spoke about the advantages of jobs in fracking in an increasingly intellectual-based workforce. “We need to do a better job of marketing the opportunity that exists in this industry,” Taylor said. “We need to talk about the types of jobs that exist, the fact that they’re stable, they’re well paid.” Dennis Davin, Pennsylvania’s secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development, emphasized the benefits of a public-private partnership between the county’s government and Consol Energy. The Pittsburgh International Airport signed a contract with CONSOL granting it a $50 million signing bonus and 18 percent royalties on any gas sold. “Consol arguably saves [the airport],” Davin said. Cutting the cost of energy with natural gas production would also cut the cost of living for consumers, according to the Energy Information Administration. See Fracking on page 4
The Pitt news crossword 9/23/16
banners across campus, namely on the round billboards surrounding the outside of the William Pitt Union. Phil Cancilla, 20, of South Hills, was at the Plaza and said the atmosphere in Pittsburgh may not be as severe as in other cities, but the racism and the potential for police brutality are still present. “While it’s less of an outright problem here, it’s the quiet, insidious kind of racism,” Cancilla said. Protests sparked in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wednesday night after police shot and killed Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old black man, Tuesday. As the protests became more vigorous, Michael Brown Sr. spoke at Pitt about the death of his son Michael Brown Jr., who was shot by police two years ago, and honored his legacy. Shortly after his talk, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in Charlotte. A protester named Justin Carr, 26, was shot and critically wounded by another civilian during the protest. On Thursday evening, Carr died from his wounds. On Sept. 16 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, police officer Betty Shelby shot and killed Terence Crutcher, a 40-year-old unarmed black man, after find-
ing his abandoned car. Shelby was convicted of felony manslaughter on Thursday — one of the few times a police shooting has resulted in a conviction. Anger over the shootings manifested outside the Duquesne Club on Sixth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh Thursday afternoon. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was speaking to a convention at the David Lawrence Convention Center. The protest originated as a statement against fracking and Trump, but after the candidate finished speaking to the assembled crowd and went to the Duquesne Club for lunch, protesters marched down Penn Avenue, blocking traffic and ignoring police barricades while chanting “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA.” After trying to enter the Duquesne Club to confront Trump, city police intervened on horseback and with riot gear, nightsticks at the ready, sunlight bouncing off their face masks. Police pushed protesters from the adjourning sidewalk, knocking a few down and incensing the crowd. From then on, the protesters anger was directed at the cops, not Trump. Protesters called out “this is what a police state looks like” and continued after police informed the crowd that
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Protest, pg. 3
Fracking, pg. 3
Trump had left the city. Thursday morning, several hours before the protesters began to gather, a man stood on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard in front of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, holding a microphone and speaking to passers-by for several hours about police brutality. The man had two large signs with him. One read, “No man should ever die with his hands up” and the other read, “My color should not make me a target.” About a dozen people stopped on the corner to listen to him, with a few others listening across the street at the bus stop in front of the Union. “When we let it happen, we’re just as guilty,” the man said over the microphone. “Hate don’t stop. Hate just keeps hating.” At the Schenley Plaza protest, Cancilla said some Pitt students are not only bystanders, but active opponents of protests. The loud chanting and stalled traffic at many demonstration causes inconvenience the students, who Cancilla said sometimes lean out dorm windows and shout for the protesters to shut up. “[They believe] their convenience is more important than people’s lives,” Cancilla said. Jordan Malloy, 21, of East Liberty, said she hoped the Schenley Plaza protest would make people stop and consider the injustices of American society.
Economic benefits would also mostly bolster the rural, rather than urban, economy, which has been left out of the technology boom. Most of Pennsylvania’s wells are concentrated in Washington, Bradford, Susquehanna and Greene counties, far from the urban centers of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. “It’s all upside for this country,” Trump said of his energy policy. “More jobs, more revenues, more wealth, higher wages and lower energy prices.” While Trump — considered an industry friendly candidate — emphasized the economic benefit of natural gas, Jane Worthington spoke to a gaggle of protesters outside the conference. The Robinson Township resident doesn’t feel blessed to have over a dozen fracking rigs within a half mile of her children’s school. Worthington suspects that one of her daughters has been exposed to benzene, a chemical commonly included in the cocktail of high-pressured fluids used in fracking. In a March interview with the Post-Gazette, she said her daughter has developed asthma and experienced nosebleeds and headaches, among other health issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long-term benzene
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exposure can intrude on bone marrow’s production of red blood cells and lead to a weakened immune system, anemia and excessive bleeding. “She’s not old, she’s not decrepit and she didn’t ask for this,” Worthington said Thursday. “She is 12. She is 12 years old and she has benzene in her body.” Worthington said the blame for her daughter’s health falls on the heads of regulatory organizations. While Worthington hoped for accountability, Trump’s speech mainly focused on his willingness to limit regulators’ power throughout his speech. “This is nobody’s fault except the [Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection] and the [Environmental Protection Agency] and those politicians who are not regulating what is going on,” Worthington said. Organizers from NextGen Climate, an environmental activist group, wore vibrant orange t-shirts that read “climate is our candidate,” outside the Convention Center. But in reality, members including Aleigha Cavalier, 28, of Fox Chapel, have directed the majority of their efforts against Trump. “There are, in the race for presidency, one of two people [who] are going to be president,” Cavalier said. “We’re hoping in ensuring that the one who has basically promised to do an endless amount of damage to our environment and economy
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doesn’t get elected.” That candidate, to NextGen, is Trump. Along with his reference to the EPA in his speech Thursday, Trump said he would back out of the Paris Agreement, a United Nations-brokered agreement the United States signed on Sept. 6 that limits greenhouse gas emissions. “So we know that he’s just not really on our team when it comes to our addressing these issues in the future of our planet,” Cavalier said. Clinton does support fracking as part of her plans if elected, but with qualifications. “I don’t support [fracking] when any locality or any state is against it...I don’t support it when the release of methane or contamination of water is present,” Clinton said during a March debate with Bernie Sanders, a former candidate for the Democratic nomination for president. Trump dubbed Clinton’s regulatory goals as unnecessarily costly and ineffective, but the cost cost for Worthington and other concerned families is measured by the health of their loved ones. “I can’t possibly represent my daughter in any way, shape or form if we’re going to support a candidate such as Trump who will not pay attention to our environment,” Worthington said.
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Opinions column
from the editorial board
Casual Fridays RIP Brangelina Hollywood’s biggest heartthrob is back on the market — and so is Brad Pitt. On Tuesday, after two years of marriage, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from husband Pitt, meaning our favorite power couple has officially shattered any hope we had left for the existence of true love. Fingers crossed that Beyonce and Jay Z pull through. As difficult as it may be to battle for custody with a former spouse, being the child of Brad and Angelina doesn’t sound so bad — unlimited Hot Wheels, anyone? On the plus side, the Mr. and Mrs. Smith sequel is going to be killer. Go, Diego, Go! Not all heroes wear capes — some wear shells. Diego, a Galapagos giant tortoise, single-handedly saved his species on his native island Espanola, the southernmost in the Galapagos Archipelago. About 50 years ago, Diego was only one of the two male tortoises of his species left alive. Thanks to the help of the remaining 12 female tortoises and a breeding center, he repopulated the species, breeding an estimated 800 offspring. Even though Diego’s over 100 years old, he didn’t need any performance enhancement for this challenge. Take that Hugh Hefner. As the old saying goes, “slow and steady wins the race.” Not even Darwin could have predicted this kind of evolution.
Meating of the minds
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“Trumponomics” sounds like a helping hand for the little guy but is actually a pedestal edestal for the wealthy. Republican presidential al candidate Donald Trump rump announced his economic conomic plan during uring a sp p e e ch att the E c o nomic C l u b off New York ork last Thursday, hursday, calling alling for 4 percent economic growth if rowth hee becomes president. resident. The candidate andidate plans to o increase the amount mount of goods and nd services produced in n the United States by 4 percent, ercent, promising an increase in n employment, growth of the middleclass lass and “great paychecks for millions of people.” eople.” Now that Trump has finally released his is economic platform — rather than making vague statements about how great it will be — we can set aside conversations about bout his scandals, health issues and hairstyles. While Trump’s proposals may seem appealing to those who want lower taxes,
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What happens when a Nathan’s hot dog and a Big Mac reproduce? Voila! A Hamdog is made. In case you weren’t already suspicious about what kind of meat is in your hot dog, an Australian man named Mark Murray combined a hot dog and a hamburger in an effort to make tailgating a bit easier for sports fans. Although his masterpiece was rejected by Australia’s “Sharktank,” that hasn’t stopped his efforts to bring it to the states. The Cronut seems eager to have a like-minded friend for once, so hopefully the two can pair up to Make America Diabetic Again. Plankton is doing his best to get ahold of the formula, but we’re not sure that’s a meat mystery that can be solved.
For The Pitt News
his policies would harm our economy — hurting middle-class Americans the most by cutting funding for public services. It becomes very easy to overlook the actual policy in Trump’s when p y goals g p plan p he compares his economic revival to events including winning both world wars and landing a man on the moon. But we need to examine the numbers, because they’re ludicrous. Economic growth of 4 percent is unrealistic at best considering that our economy has ranged in growth from -2.78 percent in 2009 to 2.53 percent in 2015. The only time we were anywhere close to 4 percent growth was in 2004 when the economy peaked at 3.79 percent before dropping off dramatically to -0.292 percent before President Barack Obama took office. In fact, the last nomic growth time ecothe extent occurred to Trump is proposing was during Bill Clinton’s administration. Except instead of lowering taxes, Clinintton’s ’ administration d i i t ti i creased investment in the private sector and upped taxes to pay off the $276 See Rajprohat on page 7 Sa
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MIT has developed a new device that warns you when you’re “catching the feels.” The wireless monitor detects emotions by measuring a person’s heartbeat which means that basically, the most intelligent young scientists in our country developed a fancy stethoscope. They tried testing the invention, which will be used to diagnose mental health issues such as depression or anxiety, at MIT but could not find a control group that wasn’t overly stressed from school work. The good news is that in case you don’t know how you’re feeling, you can always count on a robot to tell you. MIT’s next project? A tongue depressor that can pick up vibes from your taste buds.
Saket Rajprohat
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James Lee Hankins or “D-Brown” of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was suspected of selling heroin and crack cocaine when undercover investigators sought to make a purchase through him. The 25-year-old fled the scene when the cops showed up and dropped his phone along the way. After hiding out in a woman’s basement, the police found him shirtless on the couch and posting a Facebook status urging friends not to contact him. “Phone got stolen so
Emoji Device
TRUMP’S ECONOMIC PLATFORM A GUISE FOR THE RICH
Ra
Facebook Warning
ima b off fb 4 a hot minute dont call my phone til i say other wise [expletive] got hot,” the post read. For the time being, you can hit D-Brown up on LinkedIn. Surprisingly, the woman whose basement he invaded was more mad about being logged out of her account than she was about inadvertently hiding a man on the run. His mom didn’t see his Facebook status, as it turns out: He had 14 pokes from her waiting upon his release.
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Rajprohat, pg. 6 billion national debt — by 2001, the surplus had dropped to $128 billion. Not exactly detailed in his plans on how his policies would reach 4 percent, Trump highlighted $4.4 trillion in tax cuts in his speech and on his website. Additionally, he announced he would not be making cuts to programs like Medicare, social security and our military budget, which together stand at a total of almost $3 trillion in federal spending as of 2015, according to the National Priorities Project. Instead, he plans to make cuts to programs that simply cannot handle cuts, some of which include veterans’ benefits, education, food and agriculture and transportation, even though they receive the least amount of funding. He also promised to create 25 million jobs in the next 10 years, but was unable to clarify how that would happen and directed those who questioned the plan to visit the website and check the math. As optimistic as his goal may seem, Trump’s tax reform plan proves his economic plan is not feasible. Initially, Trump expects to implement a new tax bracket that simplifies the current seven prong tax bracket into three. Right away, this would dramatically decrease the amount of taxes people paid no matter what tax bracket they fall in — the most significant cut of which would be for the rich, which in Trump’s tax plan is the top 33 percent of the income bracket. Above this, he also intends to increase the amount of standard deductions available to the top 33 percent, allowing for increased tax avoidance. It is simply impossible to provide tax cuts for everyone without having to cut spending on our biggest programs, mainly because of how much revenue the
government would lose. Unspoken by Trump, his plan would reduce federal tax revenues by about $12 trillion in the next decade. That is not counting the increase in deductions that corporations are bound to take part in order to increase their after-tax income. A reduction of this magnitude is not sustainable with a federal government that spends $3.8 trillion annually. As a result, Trump’s ability to say that his plan will cause tax relief on the middle-class is partially true. But the wealthiest Americans will reap more benefits from this plan than the middle-class. Above that, his plan does not account for anything that could happen as the result of his major decrease in tax revenue. The spending he intends to cut will only be about 21 percent of the federal budget, or about $800 billion, assuming he cuts every single program that is not Medic a r e , social security and military. This me ans he would l i ke ly have to cut into programs that middle-class families depend on. Tax relief may seem like a great way to push for consumer spending, for corporations to invest in hiring more workers and to allow our economy to grow, but that is simply not realistic. Trickle-down economics — deregulating the market, cutting taxes substantially for the rich and just hoping the wealthiest in America will reinvest in the economy — has never worked. We can not expect and depend on the richest of our country to control the economy how they see fit — they do not stand as an institution for the betterment of society. Trump’s economic plan is shortsighted, at best. It may reduce the amount of taxes all across the nation, but it has no ability to make up for lost revenue and simply cannot avoid the negative effects it will have on the middle-class. And that is no way to make America great.
As optimistic as his goal may seem, Trump’s tax reform plan proves his economic plan is not feasible.
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The Pitt News
Editor-in-Chief ELIZABETH LEPRO
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Emily Brindley | Assistant News Editor Alexandria Stryker | Assistant Copy Alexa Bakalarski | Assistant News Editor Copy Staff Matt Moret | Assistant Opinions Editor Matthew Maelli Amanda Sobczak Ashwini Sivaganesh | Assistant Sports Editor Michelle Reagle Bridget Montgomery Jordan Mondell | Assistant Visual Editor Sarah Choflet Corey Foreman Emily Hower | Assistant Layout Editor Sydney Mengel Katie Krater Amanda Reed | Online Engagement Editor Kelsey Hunter
Editorial Policies Single copies of The Pitt News are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons and letters are not necessarily those of The Pitt News. Any letter in tended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words and include the writer’s name, phone number and University affiliation, if any. Letters may be sent via e-mail to letters@pittnews.com. The Pitt News reserves the right to edit any and all letters. In the event of multiple replies to an issue, The Pitt News may print one letter that represents the majority of responses. Unsigned editorials are a majority opinion of the Editorial Board, listed to the left. The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and
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student-managed newspaper for the Oakland campus of the University of Pittsburgh. It is pub lished Monday through Friday during the regular school year and Wednesdays during the summer. Complaints concerning coverage by The Pitt News, after first being brought to the editors, may be referred to the Community Relations Com mittee, Pitt News Advisory Board, c/o student media adviser, 435 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260. The editor in chief has the final authority on editorial matters and cannot be censored, according to state and federal law. The editor in chief is selected by the Pitt News Advisory Board, which includes University staff, fac ulty and students, as well as journalism professionals. The business and edito rial offices of The Pitt News are located at 434 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260.
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Sports women’s soccer
BC TOPPLES PANTHERS, 3-0 Steve Rotstein Sports Editor
The Pitt women’s soccer team continued its rough start to ACC play with another shutout loss Thursday night against No. 17 Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Panthers began their two-game road trip riding a five-game losing streak, and the skid continued against the Eagles Thursday night. Boston College jumped out to an early lead, kept on the offensive and pulled away late for a 3-0 victory. “They are a well-coached team and wanted it more than we did. They were more physical than us, scrappier than us and more intense,” Pitt head coach Greg Miller said in a press release. “Despite the fact that we went down a goal, I thought that we had some chances in the first half to even it up and I was fairly pleased with the effort.” The Eagles attacked the Panthers’ defense from the start, as Boston College forward Hayley
Dowd sent a header over the net just over a minute into the game. The Eagles then received a free kick in the fifth minute and didn’t waste it - defender Samantha Hiatt took the free kick, which Dowd headed past Pitt goalkeeper Taylor Francis for her sixth goal of the season. “Once again, we gave up a goal on a set piece and that is just inexcusable,” Miller said in the release. Leading 1-0, less than five minutes into the game, Boston College stayed aggressive and never gave the Panthers a chance to come back. The Eagles received a corner kick in the 12th minute, but Pitt blocked forward McKenzie Meehan’s header attempt. Forward Sarah Krause did her best to generate offense for the Panthers, attempting three shots in the first 15 minutes. But her first shot sailed high, and Boston College goalkeeper Erin Seppi turned
Sarah Krause had five shots for the Panthers against Boston College but See Soccer on page 9 couldn’t find the back of the net. John Hamilton STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
PREDICTION: NORTH CAROLINA 37, PITT 32 Dan Sostek
Senior Staff Writer Opening up conference play against a reigning division champion is less than ideal, especially after a heartbreaking road loss. But Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi is embracing the challenge heading into Pitt’s ACC opener Saturday against the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “We don’t make it bigger than any other game, but it’s a special game because it’s the ACC start,” Narduzzi said. “It’s a special game because they’re a good football team, they’re the champion of the Coastal [Division] and we get an opportunity to open up with them down at their place.” After back-to-back thrillers against
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Penn State and Oklahoma State, here are three trends to look for in what could be another classic battle. Pass it on Pitt’s cornerbacks — particularly junior Avonte Maddox — struggled mightily last week against Oklahoma State’s daunting set of wide receivers, as James Washington torched the secondary for nearly 300 yards. The task won’t be any easier against the Tar Heels, as Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins have given the Panthers fits since they moved to the ACC. In his career against Pitt, Switzer has posted 10 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two scores on punt returns. Last year, Hollins hauled in two long passes for 81 yards and a touchdown.
“The first thing you look at is Ryan Switzer, who can take over a game by himself,” Narduzzi said. “[Hollins] presents the jump ball with his height, so there will be a height mismatch as well as a speed mismatch. [UNC] is going to take their shots off of what they saw last week, without question.” The Panthers may want to give Maddox more safety help than last week by blanketing either Terrish Webb or Jordan Whitehead over the top. On the other side of the ball, the Tar Heels can be equally susceptible to deep passes. If Pitt has enough confidence in quarterback Nathan Peterman, the team should look to test the Tar Heels deep and early. It could be a good opportunity to get some rhythm flowing in a passing game that has
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been so stagnant so far. Keeping Conner One of James Conner’s best career games came in Chapel Hill in 2014, when the bruising Pitt running back rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries. Don’t expect that kind of workload for Conner this week against UNC, though. Narduzzi said he needs to taper back Conner’s carries. “James gets tired. We have to keep him fresh,” Narduzzi said. Pitt has the depth to give him the rest he needs. Sophomore Darrin Hall is a talented young back that has impressed early, and the Panthers gave true freshman Chawntez Moss the first two carries of his career against Oklahoma State. See Preview on page 10
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UNC’S BALANCE COULD GIVE PITT PROBLEMS Steve Rotstein Sports Editor
Nobody expected the Pitt football team to have trouble dispatching Villanova in its season opener, which the Panthers won, 28-7. But everybody knew the three-week stretch that followed –– against Penn State, Oklahoma State and North Carolina –– would make or break the season. The Panthers wrap-up a demanding September slate Saturday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with a chance to return home with a 3-1 record. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi repeated what he’s said about every game so far this season, downplaying the tension and maintaining his intense focus on the game at hand. “It’s basically ACC championship week. This is a big game,” Narduzzi said Thursday at his final press briefing before the game. “It’s not the end of the world [if we lose], but it’s a big game.” For Narduzzi’s senior players, the game could be their first victory over the Tar Heels
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since Pitt joined the ACC in 2013. After facing Oklahoma State’s pass-happy offense last week and giving up 540 yards through the air, Narduzzi knows his defense will have to prepare for UNC’s potent running game as well as the pass. “It really is [one of the more balanced teams we’ve seen] … I think they’re a 50/50-type team,” Narduzzi said. While much of the talk about Pitt’s defense centered on its struggles to defend the deep pass last week, the Panthers have also struggled to keep opposing running backs out of the end zone –– allowing four rushing touchdowns apiece to the past two starting backs they’ve faced. But they’ve yet to allow a team to rush for more than 100 yards, which is where Narduzzi’s main focus remains. He said the team was worried more about rushing yards than rushing touchdowns.
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Soccer, pg. 8 away the other two. The Eagles remained on the offensive, outshooting the Panthers in the first half, 10-3. But Pitt blocked most of the shots before they reached Francis, keeping it a onegoal game going into halftime. Boston College came out firing in the second half, with defender Jenna Bike leading the charge. Bike hit the post with a shot in the 47th minute, then had another shot blocked a minute later. But in the 53rd minute, she received a cross from midfielder Lauren Berman and beat Francis to the left side of the net to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Boston College again hit the post on forward Olivia Vaughn’s header in the 60th minute, but
September 23, 2016
kept the pressure on the Panthers. In the 84th minute, Meehan put away any chance of a Pitt comeback, heading a cross from defender Gaby Carreiro past Francis for her ninth goal of the season and giving the Eagles a commanding 3-0 lead late in the game. “Between Hayley Dowd and McKenzie Meehan, we knew they were going to be a handful up front,” Miller said in the release. “We had to try to minimize their touches and not let them get many chances. We let that happen a bit too much.” The Panthers never came close to getting on the board, dropping their sixth consecutive game and second in a row to start ACC play. Pitt will next travel to South Bend, Indiana, to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25.
“We gave up a goal on a set piece and that is just inexcusable.” -Greg Miller
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Preview, pg. 8 Additionally, ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Qadree Ollison didn’t receive any carries last week but operated as Conner’s primary backup in the team’s first two games. Conner is a special talent, but Pitt will need production from the other backs, particularly Hall. The 5-foot-11, 225-pound tailback appears to be the Panthers’ go-to change-of-pace back, but they are capable of rotating Moss or Ollison in as well when Conner gets tired. Born to stop the run Pitt’s run defense started the season strong before allowing 101 yards on just 10 carries to Oklahoma State running back Rennie Childs. The Panthers have also allowed four rushing touchdowns apiece to the past two starting running backs they’ve faced –– Childs and Penn State’s Saquon Barkley. Still, Narduzzi’s goal of holding teams under 100 yards rushing hasn’t changed. “We’re not worried about rushing TDs, we’re worried about rushing yards and
stopping the run,” Narduzzi said. “And if a guy feels good about running for a twoyard touchdown after an 80-yard pass, I guess he needs something to feel good about it.” The defense faces another premiere running back in the Tar Heels’ Elijah Hood this week. Hood ran for 98 yards on 20 carries against Pitt last year, and has already run for 266 yards and four touchdowns this season. Narduzzi said that the Tar Heels’ balanced offense presents an interesting challenge for his defense. “We struggled to contain the rush game last year,” Narduzzi said. “And now you’ve got to worry about the pass as well as stopping [Hood] in the run game.” PREDICTION: Pitt will engage in its third straight shoot-out, as the defense isn’t equipped to shut down an offense as talented as the Tar Heels. UNC’s defense might struggle with Pitt’s weapons on offense like Quadree Henderson and Conner, but Switzer will torch the Panthers for one last devastating score before he graduates. Pat Narduzzi knows his defense will have to prepare to stop both the run and North Carolina 37, Pitt 32 pass against North Carolina. Matt Hawley STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The Pitt News SuDoku 9/23/16 courtesy of dailysudoku.com
pittnews.com
September 23, 2016
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