Pittsburg, PA

Behind-the-scenes-look at the Pitt/Steelers changeover at Acrisure Stadium

Published

1 year ago

November 15, 2024

Behind-the-scenes-look at the Pitt/Steelers changeover at Acrisure Stadium

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It’s an exciting weekend ahead on Pittsburgh’s North Shore for football fans.

The Pitt Panthers prepare to face No. 20 Clemson on Saturday, and the Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, all at Acrisure Stadium.

But with the Panthers having a noon kickoff on Saturday and the Steelers scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, there’s a limited window of time between games for the stadium to be cleaned and ready to go, and it takes the work of hundreds of staffers working around the clock.

“For our staff, we arrive seven hours prior to kickoff. So, for us, our (deadline) is generally 6 a.m. for a 1 p.m. Steeler game,” says Joe Simon, Acrisure Stadium’s director of facility operations. “With a noon kick, a lot of the activity is done overnight. But it’s not as stressed or compressed, so we are able to get it done well in advance of that 6 a.m. timeframe.”

Simon says between preparing the field, cleaning the stands, and television networks from the respective games tearing down and then setting up, there’s a lot of activity within minutes after the final whistle on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of work right on the field with the signage change up. But obviously, that’s a visible thing that a lot of people see,” he said. “We’ll bring in housekeeping staff as soon as we possibly can. The cleaning of the stadium takes all night long. So, those are the folks that are here the longest throughout the night, as well as our concessionaires, who are working throughout the night cleaning up.”

Meanwhile, on the field, the logos are being re-painted and the markings are being converted from college rules to professional.

“The outline of the ‘PITTSBURGH’ in the North end zone, that outline color changes from a Pitt to a Steeler game,” Simon said. “The pro hash marks are separate from the college hash marks, so as soon as the game is over, the grounds crew will be out here. They’re out here late as well painting over the college hash marks, painting new pro hash marks.”

Throughout the rest of the stadium and in the enclosed areas, signs are replaced from Pitt’s blue and gold to the Steelers’ black and gold.

“That takes the longest, to be really transparent,” said Simon. “There’s a lot of work on the signage because we work with Pitt, and we want Pitt to have their own unique experience on game day. So, we spend a lot of time putting up Pitt signage and obviously, we’ve got to transition that for Steelers signage.”

Due to both teams having multiple games scheduled in prime time or on alternative dates this season (such as Mondays for the Steelers and Thursdays for Pitt), this is the second – and last – time in 2024 that both teams will play home games on the same weekend.

Josh Taylor

Josh Taylor joined the KDKA Sports team in 2015 as an anchor, reporter and producer, after spending more than two years as the weekend sports anchor at KHBS-KHOG in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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Pittsburg, PA

Malachi Toney’s big day lifts No. 12 Miami over No. 22 Pittsburgh in 38-7 win

Published

18 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

Malachi Toney’s big day lifts No. 12 Miami over No. 22 Pittsburgh in 38-7 win

PITTSBURGH — No. 12 Miami kept its ACC championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive Saturday with a decisive 38–7 win over No. 22 Pittsburgh (8–4, 6–2 ACC) at Acrisure Stadium, delivering a dominant performance in a game the Hurricanes had to have.

Miami (10–2, 6–2 ACC) entered the matchup needing a victory to stay in contention for the ACC title game and responded with smothering defense and another standout outing from true freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney, who finished with 13 catches for 126 yards, a receiving touchdown and a touchdown pass.

The Hurricanes, who came off a 34–17 win over Virginia Tech, immediately set the tone.

Defensive lineman Ahmad Moten opened the game with a sack on Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel, followed by a 6-yard loss forced by linebacker Zechariah Poyser that triggered a three-and-out.

Miami’s first offensive drive stalled after quarterback Carson Beck was sacked for a 15-yard loss, but the defense again delivered pressure on Pittsburgh’s next possession as defensive end Rueben Bain added another sack.

A 29-yard Carter Davis field goal gave Miami a 3–0 lead, but Pittsburgh answered quickly. Heintschel connected on a 41-yard pass to Cataurus “Blue” Hicks, then hit a wide-open Justin Holmes for a 5-yard touchdown, putting the Panthers ahead 7–3.

Beck responded on the next drive, hitting Toney, who snagged a 19-yard one-handed catch before the freshman found tight end Elijah Lofton on a trick-play 9-yard touchdown pass — Toney’s second scoring throw of the year — to reclaim a 10–7 lead.

Pittsburgh threatened again with a 38-yard sliding catch by Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr., but another combined sack by Bain and Moten stalled the drive.

Panthers kicker Trey Butkowski missed a 42-yard field goal, and Miami capitalized. Beck hit Toney on a wheel route for a 22-yard touchdown to push the Hurricanes’ lead to 17–7.

Miami’s defense continued to overwhelm the Panthers, with Bryce Fitzgerald delivering a hit on Heintschel that left the quarterback appearing to suffer an ankle injury.

By halftime, the Hurricanes had posted three sacks and limited Pittsburgh’s offense to scattered big plays.

A sequence of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on Tamon Lynum and Shadarian Harrison extended Miami’s opening drive of the second half, setting up a 4-yard touchdown run by Mark Fletcher Jr. that pushed the lead to 24–7.

Miami’s defense delivered another critical stop early in the fourth quarter, forcing a turnover on downs at the goal line — a ruling upheld on review that sparked a visible reaction from head coach Mario Cristobal and defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman.

A 38-yard run by Girard Pringle Jr. set up the Hurricanes’ next score as Beck found CharMar “Marty” Brown for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

Beck found CJ Daniels for a 33-yard touchdown pass to give the Canes a 38-7 lead after Davis connected on the extra point. It was Beck’s 25th passing touchdown of the season and Daniels’ 27th score of his collegiate career.

Beck finished an efficient 23 of 29 for 267 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Miami’s defense totaled four sacks and consistent pressure on Heintschel throughout the afternoon. Fitzgerald also came up with an interception in the closing seconds of the game.

Toney surpassed 100 receiving yards for the second straight game and the fourth time this season.

Saturday’s win also secured back-to-back 10-win seasons for head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff.

Up next:

Miami turns its attention to a complicated set of ACC and national scenarios.

The Hurricanes need outside help to reach the ACC title game, requiring various combinations of results involving SMU, Duke, Virginia, NC State and Syracuse.

Miami could also remain in the College Football Playoff conversation if two of the following occur.

• Duke wins its game, but SMU and Virginia both lose, and NC State must beat North Carolina.

• Virginia wins, but Duke and SMU both lose, Syracuse beats Boston College, and NC State beats UNC.

• Duke, SMU and Virginia all lose, and NC State wins its game.

• Duke, SMU and Virginia all lose, and Syracuse wins its game.

• UCF defeats No. 11 BYU; Auburn upsets No. 10 Alabama; Stanford beats No. 9 Notre Dame; or LSU knocks off No. 8 Oklahoma.

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Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburghers hit the stores on Black Friday

Published

1 day ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Pittsburghers hit the stores on Black Friday

Chilekasi Adele

Updated on: November 28, 2025 / 6:52 PM EST
/ CBS Pittsburgh

Thousands of people throughout the Pittsburgh area made the trip to shopping centers on Black Friday. Tanger Outlets Pittsburgh in Washington County saw a strong turnout.

“It’s that time of the year,” Tiffany Sherbondi, of Belle Vernon, said.

Sherbondi and her friends arrived at the outlets at 4:30 a.m. and waited in line before capitalizing on Black Friday deals.

“There’s no gameplan. It’s get what you can,” Sherbondi said.

Scores of people came to the outlets on Friday to get what they could, including Nadia Minnick and her friends from Somerset County.

“We traveled from Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour and a half south from here,” she said.

Minnick said that during her trip to the Nike store, she and her friends bought matching sets. Happy customers like Minnick and her friends are what the outlets have been working for all year.

“Last year was record-breaking. We expect the same for sure,” said Megan Hindes, director of marketing at Tanger Outlets Pittsburgh.

In an era of online shopping, there’s just something about walking away from a store with a bag of items.

“You can go in and feel the product, feel the value of the store, the experience,” Hindes said.

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Pittsburg, PA

The Steelers are the AFC North leaders once again after Thanksgiving

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

The Steelers are the AFC North leaders once again after Thanksgiving

The Baltimore Ravens lost on Thanksgiving, so the Pittsburgh Steelers are in first place once again. It was a short four days that the Ravens took over the lead and the Steelers need to win on Sunday to keep it.

The Steelers play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday and a loss by the Steelers would move the Ravens back into first place thanks to the record vs common opponents tiebreaker as of right now. Wins over the Jets, Vikings, Bears and two wins over the Browns squeaks past the Steelers.

The Kansas City Chiefs lost on Thursday, too, so the wild card situation opens for Pittsburgh even if they can’t secure the division.

AFC standings during Week 13

1. New England Patriots (10-2)
2. Denver Broncos (9-2)
3. Indianapolis Colts (8-3)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-4, 6-2 AFC)
6. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4, 4-2 AFC)
7. Buffalo Bills (7-4, 4-3 AFC)
8. Houston Texans (6-5)
9. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6, win over BAL)
10. Baltimore Ravens (6-6, loss to KC)
11. Miami Dolphins (4-7)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
14. Cleveland Browns (3-8)
13. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9)
15. New York Jets (2-9)
16. Tennessee Titans (1-10)

AFC North standings during Week 13

Pittsburgh still has to play the Buffalo Bills this week and the Ravens can retake the lead in the AFC North with a Steelers loss. It will take a huge lift for the Bengals to get into the divisional conversation, but it isn’t crazy with Burrow back.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)
2. Baltimore Ravens (6-6)
3. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
4. Cleveland Browns (3-8)

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