Panthers finally taking the field
PANTHERS, FROM D-1
He offered a bit more when one of the breakout candidates for the offense also was missing in action for the first two weeks. Sophomore receiver Aaron Mathews was out for “personal” reasons and has been playing catch-up since.
In early August, at the onset of the second week of camp, the injuries cropped up. Fullback George Aston, he of the 10 touchdowns and ferocious lead-blocking a year ago, went down and might not return anytime soon. The same could be said for redshirt junior cornerback Phillipie Motley, who was “well ahead” for the No. 2 cornerback job in defensive coordinator Josh Conklin’s eyes before an undisclosed injury.
Narduzzi has said none of his players are out for the season, and that another highly touted but oft-injured player, sophomore defensive back Damar Hamlin, will be ready to go this year — hopefully.
Oh, and speaking of the secondary, the focal point of Pitt’s 2017 recruiting class, Paris Ford — a freshman most likely to make an instant impact on defense — missed the first three weeks of practice because of an eligibility snag and is headed for a redshirt season because of it, per his coach.
Narduzzi claims this hasn’t been any more adversity than usual leading up to a season, but yes, it’s safe to say Pitt will have to find way starting at 1 p.m. Saturday against Youngstown State at Heinz Field.
“That’s what we do as coaches,” Narduzzi said Thursday afternoon. “We deal with it.”
He and his coaches constantly discuss their “whatifs” and try to prepare for those in practice. Asked Monday how he feels about the development of would’ve-been backups at the positions decimated by discipline, Narduzzi replied, “I feel good.”
“I feel a lot better than I would have felt if I found out or made that decision this week,” he said. “We’ve had time to prepare, and we’ll be fine.”
With Youngstown State in town, that may be true. After all, the Panthers had little trouble a year ago with a season-opening Football Championship Subdivision opponent in Villanova, eventually pulling away for a 28-7 victory.
Bo Pelini’s Penguins might be a step above, physically and athletically, thanks to a bevy of transfers from the highest level of college football, but Pitt is viewed as a heavy favorite.
The real tests should come in the ensuing weeks of this fledgling season, at No. 6 Penn State and against No. 10 Oklahoma State, and Saturday will be the first gauge, the first measuring stick for this season’s Panthers.
“There’s a lot of unknowns,” Narduzzi admitted. “That’s why openers are so much fun.”
Of course, it will be a lot more fun — for Narduzzi and his players, as well as however many fans show up on the North Shore — if they throttle Youngstown State and take some momentum into Penn State. Providing palpable optimism for the Panthers faithful never hurts, either.
Narduzzi’s common refrain is that he aims to win 10 games this season, plus his first bowl victory. On paper, that goal looks like a long shot.
Penn State and Oklahoma State are considered College Football Playoff contenders. No. 18 Miami and No. 21 Virginia Tech are in a tier of their own in the ACC Coastal Division, at least according to preseason rankings.
For the first three challenges, Whitehead and senior linebacker Quintin Wirginis will be left on the sideline. A couple of other hot-shot prospects in the secondary might not be heard from all season. It’s anyone’s guess as to when Aston will be back in the mix.
But Pitt will send out 11 guys each play anyway. Some will be freshmen, some will be graduate transfers and the rest will be in between. No matter who’s on the field, the Panthers must live up to Powell’s goto wardrobe choice, a first cousin of the tried and true “next man up” football cliche.
Pitt will have to find a damn way.