Yale freshman RB Pitsenberger playing a key role entering Harvard game
It’s not often a freshman gets a spot in the starting lineup. It’s even less often that he puts up appreciable numbers. Freshman running back Joshua Pitsenberger defied the odds and has quickly become one of the big names on the Yale football team’s offense.
Pitsenberger had the will to climb the depth chart and be one of the Bulldogs top playmakers. He’s third on the team with 65 rushing yards per game, behind Tre Peterson and quarterback Nolan Grooms, but he’s also fourth in the Ivy League. Pitsenberger leads his team with seven rushing touchdowns entering Saturday’s 138th version of The Game at Harvard (Noon, ESPNU).
“He’s physically prepared to handle the load of being a college tailback,” said Yale head coach Tony Reno, whose Bulldogs enter Saturday with a chance to at least tie for an Ivy League title. “(We’re) really impressed with how well he’s handled it from a mental standpoint and from a physical standpoint.”
Pittsenberger has helped Yale to a 7-2 start, tied with Penn at 5-1 atop the Ivy League standings.
Even though the lights are a little brighter than high school, Pitsenberger wasted no time his rookie year. In Week 2 at Cornell, he paced the Bulldogs with 97 yards of offense and three touchdowns.
With such impressive numbers, people are taking notice. Pitsenberger was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times this year. Garnering national attention, he was one of 25 named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List last month. The award recognizes the top freshman in FCS.
Perhaps it’s no surprise Pitsenberger is performing so well. He went to the same high school — The Avalon School in Bethesda, Md. — as Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.
“I was ready to play football,” he said. “It’s the game I’ve been playing for years. Nothing’s changed.”
This isn’t the first time Yale’s had a standout rookie running back. The only other Yalie who has ever made the Jerry Rice Watch List (and subsequently was a finalist for the award) was Zane Dudek in 2017. Dudek ran for 113.3 yards per game, the ninth-best in Yale football history in a single season. He also had 7.1 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns on the season. He
was later named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award.
Though Pitsenberger has just half the yardage as Dudek, he has to share the field with the likes of Grooms and Tre Peterson, who average 76 and 72 and number
rushing yards per game, respectively. The 2022 Bulldogs average 234 yards on the ground, the best rush offense since 2014.
“We have some great backs,” Pitsenberger said. “But when coach calls me, I’m ready to go.”