Pitt’s 3-0 start has come with a simple theme: somebody new keeps answering the call.
After an offseason that sent a number of longtime Panthers elsewhere through the transfer portal, the early season has turned into a showcase for players who were not necessarily the first names everyone circled. The result has been a team that just picked up its first ACC win of the season by beating Syracuse, with several unexpected contributors helping carry the load.
In the backfield, true freshman Damon Ferguson Jr. has become the next man up while sophomore Ja'Kyrian 'Boosie' Turner has been sidelined by injury. Turner was supposed to be Pitt’s lead runner after a strong freshman season, but Ferguson has taken the opportunity and run with it.
Through three games, Ferguson has three touchdowns, 183 rushing yards and 51 receiving yards. He is also the only Panther to score a touchdown in every game so far.
His toughest assignment came in a rain-soaked win over UCF, when Pitt leaned on him heavily. Ferguson handled 20 carries for 59 yards and scored the team’s only touchdown in a gritty game, a huge jump from the nine touches he had the week before. He was even more productive against Syracuse, piling up 102 rushing yards on just 10 carries.
What stands out just as much as the numbers is how he has held up to the workload. Even with the extra carries over the first three games, Ferguson has kept getting back up and getting set for the next snap.
Turner should be back soon, but Pitt already knows it has depth it can trust in the running back room.
The same kind of next-man-up story has played out on defense, where the Panthers had to replace the departed “Shark” linebacker duo of Rasheem Biles and Kyle Louis. One of the players who has stepped into a bigger role is senior defensive back Cruce Brookins.
Brookins has 18 total tackles and a pass breakup this season, and while those numbers do their part, his impact shows up in a different way. He brings the kind of violence to the tackle that changes plays fast. Pitt has only three interceptions so far, but the defense has made its mark by shutting down the run and knocking receivers down immediately after the catch.
Up front, fifth-year senior Nick James has also been forced into a bigger role after the transfer portal thinned out the defensive line. He has recorded five total tackles, 2.5 tackles for 11 yards lost and an eight-yard sack. That sack came on a third-and-five late in the second half against Syracuse and pushed the Orange into a field goal attempt.
James has helped anchor a defense that has limited opponents to 60.7 rushing yards per game.
And then there’s the kicking game, where fifth-year senior Antonio Chadha has stepped in as a walk-on transfer from Western Illinois after Pitt lost its breakout freshman kicker to the transfer portal.
Chadha announced himself with a record-tying 58-yard field goal at the end of the half against Miami (OH). Since then, he has added three more field goals, including one from 42 yards, and he has not missed an extra point.
In Other News...
Pitts UCF Loss Looks Different After One Important Takeaway
UCFs 44-30 win over Georgia State offered a useful reminder of why the Knights can still make life difficult for an opponent when the run game gets rolling. Duke Watson delivered the best day of his career, piling up 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Keyone Jenkins stepped in for the injured Alonza Barnett III and accounted for three total scores to help steady the offense.
The result may also resonate for Pitt because of what happened after halftime, when UCFs defense tightened up and changed the feel of the game. After giving up 24 points and 323 yards in the first half, the Knights held Georgia State to 162 yards and just six points over the final two quarters, a late swing that could matter as the Panthers look back on how that matchup unfolded. [Read more 🡒]