Pitt’s first ACC win of the season came with a pair of individual rewards attached.
After the Panthers beat Syracuse 27-13 on Sept. 17, running back Damon Ferguson Jr. was selected as ACC Rookie of the Week and linebacker Alex Sanford Jr. earned ACC Linebacker of the Week honors. It marked Pitt’s third ACC award of the season, following quarterback Mason Heintschel’s ACC Quarterback of the Week recognition for his performance against Miami (OH).
Ferguson has become a key piece for Pitt while Ja'Kyrian 'Boosie' Turner has missed the last two games. The true freshman has handled the workload without blinking, and his best outing yet came against Syracuse.
He ran 10 fewer times than he did in the UCF win, but finished with 102 rushing yards and a 32-yard touchdown run. Against UCF, Ferguson carried the ball 20 times for 63 yards and scored Pitt’s only touchdown of the game.
Through three games, Ferguson is the only Panther to find the end zone in every contest. He’s averaging 78 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry, a strong start for a player who wasn’t expected to carry this kind of responsibility so early.
The situation has a familiar feel for Pitt. Last season, it was Boosie Turner getting his chance as a true freshman when Desmond Reid was sidelined. This time, Ferguson is the one taking advantage of the opening.
Sanford has also made an immediate impact after arriving from Purdue. With Pitt replacing two star linebackers from the offseason departures, he stepped into a role the Panthers badly needed filled. His first eye-catching moment in a Pitt uniform came with a nine-yard sack on third down against UCF, and he followed that up with a much bigger performance against Syracuse.
Against the Orange, Sanford led Pitt with 11 total tackles and added 2.5 tackles for loss for four yards. He also recorded three quarterback hurries, helping limit Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli to 13 completions on 25 attempts for 161 passing yards.
For the season, Sanford has 16 tackles, leads the team with 3.5 tackles for loss, and is tied with four other players for the team lead with one sack.
Pitt’s defense has set the tone early this season, allowing just 11.3 points per game and only four touchdowns so far.
In Other News...
Pitt's Deep Backfield Faces A Bigger Test Than Bucknell
Pat Narduzzi is in the comfortable spot every coach wants to be in with a backfield, namely having enough options that the carry count is almost beside the point for Bucknell. Ja'Kyrian Turner could be back in the mix alongside Damon Ferguson Jr. and La'Vell Wright, giving Pitt another layer of depth after Ferguson broke out against Syracuse and earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors.
The bigger question is not how Pitt splits the workload this week, but how that rotation holds up once the competition ramps up beyond a Bucknell team still searching for answers after a loss to Penn. Fergusons recent surge has given the Panthers a useful spark, and with Alex Sanford Jr. also drawing conference recognition on defense, Pitt heads into this one with momentum and a growing sense of balance. [Read more 🡒]