Pitt fans had the last laugh on Saturday, as their team walked away 45-37 winners against Youngstown State in the opener of their season, while cross-state rival Penn State was shocked in a loss to Temple.
The laughing stopped Monday morning, as it was announced that All-American running back James Conner will miss the entire 2015 with a torn MCL.
BREAKING: #Pitt running back James Conner to miss rest of 2015 season with MCL injury http://t.co/xEACAtUEJp pic.twitter.com/W17IIIq16K
— Sam Werner (@SWernerPG) September 7, 2015
Conner rushed for 77 yards and two scores in the Panther’s win on Saturday before getting injured in the second quarter.
According to a report by Werner, the initial evaluation was fine of Conner, but then further tests revealed that Conner tore his MCL.
“You just feel awful for him,” Narduzzi said to the Post Gazette. “There’s not a guy that worked harder than him during camp.”
The blow is big for the Panthers, as Conner rushed for 1,765 yards last year and 26 touchdowns en route to being named the ACC Player of the Year.
When Conner left with the injury on Saturday, it was freshman Qadree Ollison that took the majority of the work, as he rushed 16 times for 207 yards and one touchdown.
