The Pitt Panthers started off the season 1-0 with a win at home against Youngstown State on Saturday and there were more than a couple of significant individual performances along the way.
Enough that three Panthers players picked up ACC weekly honors.
Senior outside linebacker Nicholas Grigsby was named the ACC’s Linebacker of the Week, sophomore corner Avonte Maddox was named the Specialist of the Week and redshirt freshman running back Qadree Ollison was named the Rookie of the Week.
Grigsby showed off what he can do being on the field for all three downs for a change as the senior was all over the field. He finished the day with 10 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss, which all set career highs.
Maddox had a very solid day on the defensive side of the ball himself, but it was his performance as a kick returner that earned him the honor.
The sophomore took a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown at a big moment in the game. YSU just scored to pull within 17-13 and Maddox, after a mix up with teammate Lafayette Pitts, picked up the ball and raced for the end zone to halt any Youngstown State momentum at the time. It was the first time a Pitt player returned a kickoff for a touchdown in four years.
“There was a little mix up between me and Lafayette,” said Maddox after the game. “But we needed a play because it was going into half. Somebody needed to make a play and it just happened to be me.”
Finally there was the redshirt freshman Ollison who stole the show.
Ollison finished with 207 yards rushing on just 16 carries. That included a 46-yard run on his first collegiate carry, along with going 71 yards for a touchdown on his third. The 207 yards rushing were the most ever by a Pitt freshman in a season opener.
That wasn’t a bad day from a kid who came into the game as the third-string running back.
“It was a great first game if you ask me,” said Ollison. “Most importantly, we got the win. It was a great team win. Coach Narduzzi is always preaching about being the next man up and we preach that in the running back room as well. We’re all about equal to each other. We really believe that anybody can go in there and get the job done if James [Connor] was to go down, but it was a great team win for us today.”
The Panthers will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Akron.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
