Forget about the opponent, James Conner had the type of first half against the Delaware Blue Hens that should give defensive coordinators chills the rest of the way out.
The former defensive end turned running back rushed for 799 yards and 8 touchdowns as a freshman last year, also smashing Pitt’s bowl rushing record with his 229-yard performance against Bowling Green in the Little Caesar’s Bowl.
Entering the season Conner was the undisputed number one running back, even though he was back running reps as a defensive end, his original position.
Pitt brought in highly regarded freshman running back Chris James this season, but Conner gave every reason for the Panthers to keep him atop the depth chart, running for 153 yards and 4 touchdowns on only 14 first half carries.
At 6’2” 250-pounds (according to the school’s website), Conner presents a deadly blend of power and skill that could make him one of the best running backs in the ACC.
Seemingly born to run in Chryst’s power running offense, Conner showed he is ready for a breakout season. Behind a big offensive line, Conner can help Pitt improve from being the worst ranked rushing attack in the ACC. Pitt finished with 407 yards on the ground, a good start if there was any.
Senior Isaac Bennett was the least productive back of the day, running for only 41 yards on 7 carries. He was able to play despite a shoulder injury that was nagging him most of the spring and fall.
James entered the game in the second quarter and made an immediate impact, rushing four times for 26 yards and a touchdown. His 17-yard carry set up his one yard TD run the very next play.
With Conner and Bennett dealing with injuries, the window opened for Rockville, Maryland’s Rachid Ibrahim to make his presence known. He used that experience to put himself in position to run the ball more than the 27 times he did last season.
Using nine fourth quarter mop up carries, Ibrahim showed he can be much more than a depth player at a very talented position.
At Wisconsin, Chryst’s offense was dominant on the ground—mainly because he was able to rotate running backs in and out to keep them fresh and effective.
In 2010 John Clay, Montee Ball, and James White combined for 3,060 (only Ball didn’t have 1,000 yards) and 46 touchdowns. Pitt’s top three rushers on the game ran for 318 yards on 41 carries and 6 touchdonws. That’s a 3,816-yard, 72-touchdown pace over 12 games.
There is no reason to believe that with their offensive line and the talent in the backfield, the Panthers can’t at least challenge for having multiple 1,000-yard rushers this season. In a wide open ACC Coastal division, that could help them become one of the favorites.
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