Last year, Pitt was very fortunate not to have many injuries. The receivers and running backs were about the hardest hit last year, but even that wasn’t too bad. A good thing considering Pitt’s lack of depth.
Well, there is still a lack of depth, but this year injuries are happening. So far Clint Session, Thomas Smith, Josh Cummings, Brian Bennett, Mike Phillips, Rashad Jennings, Marcus Furman, Terrell Allen, LaRod Stephens-Howling, Tim Murphy, Justin Acierno and Brandon Mason have gone down with injuries ranging from a game to the season. At least that’s who I can think of off the top of my head.
Now, it looks to be potentially even worse as H.B. Blades is going to at least be hobbling on the field.
Middle linebacker H.B. Blades was among the walking — limping, actually — wounded Tuesday afternoon at Pitt’s practice session.
Blades, wearing a boot on his right foot, did not work out for the second day in a row. Blades sustained an ankle injury during last Friday’s game against Rutgers.
Blades leads the Big East with 57 tackles (29 solo), and is arguably the best playmaker on the Panthers’ defense. His absence would further cripple the team’s injury-riddled linebacker corps.
Blades is day-to-day and given the player he is, he’ll most likely be in the starting line-up. How effective he is, will be the issue.
Fullback Kellen Campbell is out with a injury to his left ankle. There will be an MRI today to determine the extent. Campbell had assumed the starting FB role as Tim Murphy had been moved back to Tailback because of all the injuries to the RBs.
Both Brandon Mason and LaRod Stephens-Howling did not practice yesterday because of their injuries. It makes it very unlikely that either will play on Saturday. Rashad Jennings should be playing, though. Pitt is indeed redshirting FB/RB Conredge Collins.
One player who is not going to step in is Conredge Collins, a heralded freshman from Miami. Collins is redshirting and Wannstedt said he isn’t going to waste a year of Collins’ eligibility at this point.
“We talked about [using Collins] at length and I talked with Conredge about it,” Wannstedt said. “I just don’t think right now it would be fair to do that. We have two guys who are very capable.”
Jameel Brady, a redshirt sophomore, has been out with an injury but is actually returning to practice. He is second on the depth chart at Free Safety behind Tez Morris.
Kicker Josh Cummings has been practicing the last couple of days and may play in the Cinci game. Reserve offensive tackle Jerald Robinson is done with football permanently after it was discovered that he has a congenital spinal cord condition.
