Heck of a human interest story on Nate Byham’s upbringing.

In mid-July of that year, Byham’s wife died of a sudden illness. A few months later, he had to decide whether to take custody of his 6-month-old grandson, Nate, whose mother — Ron’s daughter — was only 16.

“She was just a child herself,” Ron says.

The baby’s father was out of the picture, which left Ron, a 45-year-old grieving widower and grocery store produce manager in Greenville, with a hard choice: Should he step in and raise the child himself?

Ron didn’t see it as a choice. He saw it as an obligation. He went to court, signed the papers and began a new life riddled with uncertainty. He was a single grandfather.

How’d he do it?

He just did.

“I changed a hell of a lot of diapers,” Ron recalls with a laugh. “And when I was working, I had neighbors who would take him in the afternoon. I didn’t do it myself. There were a lot of coaches, parents, friends, his aunt (Kim Baptiste), so many people who helped.”

Whether by design, necessity or just because it was the best situation at any point, he also was shuttling about where he was living for periods. Unbelievable how well he has turned out to this point.

Moving to football and the always unnerving offensive line

Jason Pinkston and Jeff Otah are the starting tackles at this point and right now there isn’t a lot on the depth chart directly behind them. That is, I guess, as good a reason as any to keep them out of the final scrimmages.

Both players were healthy enough to play but are dealing with minor aches, so the coaches were not going to risk losing either of them.

“We thought it would be wiser at this point to let them rest and try and get them back healthy because we can’t afford to be without them,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt.

Even assuming Mike McGlynn will be medically cleared and ready for the opening game, it seems to be obvious at this point that he will be under center. There is just no room, it feels, for any injuries to the line.