James Conner has proven himself 1,000 times over, triumphantly returning to the field as the fierce, bull-rushing running back so many have come to respect.
But just when you think you have Conner figured out, he goes and proves himself all over again. Last week, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi approached Conner about moonlighting some at defensive end. Conner played the position in high school, and he got sporadic snaps there against Bowling Green in 2013 and Virginia Tech in 2014.
The plan was to use him more on defense last season, but a knee injury ended Conner’s season. Once he successfully beat cancer and returned to the field this year, Conner got back to racking up yards and scoring touchdowns.
He leads the team in rushing (531 yards, seven touchdowns) and already has a career-high 15 receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Conner has been so impressive he is a virtual lock to win the Brian Piccolo Award, given annually to the most courageous player in the ACC.
Narduzzi thought Conner could handle a little more. Conner, always one to take on more responsibility, obliged.
“Coach likes to spice things up,” Conner said.
So during practice leading up to the Virginia game, Conner spent some time working on his pass-rush skills. Quarterback Nathan Peterman, for one, laughed off the idea when he saw Conner go over to the defense and practice.
Then came the actual game. With Dewayne Hendrix out and Ejuan Price banged up, Narduzzi called on Conner with the Panthers up 14 on an obvious third-down pass play in the fourth quarter. Conner put a spin move on left tackle Jack English and got past him, getting to Kurt Benkert a second late. Still, the pressure forced Benkert to hurry his throw, which ended up incomplete.
“I wanted to get the strip sack,” Conner said in a phone interview this week.
Peterman added: “I had to take my jaw off the sideline.”
That foray on defense might end up becoming a more regular occurrence. After the bye, the Panthers have a crucial three-game stretch against Virginia Tech, at Miami and at Clemson in which they will need as many big plays as possible to try and stay in the Coastal Division race.
If Conner helps on a few snaps as a rush end or linebacker, then why not?
“Ultimately it's our job as football coaches to put guys in position to make plays, and James is one of those guys that we'll put him in position, get him lined up, and he has the ability to make plays,” Narduzzi said. “Not every football player has that ability, and you're looking for guys that will make plays, and I would count on No. 24 making a play when you put him in wherever it is. He can go in as a linebacker if we want him to and be able to run some of our base blitzes, too, so there's some different things that we can do with him.”
By all measures, the season has been a success for Conner given everything he has overcome. Though the Panthers rotate in many backs and also use receiver Quadree Henderson out of the backfield, Conner still has the majority of the carries (124) and has a shot at 1,000 yards. He needs to average 93.8 yards per game in his final five to get there in the regular season.
Even if he doesn’t get to 1,000 yards, seeing Conner back on the field is a victory in itself. If he does get the Piccolo Award, he would join Chris Weinke as the only players in ACC history to win both that award and ACC Player of the Year honors over the span of their careers.
Conner deflected any credit and instead talked about where he can improve.
“I’m just trying to get better every week in every aspect of the game, with making the right reads, running physical, just protecting the quarterback, catching passes, ball security, staying in a rhythm,” Conner said. “In every category.”