As Qadree Ollison rushed his way to 207 yards in Pitt’s 45-37 victory Saturday against Youngstown State at Heinz Field, he had some extra coaching help on the sideline.
Even though Panthers star James Conner left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury, he was there in Ollison’s ear just about every break talking up the redshirt freshman and giving him pointers.
“Even though he didn’t finish the game, it wasn’t like he was over there sulking or anything,” Ollison said. “He was just as engaged as if he was in the game. That’s big. He’s a leader on this team and I think he really showed that [Saturday], going down and still being engaged on the sideline.”
Ollison got all of Conner’s coaching loud and clear, setting a Pitt record for most rushing yards by a freshman in a season-opener. He made his presence felt early, bursting for 46 yards on his first career carry. He also had runs of 71 and 52 yards, the latter involving several broken tackles as he tip-toed down the sideline.
“I was just trying to stay in bounds, really, and stay up,” Ollison said. “The rest happened.”
Ollison actually only got his chance because Chris James was banged up as well as Conner. James had seven rushes for 32 yards early, but missed the second half with an undisclosed injury. Narduzzi said the injuries to James and Conner are “minor,” and shouldn’t cause them to miss any more action.
“You’ve got to always be ready,” Ollison said. “It’s not hard playing behind someone like [Conner]. It’s not hard at all. When your number’s called, you’ve got to be ready.”
Narduzzi admitted that Ollison’s performance Saturday might earn him some more playing time as the season progresses. Heading into the opener, he was third on the depth chart behind Conner and James, but that could change starting with Pitt’s next game Saturday at Akron.
“I would say so,” Narduzzi said when asked if Ollison will see more action in the weeks ahead. “Ollison did a great job when he was out there.”
For his part, Ollison deflected praise after the game, crediting his teammates, coaches and, of course, Conner’s impromptu coaching.
“When the opportunity presents itself, you have to build on the opportunity,” Ollison said. “When the opportunity comes, you have to do as much as you can with the opportunity. Run with it, and see what comes from there.”
Sam Werner: swerner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SWernerPG.
First Published: September 7, 2015, 4:00 a.m.