SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Jordan Whitehead can’t do everything.
But based on his performance Saturday in Pitt’s 27-24 loss at Syracuse, he’s going to try.
Whitehead, Pitt’s standout junior safety, might have proven himself as Pitt’s best player on both sides of the ball. As if he were back in high school at Central Valley, when Pitt was on defense, Whitehead was lining up as a disruptive defensive back. When Pitt was on offense, he was carrying the ball out of the backfield, trying to make something happen.
Three weeks upon returning from a three-game suspension to start the season, there was Whitehead on the field at the Carrier Dome, finishing second on the team with nine tackles — OK, that’s normal, that sounds about right — and leading the team in rushing with 73 yards on just seven carries, both career highs.
It was actually the second game in a row Whitehead led all runners despite only being a part-time offensive player, but this week’s takeover was even more pronounced as he also scored on a 35-yard breakaway in the first quarter.
Still, he wasn’t satisfied.
“I would say whatever I did, it doesn’t really matter if we don’t win,” he said after the loss kept Pitt winless in two ACC Games. “Played hard, had a good game on offense, but I definitely could’ve played better on defense.”
Talk about holding yourself to a high standard. Coach Pat Narduzzi wasn’t about to lay any blame at the feet of the all-around playmaker who bailed out Pitt’s offense when the real running backs couldn’t do much of anything, all the while flipping back and forth between free safety and strong safety throughout the game against a fast-paced Syracuse offense.
Narduzzi recalled asking offensive coordinator Shawn Watson why Whitehead was able to gain yards on the ground while others couldn’t.
“Are they only blocking for Jordan Whitehead, and they don’t block for anybody else, or is it just he’s that good and we’re not as good in the backfield?” Narduzzi asked rhetorically. “I don’t know what it is, but we’re going to have to get him on an IV after the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter and fourth quarter. He’s got the motor to do it. He’s a special kid. He’s a good football player.”
Perhaps that’s an understatement after what Whitehead did Saturday. In addition to the long touchdown for Pitt’s first score, he also ran for a crucial 2-point conversion with 7:16 left to cut Syracuse’s lead to a field goal, and apparently did all that about as efficiently as possible.
In the moments after the game, Whitehead couldn’t recall a single snap that he was on offense and didn’t get the ball.
“It was the offensive line blocking every time I got in,” Whitehead insisted. “There was at least one hole every time, and I just found a hole.”
Whether the line just happened to get a push with Whitehead behind it, or if he was creating opportunities for himself, finding a hole is something Pitt’s other backs mostly couldn’t do. Starter Qadree Ollison, who figures to be the clear lead back now in the wake of Chawntez Moss’ indefinite suspension, did burst 19 yards for Pitt’s other touchdown but he finished with just 28 yards.
From a lineman perspective, left tackle Brian O’Neill had a simple theory as to why Whitehead’s handoffs were so successful.
“Just his pure athleticism,” O’Neill said. “You know any time he gets the ball, something’s gonna be done. It gives you a lot of confidence as an offensive lineman blocking for a guy like that. … I wish we could’ve gotten some better blocks for other guys, but, then again, I haven’t seen the film yet. So it’s kinda hard to say right now, but whenever you have No. 9 in the backfield, you feel pretty comfortable.”
And he felt comfortable, too — but he is human. Whitehead explained his routine like this: When Pitt goes back on defense, he first waits for his energy to return, then when he feels up to it, he tells secondary coach Renaldo Hill and they wait one more play before putting him back on the field.
“It just depends on how tired I get,” Whitehead said. “Sometimes I’m ready to go ASAP, then sometimes I’m a little more tired than other times. But I always try to get my breath quick so I can get back out there.”
In between working with Pitt’s offensive and defensive units at practice, maybe Whitehead can sprinkle in some breathing exercises. The reeling Panthers might have to keep leaning on him.
“I don’t know,” he said, “that’s up to coach Narduzzi. … It just happens. I’ll always be ready to go.”
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NOTE — Jay Symonds, a two-star fullback/tight end from the New England area and Pitt's first recruit in the 2018 class, announced via Twitter he has flipped his commitment to Stanford.
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: October 8, 2017, 2:45 p.m.