His lip was bloodied, his chest was sore and he bit his tongue.
After an especially brutal hit from a North Carolina defender, Pitt wide receiver Tyler Boyd was sprawled on the Heinz Field turf for — by his count — five seconds. It was late in the loss to the Tar Heels last week, and Boyd already had taken a beating from the opposing defensive backs.
He hopped up and went to the bench, but his night was finished. He watched as Pitt scored a meaningless touchdown in a 26-19 loss to North Carolina.
A week later, with Notre Dame in town and the stakes raised — collectively and individually — for Boyd and his teammates, Pitt's most dynamic player said he's ready to go.
“I'm pretty much 100 percent,” Boyd said.
Pitt (6-2, 4-1) needs all of its playmakers involved and productive for its nonconference game against Notre Dame, one of the nation's best teams. Kickoff is at noon Saturday.
A victory won't help Pitt's standing in the ACC Coastal Division. The Panthers are a half-game behind first-place North Carolina (7-1, 4-0), which welcomes Duke (6-2, 3-1) on Saturday to Chapel Hill.
Coupled with a Pitt victory next week at Duke, an eyebrow-raising win over Notre Dame might make the Panthers the favorite to reach the conference title game Dec. 5.
For Pitt to beat the Irish, No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Panthers offense must be at its best. No more fumbling around for a running back or failing to protect quarterback Nathan Peterman or giving up on the deep passing game because Boyd is double-teamed. Pitt needs all those elements to beat the odds and Notre Dame.
“I believe this can be the game where we can break out,” Boyd said. “They (other receivers) are starting to relieve stress off me. I want those guys to make the plays and hear their names called on the Jumbotron.”
Earlier this season, Pitt bounced back from its first loss by winning four in a row and capturing the lead in the Coastal until North Carolina took it. Now Pitt is faced with its second consecutive nationally televised game. How Pitt is perceived across the country largely will be determined over three-plus hours Saturday.
“I just believe our team won't fold under pressure two times in a row,” Boyd said.
A lack of confidence won't be Pitt's problem.
“Sometimes you go into a game, and you are facing a team that is ranked as high as (the Irish) are, and you are concerned that your guys won't have the confidence they need to or you want them to have,” Pitt defensive coordinator Josh Conklin said. “But that's not the case. These guys have a lot of confidence.”
Note: Pitt will retire No. 75, worn by two-time All-American offensive lineman Jimbo Covert.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/9379262-74/pitt-yds-dame
After an especially brutal hit from a North Carolina defender, Pitt wide receiver Tyler Boyd was sprawled on the Heinz Field turf for — by his count — five seconds. It was late in the loss to the Tar Heels last week, and Boyd already had taken a beating from the opposing defensive backs.
He hopped up and went to the bench, but his night was finished. He watched as Pitt scored a meaningless touchdown in a 26-19 loss to North Carolina.
A week later, with Notre Dame in town and the stakes raised — collectively and individually — for Boyd and his teammates, Pitt's most dynamic player said he's ready to go.
“I'm pretty much 100 percent,” Boyd said.
Pitt (6-2, 4-1) needs all of its playmakers involved and productive for its nonconference game against Notre Dame, one of the nation's best teams. Kickoff is at noon Saturday.
A victory won't help Pitt's standing in the ACC Coastal Division. The Panthers are a half-game behind first-place North Carolina (7-1, 4-0), which welcomes Duke (6-2, 3-1) on Saturday to Chapel Hill.
Coupled with a Pitt victory next week at Duke, an eyebrow-raising win over Notre Dame might make the Panthers the favorite to reach the conference title game Dec. 5.
For Pitt to beat the Irish, No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Panthers offense must be at its best. No more fumbling around for a running back or failing to protect quarterback Nathan Peterman or giving up on the deep passing game because Boyd is double-teamed. Pitt needs all those elements to beat the odds and Notre Dame.
“I believe this can be the game where we can break out,” Boyd said. “They (other receivers) are starting to relieve stress off me. I want those guys to make the plays and hear their names called on the Jumbotron.”
Earlier this season, Pitt bounced back from its first loss by winning four in a row and capturing the lead in the Coastal until North Carolina took it. Now Pitt is faced with its second consecutive nationally televised game. How Pitt is perceived across the country largely will be determined over three-plus hours Saturday.
“I just believe our team won't fold under pressure two times in a row,” Boyd said.
A lack of confidence won't be Pitt's problem.
“Sometimes you go into a game, and you are facing a team that is ranked as high as (the Irish) are, and you are concerned that your guys won't have the confidence they need to or you want them to have,” Pitt defensive coordinator Josh Conklin said. “But that's not the case. These guys have a lot of confidence.”
Note: Pitt will retire No. 75, worn by two-time All-American offensive lineman Jimbo Covert.
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/9379262-74/pitt-yds-dame
