Gordie Lockbaum knows more than most what Pitt safety Jordan Whitehead and running back James Conner are thinking when they get the chance to flip to the other side of the ball. “I guarantee (they are) going to give 100 percent because they are excited to do it,” he said................. Lockbaum wasn't the first of the hugely successful two-way players in college football. Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik and Dick Butkus did it before he was born, and those four men have prestigious awards named after them.................
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, on the other hand, wants to maximize the talents of Whitehead and Conner, strategically picking his spots to do it........Whitehead has played both ways for two seasons, rushing for 220 yards and two touchdowns and catching two passes while earning third-team All-ACC honors as a safety in 2015.......Conner entered the Virginia game Oct. 15 late in the fourth quarter as a pass-rushing end, forcing quarterback Kurt Benkert into an errant throw. Narduzzi promises more versatility from Conner, possibly as soon as Thursday against Virginia Tech............
“We are going to put our best football players out there in positions where they can be successful,” Narduzzi said. “We would have done it (with Conner) a year ago if we had the opportunity, and we've been talking about it all year.”
When Narduzzi was Michigan State's defensive coordinator, he took wide receiver Tony Lippett and used him periodically at cornerback. Now, Lippett starts at cornerback for the Miami Dolphins................
LINK:
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11341196-74/conner-pitt-players
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, on the other hand, wants to maximize the talents of Whitehead and Conner, strategically picking his spots to do it........Whitehead has played both ways for two seasons, rushing for 220 yards and two touchdowns and catching two passes while earning third-team All-ACC honors as a safety in 2015.......Conner entered the Virginia game Oct. 15 late in the fourth quarter as a pass-rushing end, forcing quarterback Kurt Benkert into an errant throw. Narduzzi promises more versatility from Conner, possibly as soon as Thursday against Virginia Tech............
“We are going to put our best football players out there in positions where they can be successful,” Narduzzi said. “We would have done it (with Conner) a year ago if we had the opportunity, and we've been talking about it all year.”
When Narduzzi was Michigan State's defensive coordinator, he took wide receiver Tony Lippett and used him periodically at cornerback. Now, Lippett starts at cornerback for the Miami Dolphins................
LINK:
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/11341196-74/conner-pitt-players
