Pitt WR Bub Means Flashes NFL Potential

Pitt Panthers wideout Bub Means is heating up as the season hits the home stretch.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers offense has been struggling lately, but no one told wide receiver Bub Means that. In the middle of a brutal stretch of three games against ranked opponents in five weeks, Means has been playing some of his best ball.  

And as Means begins to heat up and generate a spark that the Pitt passing offense desperately needs, he is also thinking more seriously about his future. Means has at least three games left to play as a Panther and some improvements to make, but wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood believes Means has shown NFL potential at times this season.  

“We’ve all seen glimpses of it. He can run. Made a great contested catch vs. Florida State. There’s been flashes but now it’s just about consistency. The guys in the NFL, man, are the most consistent. It’s not the most talented, it’s the most consistent and I try to preach that to the guys. He’s working on that and I think that will help him finish this year strong and onward into the next level.”

Means's last five games have been fantastic - 24 receptions for 416 yards (17.3 yards per reception) and four touchdowns, one in four of his last five appearances. That's after he posted just six receptions for 71 yards and zero scores from Weeks 1 through 4. Means has beaten defenses deep with his speed, demonstrated a growing route tree and won contested catches in one-on-one matchups recently in a remarkable midseason explosion. 

Underwood sees those as NFL qualities and he would know what it takes to make it as a professional wide receiver after spending five years playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers and coaching a year with the Miami Dolphins. 

The numbers tell one side of Means' story but behind them is a committed worker, who has been able to survive the peaks and valleys of an up-and-down season with persistence and a positive demeanor. Underwood believes that will help Means finish strong and carry him through a successful future. 

“It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster and I’m proud of him because his mindset has stayed consistent," Underwood said. "Through the ups and the downs, he’s been the same person in the building and the same person on the field in practice. And I told him, you can’t get too high or too low because in football and life there’s going to be adversity and I feel like he’s responded to it. He’s in an upward trajectory playing really good football, so we’re just going to try and finish strong over these last three games.”

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