Darrelle Revis Gives M.J. Devonshire Special Lift Before Homecoming
PITTSBURGH -- Homecoming had special meaning for Pitt Panthers cornerback M.J. Devonshire and it wasn't just because his team pulled off a desperately-needed upset of No. 14 Lousiville.
On the same night his mentor and fellow Aliquippa High School alumnus Darrelle Revis, one of the latest inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was honored by Pitt on the field at Acrisure Stadium, Devonshire played the best game of his career and did it while his mentor and a legendary football player looked on.
"I always get really nervous when he comes around, especially when I have to play," Devonshire said. The last time I played in front of him was the ACC Championship Game and then one time in high school. We were playing Hopewell in high school and I was nervous, like we were going to lose and I knew we were going to win by a million. But when he comes around, being around him is like ‘Man, this is my idol.’"
Devonshire posted a stat line even Revis would have been proud of - six tackles, five passes defended and an interception returned 86 yards for a touchdown, breaking the back of a Louisville offense that struggled to find it's footing on the wet turf. Matched up on an All-ACC caliber receiver in Jamari Thrash, Devonshire was brilliant.
But it had not always been that way this season for a player who earned All-ACC consideration as a cornerback last season. He has struggled, along with many parts of the Pitt defense and he knew it. But the confidence in himself never wavered and under bright lights, against great competition, with his team backed up against the wall, Devonshire sparkled.
Revis delivered a pregame message to the team about taking full advantage of the moment that was in front of Pitt and he emphasized it to his group prior to kickoff.
“[Revis] was big on opportunities and he talked about seizing a moment because, at the end of the day, where we come from we win championships," Devonshire said. "At the end of the day, we get opportunities to win games. Winning is the most important thing to us where we come from. … So I told guys from the first play to the last, it’s got to be personal. You got to really want it, really take heed and go get it.”
The message was clearly well-received, as the Pitt defense turned Louisville over four times in a 38-17 victory, delivered at a moment when the situation seemed most dire.
Devonshire keeps in close contact with Revis. When he had stepped to the podium to field questions from the media after the win, Devonshire had yet to check his phone, which had surely been hammered with texts and tags on social media, congratulating him on the win and the part he played in it.
But he will wade through the endless notifications for the rest of the night, waiting on the one call from his idol that always comes. Devonshire will go home, talk to a hometown hero and be reminded of what's possible for kids from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
"Just being around that guy and knowing how humble he is and the path he took, he walked the same streets I walked," Devonshire said. "He did the same exact thing, walked to Aliquippa High School. That’s motivating in itself.”
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