Pitt Down Two Starting OL Against North Carolina

The Pitt Panthers' offensive line has suffered more attrition.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers lost a starting offensive lineman for the season before even stepping on the field for their first regular season game, and their injury luck along the offensive line only continues to get worse. 

Starting left tackle Matt Goncalves was not dressed and did not warm up ahead of Pitt's ACC opener against North Carolina at Acrisure Stadium. Neither was starting center Jake Kradel. Terrance Moore and Ryan Baer are expected to take their spots, according to a report from Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Goncalves suffered an undisclosed injury late in the second half against West Virginia and trainers appeared to work on his right shoulder on the field. 

Redshirt freshman Ryan Bear stepped in to replace him in the Backyard Brawl and is the likely choice to stick in the starting lineup moving forward. How the Panthers will replace Williams is unclear, with little depth remaining behind him. 

Kradel played all of the Backyard Brawl, so whatever is ailing him must have occurred during practice this week. Terrance Moore is listed as his backup on the depth chart. 

There is some good news, however. The Panthers will get B.J. Williams, the presumed starter at right guard, back for this game. He was dressed and warming up prior to kickoff.

Williams did not travel with the Panthers to Morgantown, West Virginia for the Backyard Brawl. He suffered an undisclosed injury in practice the week before and head coach Pat Narduzzi said following the loss that he expected Williams back this week. 

Pitt has already suffered a myriad of setbacks along the offensive line this season. Ryan Jacoby, a presumed starter at right guard was lost for the year with a preseason knee injury and one of the players meant to replace him, Williams, will now miss the second game in a row. 

As a result of all this attrition, the Panthers have been one of the most brutally bad offensive lines in the country. They'll try to turn that around and build some positive momentum against a North Carolina defense that has struggled at times over the past two seasons. 

Defensive tackle Sean FitzSimmons was also in street clothes prior to kickoff, meaning he will miss his third game this season. After playing in the Backyard Brawl, he will be sidelined yet again. 

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