Inside The Panthers

Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Unsurprised by UCLA Benching Dorian Thompson-Robinson

The head coach of the Pitt Panthers thinks UCLA benched their quarterback for his performance, not injury.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Unsurprised by UCLA Benching Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Unsurprised by UCLA Benching Dorian Thompson-Robinson /
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PITTSBURGH -- Dorian Thompson-Robinson was dicing up the Pitt Panthers and had led his UCLA Bruins to a 14-point lead in the Sun Bowl. They seemed well on their way to handing Pitt its eighth bowl loss in ten tries, but two costly turnovers from Thompson-Robinson in the second half fueled the turnaround that ended in a loss for his Bruins. 

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said he wasn't surprised the Bruins opted for a different quarterback after Thompson-Robinson had thrown his third interception of the game. 

Cameras showed Thompson-Robinson being attended to by trainers on the sideline. He did not attempt a pass after throwing his third pick of the game and backup Ethan Garbers came in to replace him. The CBS broadcast team said he was dealing with a lower back injury. He was helped to the locker room during the fourth quarter but came back onto the sideline to watch the final minutes in person. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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