Inside The Panthers

Pitt Might Have Something Special in Desmond Reid

Desmond Reid dazzled with his electric speed and quickness across the field in his Pitt Panthers debut.

James Carter

Aug 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Desmond Reid (0) runs on his way to scoring a touchdown against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 55-24. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Desmond Reid (0) runs on his way to scoring a touchdown against the Kent State Golden Flashes during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 55-24. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Junior running back Desmond Reid came into his first game with the Pitt Panthers with a great responsibility for his new team.

Reid transferred in from Western Carolina in the off-season, following offensive coordinator Kade Bell, with whom the junior back had worked the last two seasons. Reid used his familiarity with Bell's offense to his advantage throughout the summer and quickly made his was up the depth chart ahead of the season.

He earned the starting spot at running back two days prior to the season opener against Kent State but then Pitt announced that senior running back Rodney Hammond was ineligible to play the rest of the season.

Despite the tough circumstances, Reid rose to the occasion and delivered a remarkable performance in his Pitt debut.

Panthers head Coach Pat Narduzzi commented on Reid's 'explosiveness' in multiple interviews prior to the game, and said that he would prominently feature in the offense and special teams. Reid took no time showing the Panther faithful what he meant by that.

After an opening drive touchdown by the offense and third and out by the defense, Reid returned a 78-yard punt return to the endzone for a Pitt touchdown.

Reid took a bouncing punt but did not call a fair catch and it looked like the Kent State special teams got him. Instead, he managed to escape the initial defense using a crafty spin move and followed a convoy of blockers down the right sideline 78 yards into the endzone to extend Pitt's lead to 14-0 with 10:15 left in the first quarter.

Halfway through the third quarter, Reid took a perfectly executed draw play through the gaps set up by the offensive line, and used his speed to blaze past the Kent State defense to keep Pitt in control and in the lead.

On offense, Reid finished the game with 145 rushing yards on 14 carries, good for 10.4 yards per carry and the long touchdown. Combined with his a catch for 11 yards and the punt return for a touchdown, Reid finished the day with 234 all purpose yards for the Panthers.

Reid highlighted his abilities and familiarity with Kade Bell's system and how it helped him excel in the victory over the Golden Flashes.

"I saw one-on-one with the safety, made him miss" Reid said about his third quarter touchdown run. "Once I see one-on-one with anyone I already know what's gonna happen"

This was the first game for Reid at the FBS level, but for him, he showed that he has the talents and abilities to excel wherever he is and for any team he plays for.

"I don't see no difference," Reid said. "It's probably a little faster, but that's about it"

Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein, who transferred in from Alabama, and started his first game for Pitt. While Holstein had a great game himself, he praised Reid's performance and was unsurprised with the speed he displayed against Kent State.

"That’s definitely a normal day for Desmond Reid," Holstein said. "He’s had some better days in practice honestly. Just being able to make plays like that. He’s one of the most explosive players I have ever seen. It’s unreal what he can do. I hand that ball off at the 45 yard line as soon as I hand it off I was like, oh he’s scoring. Me and Branson [Taylor] hugged each other and we waved bye to Dez because we knew we was going to score, it was awesome."

Reid has undoubtedly made an impact amongst fans of the Panthers, who can expect to see a lot more of highlights from him as the season progresses.

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James Carter

JAMES CARTER

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