Pitt Has Superstar in Desmond Reid

Pitt Panthers running back Desmond Reid dominated in the win over the Cincinnati Bearcats.

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-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI -- The Pitt Panthers found themselves down 27-6 midway through the third quarter against Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium and needed someone to step up and make a play. Thankfully for them, junior running back Desmond Reid was just the player to do so.

Reid would take a rush 39 yards to the Cincinnati 27-yard line, although a holding penalty brought it back to midfield. The play still was important for the Panthers, as it gave them some momentum on offense.

Pitt redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein struggled early on, but used that run from Reid to make two important scrambles of his own and a few good passes, including an 11-yard touchdownt to senior wide receiver Konata Mumpfield.

Reid then made two plays on the next drive, with a rush of 16 yards and then a quick pass from Holstein for another 16 yards to get into Cincinnati territory. Holstein would cap off that drive with another touchdown pass to Mumpfield on fourth down, who took it 38 yards for the score.

The Bearcats would go three-and-out again, allowing the Panthers to get another scoring opportunity late in the game.

Reid made the most of it, making a catch over the middle and then displaying his speed as he beat his man and ran right through the Cincinnati defense for the 56-yard touchdown.

Desmond Reid can FLY ✈️

📺 ESPN2 #H2P » #WeNotMe pic.twitter.com/Mm34dfjhqW

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) September 7, 2024

"I knew it was going to be a touchdown before the play," Reid said. "I knew they was running man coverage. I know I was one-on-one with that linebacker. I just had to beat him and I did and I just knew once I caught that ball, I’m out of there. That’s what happened."

Reid also had a catch for eight yards and a rush for nine yards on the final Pitt drive, as redshirt senior place kicker Ben Sauls won the game on a 35-yard field goal with less than 30 seconds left.

The comeback win for the Panthers was their biggest in more than 50 years, but Reid stole the attention from fans, as he had one of the best games in program history.

He finished with six catches for receiving 106 yards and a touchdown and had 19 carries for 148 yards, recording the first game a Pitt player had 100+ yards receiving and rushing.

While Reid enjoyed his own performance, he gave the credit to his teammates for never giving up and changing the outlook on the season enitrely going forward.

"I’m happy with what I did, but, shoot, I’m really just proud of the team," Reid said. "We fought back. That shows a lot about how the season could go. We were down a lot of points and we came back. That’s what I’m really happy about. I’m happy about what I did, but I’m more proud about what the team did."

Reid starred against Kent State as well, with 14 rushes for 145 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown right up the middle, plus a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Holstein praised Reid for his performance against Cincinnati and that he'll continue to get even better as the season goes on.

"I told y'all he was going to have an even better game," Holstein said. "I told y'all last week, that's not even the best game he's gonna have. He's a guy that you can just get the ball, two yards down the line, and he's going to get you 70. He's a dog. He's from south Florida. He was raised a little different, being from the south and everything and he's a guy that's tough as nails, going to do whatever his team needs to do to win the game."

The reason that Reid is even at Pitt this season is thanks to offensive coordinator Kade Bell. Bell previously held the same position at Western Carolina, and when he got the job at Pitt he made sure to bring Reid along with him.

Bell worked with the team to implement his fast paced, up-tempo spread offense, which benefitted the team in the comeback, as they scored quickly on drives to get back in the game and eventually win it.

"Kade," Reid said on how Pitt plays fast. "Kade Bell. Shoot, when I was at the other school, we scored in like 15 seconds. So, if it’s like 20 seconds at least on the time, we gon’ get down there and we gon’ get some type of points. I just trust Kade and he trusts us. He called good plays and we got down there."

Reid now leads the nation, averaging 244 all-purpose yards per game, making him a threat all opposing teams will have to watch out for. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi didn't add too much postgame on how important Reid is, keeping it simple on how much he means to the team.

"...Desmond Reid's a football player," Narduzzi said. "I can't say enough. I don't know the last time someone had 100 yards receiving and rushing. His performance, outstanding. I'm sure he'll be player of the week in the ACC. If he's not, something's wrong, but he's a football player."

The Panthers will take on the rival West Virginia Mountaineers in their next matchup on Sept. 14 at Acrisure Stadium.

They'll need Reid to perform like he has these first two games, but Reid will need the offensive line to continue creating holes for him to exploit and time for him to get open and make catches too.

"They were playing like some dogs today," Reid said on the offensive line. "That’s what we been talking about the whole week. It start with the line and they started. They just played from quarter one to quarter four. They just played hard and I love them boys."

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