PITTSBURGH — Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi called starting running back Israel Abanikanda and starting wide receiver Jordan Addison questionable for the team’s Week 9 game against Miami at Heinz Field on Saturday.
Both players left the team’s win over Clemson for concussion observation, and though Narduzzi said after the game that he expected Abanikanda to be able to play, the fickle nature of recovery from that type of injury makes it hard to project when they’ll be able to return
“They’re real questionable for this week, unfortunately,” Narduzzi said. “You can’t ever project what’s going to happen. We’re going to protect our kids. … We’ll see where they are. I don’t make that decision. Our trainers and doctors make that decision.”
Abanikanda took a big hit from two Clemson defenders in the third quarter. Addison appeared to be injured after going up for a pass and getting his legs taken out in the second quarter. Both players briefly continued to play before eventually leaving the game.
“They’ve got a protocol. I stay out of it,” Narduzzi said. “They just come up and say, ‘Hey, he’s out with this.’ Our doctors, we’ve got the best doctors in the world here in Pittsburgh. We do what they tell us to do. There’s really not much of a discussion. … I know Jordan wanted to come back in the second half and was watching the game with his mother in the locker room.”
Narduzzi said that concussion safety is a focus for his team every season and he’s confident that his players understand the importance of monitoring for symptoms and not returning to competition too quickly after a head injury.
“[Head trainer] Chris Hanks did a great job, probably the best job since I’ve been here of sitting at this podium in preseason camp in August and talking about it, talking about what’s entailed in a concussion and understanding that we’ve got to take you out,” Narduzzi said. “If you get one and you think you can just lie through it and say, ‘I’m good,’ that’s going to hurt you long term and keep you out longer when those headaches appear.
“Maybe keeping them out for a week is the best thing.”
Some vicious plays by Clemson that should be reviewed by the ACC. The hit on Izzy was egregious. Our man is on the ground, the ball on the ground, and the Clemson defender takes multiple steps to hit Izzy high. The sideline view of the play has the sound of that hit. It is clear that shoulder and helmet contact was made.
Some vicious plays by Clemson that should be reviewed by the ACC. The hit on Izzy was egregious. Our man is on the ground, the ball on the ground, and the Clemson defender takes multiple steps to hit Izzy high. The sideline view of the play has the sound of that hit. It is clear that shoulder and helmet contact was made.
Clemscum are known cheap shot artists, as our the next group of cs artists coming to Heinz this week. Thug U,