Where Do Some of Pitt’s Early Injuries Stand Entering Week 3?

It is imperative for college teams to stay healthy through the season, and unfortunately for Pitt, it’s already been a rough slate of injuries.

The top two quarterbacks, a top running back and a couple of starting offensive linemen and defensive linemen have already been afflicted by the injury bug so far this season.

So, how do those injuries stack up entering a stretch of games in which Pitt should be able to recover?

For reference, Brandon George and Karter Johnson have seemingly fully recovered from injury to make returns over the last week.

Kedon Slovis

If Slovis has suffered a long-term injury, that’s bad news. The way his head slammed off the ground Saturday against Tennessee wasn’t good news either, especially considering the magnitude of hits he took against the Vols’ defense.

It seems unlikely Slovis will play this week against Western Michigan after missing the entire second half against Tennessee.

Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kedon Slovis (9) Sept 10, 2022 David Hague/PSN

Nick Patti

Slovis left the game, and when Patti entered, it didn’t take too long for him to pick up a knock of his own.

Narduzzi didn’t seem too worried about Patti’s status going forward, lauding his toughness and ability to finish the game against Tennessee, but Patti certainly didn’t look comfortable on one leg against the Vols. His lower-body injury was serious enough to impact play-calling against the Vols.

Rodney Hammond

Hammond didn’t dress nor appear on the field against Tennessee. But according to Narduzzi, he was there.

So, that leads me to believe Pitt didn’t want him to spend four hours standing on an injured leg. No, he didn’t leave the program as some reports speculated. He’s simply dealing with a leg injury that kept him off the field against the Vols.

Pittsburgh Panthers running back Rodney Hammond Jr. (6) September 1, 2022 David Hague PSN

Gabe Houy

Houy has dressed in back-to-back weeks for warmups, padding up going through stretches, but he hasn’t actually seen the field — or even been dressed during the game.

He also didn’t participate during the spring or summer, so Houy hasn’t had any real football opportunities since 2021. I wouldn’t expect him to simply return to a starter’s status, but it’s clear he’s getting close to returning.

Owen Drexel 

It didn’t appear as if Drexel was able to put any weight on his left leg when being helped off the field Saturday, requiring two linemen to help him to the bench.

Terrence Moore filled in at center to finish the Tennessee game, the first center snaps not taken by Drexel this season, but it doesn’t appear likely he’ll return against Western Michigan this week. The severity of his injury is unknown.

Deslin Alexandre

Like Houy, Alexandre also dressed for warmups. But he stayed dressed for Saturday’s game, and yet he didn’t take any snaps against Tennessee.

Alexandre’s arm injury appeared severe upon the initial injury, but Alexandre padded up during practice over the week, warmed up on gameday and just didn’t see the field. He likely isn’t far from returning.

Deslin Alexandre (5) – September 25, 2021 David Hague/PSN

Devin Danielson 

Danielson went down in the first quarter against Tennessee, requiring some help off the field. There were injuries to the likes of Tyler Bentley and others Saturday, but Danielson didn’t return at all after his initial mishap.