South Bend, Ind. — Pitt has made the trek out to South Bend to take on No. 14 Notre Dame Saturday, and the linebacking depth has seemingly received a boost in the form of some returners.
Braylan Lovelace, who didn’t make the trip to Winston-Salem, N.C. last week, made it out to South Bend, but Kyle Louis did not. It appears that Solomon DeShields, who missed almost the entire game against Wake Forest, is healthy enough to play — how much remains to be seen.
If healthy, DeShields — whose absecne was keenly felt in a loss to Wake Forest last weekend — will slot into the lineup as the starting lineup at Star linebacker. Shayne Simon at Mike, and Bangally Kamara at Money round out the usual starting trio.
DeShields is third on the Pitt defense with 36 tackles (19 solo), and he’s added a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Simon has been similarly impactful with 27 tackles (13 solo), five tackles for loss, three sacks and a pass breakup.
Kamara, who has missed time himself this season, has recorded 25 tackles (12 solo), three tackles for loss and a sack.
Lovelace and Jordan Bass should receive snaps at both outside linebacker spots, and Brandon Geoge will likely be the first option off the bench at Mike.
The rest of the travel roster featured the usual cast. Lovelace, Louis and DeShields were the game-time decisions that beared keeping an eye on.
