The Los Angeles Rams may have walked off the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Az. with a 37-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, but a couple of former Pitt stars were all smiles after the game.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Cardinals running back James Conner met on the field following the game and embraced as two long-time friends.
The two spent just one season together at Pitt, Donald’s senior season and Conner’s freshman season in 2013, but the two Pitt men have fostered a bond over the last decade. Conner is a regular at Donald’s annual summer camp in Pittsburgh, and that Pitt bond often leads to opportunities to spend time together in the offseason.
Donald, surprisingly, was held off the scoresheet against the Cardinals, not recording any stats in the contest. But as the target of opposing teams’ double and triple teams, it shouldn’t be a complete shock.
Conner, as he’s recently returned from the IR, shared in the Cardinals’ tough day against the Rams — running six times for a team-high 27 yards and racking up four receptions for five yards.
Donald and Conner are two of the more prominent Pitt stars in the NFL, team captains for their respective squads and notable leaders off the field, as well, and it only made sense that the Pitt alums met on the field together following a hard-fought game.
Donald is one of the most decorated players in Pitt history, a unanimous All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Bronko Nagurski, Bednarik, Lombardi and Outland winner. But Conner, an All-American and ACC Player of the Year, is no slouch in his own right either.
