“Oh,” Eli Holstein thought to himself, “he’s scoring.”
Holstein took a step back and just watched as Desmond Reid took a quick draw on 2nd-and-1 and burst through a hole in the offensive line. He turned to Branson Taylor and gave him a hug, both of them waving Reid goodbye as he raced 46 yards to the end zone.
Reid knew he was scoring a touchdown even before his teammates did.
“I saw one-on-one with the safety; that’s what we want, one-on-one with the safety,” Reid said Saturday. “Make him miss. I already knew I could do it. Once I get one-on-one with anybody, I know what’s going to happen.”
Reid showcased his foresight. Not a single Kent State defender touched him as he exploded into the second level. It wasn’t a surprise for Reid, and it certainly not for Holstein.
“That’s definitely a normal day for Desmond Reid,” Holstein said Saturday. “He’s had some better days in practice, honestly. Just being able to make plays like that, he’s one of the most explosive players I’ve seen. It’s unreal what he can do.”
Reid was thoroughly dominant. He racked up 231 all-purpose yards, which is the third in the NCAA through Week 1, and it was apparent from his first touch that the Kent State defenders wouldn’t be able to keep up.
That first touch? Just a 5-yard gain to move the sticks on 2nd-and-1. But it’s the way that Reid moved, the way he bounced off defenders and slithered forward. His total yardage was impressive, but it may be even more impressive that every one of his touches was a positive gain.
And it goes without saying that his punt return touchdown was impressive.
He knew what to do even before he fielded the punt.
“I wanted to catch it out the air, but when it bounced, I said, yeah, I gotta pick this one up,” Reid said Saturday. “I seen everybody on my side, I pick this up and go, right? It’s gonna be a touchdown. So, that’s what happened.”
Reid was mentioned a lot throughout the offseason — well before Rodney Hammond Jr. was declared ineligible for the season. So, it wasn’t a shock that he impressed in his Pitt debut.
He took 14 carries for 145 yards and a touchdown. That’s over 10 yards per carry. He caught three balls and returned his lone punt return 78 yards for a touchdown, too. Reid was kind of unstoppable. Narduzzi may not say, “I told you so,” but he actually kind of did.
“That’s what I was talking about,” Pat Narduzzi said Saturday. “I mean, the kid’s been like that. He’s tough. He gets a calf (injury) right there (in the second half), comes back, doesn’t say boo. He just keeps going. He’s an ever-ready battery. He just goes.”
Reid went and went and went. Narduzzi couldn’t help but be reminded of former star running back Israel Abanikanda — who was in attendance Saturday. Reid is the kind of running back who can break off a splash play at any time. Pitt had its base defense on the field for his punt return touchdown; the blockers did their job, but Reid wasn’t going to be stopped.
“I know me, so no matter who we play, who out there, I know once I get past that second level, it’s over,” Reid said.
He doesn’t even remember the last time he was caught from behind. It certainly wasn’t Saturday. It wasn’t during his time at Western Carolina either. It may be way, way back during his time as a youth football player.
“That’s me,” Reid said. “I’m an explosive person, I like to showcase that.”
Reid wanted to go Power Five out of high school, as all recruits do, but his height and weight held him back a bit. He had some offers, nothing major, and it was Bell and Western Carolina that stood out then.
Reid was originally a lowly-recruited three-star out of Miramar High School in 2022, and he selected WCU over South Dakota, FAMU, FAU and Tusculum. In two seasons at WCU, he racked up 250 carries for 1,723 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and 17 touchdowns — adding 42 receptions for 495 yards and another score.
He’s coming off back-to-back 800-yard seasons at Western Carolina and was awarded the 2022 SoCon Freshman of the Year honors.
As a sophomore in 2023, playing in just eight games, Reid was one of the best running backs in all of the FCS. He was elusive, forcing 40 missed tackles on just 131 carries, but he also racked up 536 yards after contact (4.39 YAC/attempt). He was an explosive home run hitter, too, racking up 30 runs of 10+ yards and 18 runs of 15+ yards.
And believe it or not, since Reid made the jump from FCS to FBS (Power Four level, no less), he hasn’t seen all that much of a difference.
“Just being real, I don’t really see no difference,” Reid said. “Probably the speed a little, they’re probably a little faster.”
Reid is just one game into his Pitt career, one game into his time at the FBS level, but if he showed anything in his Pitt debut, it’s that he’s ready for more. A lot more. And his teammates certainly expect Reid to grow from his time as an FCS standout — growing into an FBS standout.
Got to keep this “jitterbug” healthy…we are a little thin in the RB room at the moment.
Nah, we still have Derrick Davis that looks greatly improved, Daniel Carter, Goff, who is healthy now, Montravious Loyd and Che Nwabuko. Not thin..