Sean FitzSimmons was somewhat of a secret weapon against North Carolina, which may have been what Pat Narduzzi intended.
Coy isn’t usually a word to describe Narduzzi, but that’s exactly how he can be described when asked last week about FitzSimmons’ availability against UNC over the weekend. Sort of mysterious. I don’t know, Narduzzi basically said, I guess we’ll see how he looks in warmups.
FitzSimmons hadn’t played in a game before Saturday’s conference opener against UNC, so while Narduzzi likely knew FitzSimmons would play against UNC, there were some thoughts about just how big a workload he could handle. The big defensive tackle just made it impossible for the coaching staff to take him off the field.
FitzSimmons wreaked havoc against the Tar Heels, who may or may not have been expecting his 6-foot-3, 285-pound presence on the inside.
FitzSimmons wasn’t credited with a stop on 4th-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter, but his push from the interior of the defensive line allowed Brandon George and Kyle Louis to shoot through the gap and wrap up UNC star running back Omarion Hampton well short of the line to gain.
There was a timeout called just before the 4th-and-1 play from the Pitt 8, in a one-possession game, and the defense reminded itself that it needed a stop. FitzSimmons knew good things would happen if he did his job.
FitzSimmons certainly did his job, eating up two UNC offensive linemen and creating an opportunity for the linebackers.
Pitt got the ball back with just over nine minutes left in the game, still nursing a touchdown lead, and put together an 18-play drive (capped by a Ben Sauls’ field goal) to put the Tar Heels away.
Pittsburgh Panthers defensive lineman Sean FitzSimmons (55) October 8, 2022 David Hague/PSN
FitzSimmons was impactful against UNC all afternoon, even if a modest stat sheet (two tackles, a half tackle for loss and three quarterback hits) doesn’t paint it that way. According to PFF, he accumulated four pressures, a hurry and three quarterback hits — all highs among the defensive tackles. He was incredibly stout in the run game, too.
It was a triumphant return to the field for a player who has had his share of injuries over the last year, amid soaring expectations from the local fanbase.
“I was just so happy to be back,” FitzSimmons said Saturday. “Last year, I was hurt and missed a couple games, and this year, I’m like, it’s my time to finally go. And getting hurt in camp really sucked, but I worked my way, rehabbed great, shoutout our training staff, and I’m glad to finally be back playing.”
FitzSimmons hadn’t missed any time in his football career — at any level — until the start of last season.
He was in and out of the lineup last season but entered the summer healthy. But it didn’t last. He picked up a lower-body injury toward the end of camp, missed four games to start the season and finally started to practice again during the bye week. He didn’t feel any rust in his return to game play.
“He had a great week of practice, came back healthy,” Narduzzi said Saturday. “Took a while to get back, and he was in full force. Proud of him, good to get him back, probably our best D-tackle didn’t play today, so we’ll have hopefully Nick James back next week. And we’ll be better inside. We still gotta get four man pressure more, felt like we missed some sacks we gotta get in the future here, but Sean FitzSimmons did a nice job today.”
FitzSimmons took 41 snaps against North Carolina, which is more than either of his two previous seasons in Pittsburgh. And in those 41 snaps, he’s tied for first in pressures, tied for third in hurries and first in hits among the defensive tackles this season.
FitzSimmons came close to a few sacks against UNC, and while Narduzzi is more than happy with knocking an opposing quarterback to the ground, he was itching for those splash plays.
He will be relied on going forward this season, jumping to the top of the rotation in the defensive tackles unit. FitzSimmons and Nick James, who missed the UNC game but is likely to return this weekend against Cal, will feature heavily in the defense.
Nahki Johnson, Francis Brewu, Elliot Donald will feature in the rotation, but FitzSimmons has a chance to show that he’s the great Pitt defensive tackle.
His presence was very noticeable as he got great push in the middle.
A great come back and contribute story. He’s been missed for sure. he was all over the field on Saturday. Had a great impact.