Pitt Loses Key Backup DE, CB to Season-Ending Injuries
PITTSBURGH — Pitt football has dealt with a thin rotation at defensive end as injuries have piled up.
On Monday, head coach Pat Narduzzi shed more light on the situation as he revealed a season-ending injury to a top backup on the edge.
Narduzzi announced that Zach Crothers will miss the remainder of the season with an injury. He also stated that redshirt freshman cornerback Nigel Maynard suffered a season-ending injury as well.
“Zach Crothers is out for the year, so we won’t have him for the remainder of the year. So is Nigel Maynard, one of our corners that was just starting to get really good. I think the week before he had 27 snaps on special teams,” Narduzzi said.
Crothers, a redshirt freshman, saw his stock rise through training camp as he cemented himself as a top backup at defensive end on the two-deep depth chart.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound edge rusher had a stand out game against Central Michigan in which he recorded a career-high seven tackles, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He followed that up with a six-tackle, 0.5-sack performance in the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia.
Crothers’ snaps steadily increased with a high of 41 against WVU before suffering his season-ending injury in the Louisville game.
Pitt was without four key defensive ends against Florida State with starter Blaine Spires, backup Joey Zelinsky and Oregon transfer Jaeden Moore, who has yet to play a game, all out with injury. That led to Isaiah Neal making his second start at defensive end.
For Maynard, he was starting to blossom as a special teamer in his second year with the program. He had played in five games and suffered an injury against Boston College.
“Nigel, he came in in spring ball and was playing really, really well. In fall camp, he gets a shoulder and we got another season-ending injury with him. He was really coming on and we know Crothers was as well with his snaps.”
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