EL PASO, Texas -- Consider Pitt's 37-35 victory over UCLA in Friday's Sun Bowl a passing of the torch.
Just look at the above photo as a prime example. That is the trademark celebration of when the Panthers' defense generates a turnover, as the player which catches an interception or recovers a fumble gets to throw down their best impression of Vince Carter on the miniature "We Not Me" basketball hoop on the sideline.
Check out who is holding the hoop, and who is dunking the ball.
Holding the hoop is Calijah Kancey, the unanimous All-American defensive tackle who is on his way to the NFL after a career for the ages at Pitt. Dunking the ball is Javon McIntyre, a redshirt freshman who is in line to become one of Pitt's newest starting and budding safeties in 2023.
The Sun Bowl was more than about the heroics and the Michael Jordan-esque "And I took that personally" performance from Nick Patti, or the clutch and heroic leg of Ben Sauls to win the game at the end (and convert on all five field goals). Plenty of young Panthers had to step up to fill in for the 17 total players which either opted out, were injured, or transferred, and many if not all of those players are going to be the same ones we could be talking about a year from now following another potential bowl appearance.
Pitt recovered from a forgettable 1-3 October which took it out of contention to repeat its ACC championship from a year ago. The response was a 5-0 run to close the season, including two wins over top-20 teams Syracuse (No. 20) and No. 18 UCLA, and gutting out close wins over fellow 9-5 teams Duke and UCLA.
"That's five wins in a row to finish the season," Pat Narduzzi said after Friday's game. "You know, we talk about adversity a ton. I mean, a lot. We try to develop how to respond in camp in August. These guys will tell you, we talk about how we deal with adversity and the pressures of this game of football, and, again, I think that just shows up when you talk about character and what our guys know how to do it. They never flinch. I mean, I can' think of a time they've ever flinched. That's coaching, and that's guys that our players believe in."
We saw at least a handful of guys to believe in going forward. One which particularly stood out in the Sun Bowl was linebacker Bangally Kamara, who has transformed himself from a raw athlete into a now-mainstay and a prime example of how Narduzzi and his staff can take a mid-level recruit and create a high-caliber college football player out of him.
Without SirVocea Dennis manning the middle of the Panthers' defense on Friday, Kamara took charge of play-making, gathering four total tackles and making many more plays which stood out from beyond the box score, including the hit on UCLA backup quarterback Ethan Garbers on a fourth down in Pitt territory to force an incompletion.
Kamara's interception to begin the fourth quarter -- Pitt's third of the day on the usually reliable Dorian Thompson-Robinson -- was a textbook example of his development. Kamara sat in coverage, read Thompson-Robinson's eyes, and was in perfect position to haul in the pass with plenty of space around him to set the Panthers' offense up inside the red zone.
After Rodney Hammond Jr's second touchdown run to tie the game on that ensuing possession, Pitt got another play from one of its young guns on special teams.
A muffed kickoff misjudged by Kazmeir Allen was immediately fallen on by Pitt linebacker Solomon DeShields, a redshirt sophomore who flashed at points in the season but was in perfect position to clean up the miscue in moment.
"You look at where Bangally was in the opener against West Virginia and where he came in 13 games, and Tylar Wiltz and Shayne Simon, we've got a great group of linebackers out there," Narduzzi said. "Solomon DeShields, that guy keeps getting better every day. Can't say enough about him, the great fumble recovery he had on the kickoff in the fourth quarter or whatever quarter that was -- I guess it was the fourth. Our linebackers have come a long way. We've got some dudes in there that can play."
With Pitt leading 31-28 with 6 minutes remaining, the Panthers elected to go for it on 4th-and-6. Patti connected with Konata Mumpfield for another big play -- a 30-yard gain which renewed the Panthers at the 5-yard line. That drive stalled on the 4, but Sauls was able to convert on his fourth of five field goals to put Pitt ahead by six with 4:34 remaining.
For a receiving corps which dealt with as much adversity as any other unit this season, Mumpfield, Jared Wayne, and Bub Means were as steady as they needed to be in support of Patti. Mumpfield ended the game with a team-high seven catches for 80 yards with 62 coming after the catch, and Means hauled in four passes for a season-high 84 yards, with two catches coming through traffic and setting up Pitt scores. Means caught the 45-yard bomb from Patti on a 50/50 ball which turned his defender around, and his 17-yard reception with UCLA's Mo Osling III draped over him helped set up the game-winning field goal from Sauls.
How about some of the names from the Sun Bowl which we rarely saw this season?
One, Elliot Donald. The nephew of future Pro Football Hall of Famer and Pitt legend Aaron Donald and top-rated recruit in Narduzzi's 2021 class. He broke into the Sun Bowl for a season-high two tackles, one-half for loss, and one-half of a sack. He and redshirt freshman Nahki Johnson broke in alongside veterans David Green, Devin Danielson, Dayon Hayes, and Deandre Jules to cause plenty of disruption to Thompson-Robinson and Garbers, particularly in the second half.
How fitting was it that the start of the 2022 season had a same flavor as the finish?
I'm talking about M.J. Devonshire, the redshirt junior and Kentucky transfer who could be among the next of Narduzzi's pipeline of defensive backs to the NFL (along with the underrated Marquis Williams). He rocked the record-setting 70,622 fans inside Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 1 with his late, go-ahead interception which placed him among the lore's legends. The final play of the 2022 season against UCLA was also a Devonshire interception, as he planted himself in prime position to haul in Garbers' heave as time expired.
For every player which opted out, one had to step in and deliver a performance to equal or better production left by the person before them. Some of these players were veterans, but note the number of players you might not have heard in a mainstream sense this season.
Here are the 17 players which did not play due to opt-out, injury, or transfer:
• Opt-out: RB Israel Abanikanda, RT Gabe Houy, DE Deslin Alexandre, LB SirVocea Dennis, S Brandon Hill., PK Sam Scarton.
• Transfer portal: QB Kedon Slovis, WR Jaylon Barden, WR Jaden Bradley, DE John Morgan III, DE Sam Williams, S Judson Tallandier II.
• Injury: LT Carter Warren, DT Calijah Kancey, DE Nate Temple, DE Haba Baldonado, CB Rashad Battle.
Look at McIntyre stepping in for Hill, or Kamara leveling up in Dennis' absence, or Donald and Johnson getting their chances because Morgan and Alexandre were not there.
This was just a glimpse and a glimmer into what the 2023 Panthers could provide, and that would include Hammond being the team's new starting running back with Abanikanda out the door. And it could include Mumpfield and Means taking their respective next steps with Phil Jurkovec transferring in at quarterback. And it could include Donald and Johnson sliding alongside the still-budding Dayon Hayes on the defensive line.
"We talk about our youth playing with confidence and going out and getting it done," Narduzzi said. "We'll look at the tape and see. Dayon Hayes played like he is, and he's still a baby. I mean, we'll see. ... You go out there with a bunch of new guys playing on defense, especially, and come out and beat the No. 18 team in the country. We better finish in the top 25. ... You knock off the No. 18 team in the country with a lot of guys down. Tribute to our football team."
One, Narduzzi dropping one last "we'll look at the tape" before the season's end was just perfect.
Two, it is safe to assume they will finish in that top 25. Pitt went 9-4 in 2022, and that season at a minimum next year would be plenty acceptable for a program like Pitt's.
But, is there room for more?
Only time will tell, but the signs are pointing up.
