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The adjectives to describe what James Conner does for the Pittsburgh Panthers are as overpowering as his running style. He’s a 6-foot-2, 250-pound bulldozer in the mold of Eric Dickerson who draws comparisons to Craig Heyward. A middle linebacker on the wrong side of scrimmage, Conner is the best running back Pittsburgh has seen since Tony Dorsett, if not the best they’ve had ever, given how he’s surpassed three of Dorsett’s longstanding records as a sophomore.
Andrea Adelson of ESPN has even declared Conner the most outstanding player of the ACC in 2014. Ranking him ahead of Jameis Winston of the Florida State Seminoles and another breakout bulldozer, Duke Johnson of the Miami Hurricanes.
Conner broke Dorsett’s season records for rushing touchdowns (22), total touchdowns (23) and points scored (140), and fans can expect him to do it again. 2016 will be Conner’s first year of NFL Draft eligibility, so 2015 will essentially be his “contract year.” As we all inherently know, most players save their best performance for when money is on the line.
Conner’s ACC adversaries now have more film on him, but his incentive to be a rare first-round running back outweigh the influence of the most motivated defensive minds. Conner’s punishing style will mesh well with Pat Narduzzi‘s physical scheme, and their union could bolster the success of each, leading Pittsburgh to a bowl game that people will actually recognize.
Moving Dorsett down the record books is bittersweet, but also seems to be a good indicator that Conner will once again be the real deal — both in Pittsburgh and wherever he hits the ground running in the NFL.
Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jerry on Twitter at @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.
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