Pittsburgh Panther running back James Conner will under go surgery on his right knee for a torn medial collateral ligament and is due to miss the rest of the 2015 season, according to PittsburghPanthers.com.
Head coach Pat Narduzzi made the announcement on Sunday. Conner was last season's Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and is likely to be missed by the Panthers this season.
Conner's injury came in the second quarter of Pittsburgh's first game of the season. Pittsburgh beat Youngstown State 45-37 on Saturday, but the victory was bittersweet as the team lost its star running back.
Conner is likely to still have an affect on his teammates, as he will help them in any way he can. "He is a tremendous competitor and teammate. After he was injured on Saturday, James was constantly in the ear of his teammates, encouraging them and coaching them on the sideline," Narduzzi said, via PittsburghPanters.com.
Conner broke three of Pittsburgh's records last season including total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and scoring (156 points). Qadree Ollison looks to be the next man up, and he did well against Youngstown on Saturday. Ollison rushed 16 times for 207 yards and a touchdown. Ollison is a freshman and Narduzzi will have a good chance to see what he has in him this season.
The Panthers play Akron next and may be able to handle that matchup against the Zips, but the following week they travel to Iowa and Conner's absence is likely to be felt. The only positive Narduzzi has is that Conner is a junior and he is likely to be back next season.
