Conner's latest return is to the end zone

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James Conner’s three-yard touchdown run nearly eight minutes into the second quarter of Pitt’s 28-7 win over Villanova on Saturday was the latest in a long line of triumphant returns.

There was his return to practice in the spring when he ran with his teammates with a surgical mask and a port in his shoulder.

There was his return to contact drills in training camp.

And there was his return to Heinz Field for the season opener on Saturday.

Then, 364 days after he last ran into the end zone at Heinz Field, Conner ran across the goal line once again on Saturday. And he did so in rather classic James Conner fashion: he stuck his hand in a defender’s face and dragged him into the end zone.

“We knew in short-yardage situations, it was going to be pretty congested on top, so I saw a one-on-one opportunity and I like my chances with that,” Conner said after the game (his return to post-game press conferences). “So I just used my tools, my stiff arm, and ran outside to the one-on-one.”

Conner got back to the end zone again in the first half when he caught a nine-yard pass from Nate Peterman to give Pitt a 14-0 lead. And while Conner talked after the game about needing to be more than a one-dimensional player and how he can help the team as a receiving option - he did catch three passes for 16 yards - that first touchdown stands as the final milepost in his total return from the battle that started last November when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“It’s awesome,” Pitt quarterback Nate Peterman said Saturday. “That first touchdown couldn’t be any better: a stiff arm in the end zone right into the student section was a really special moment for him and I was really happy for him. It is really great to play with him again.”

“I’m very blessed and fortunate to be back on the field,” Conner said. “It was an awesome experience. September 3rd; a day I’ll never forget. I’m just forever thankful for my teammates, my hometown, Pittsburgh, everybody who supported me throughout my whole journey. It just felt amazing to get back out on the field.”

Conner himself admitted that he didn’t have his best performance Saturday. He finished the game with 53 yards on 17 carries - an average of 3.1 yards per carry and just the second time in the last 16 games that he has rushed for less than 75 yards in a game, dating back to the 2013 season.

“Me personally, I have a lot of stuff to improve on,” he said. “A lot of misreads that could have left yards on the field. So I’m going to go back and look at the film and correct it all. It wasn’t a sloppy game but everybody can get better and it starts with me, especially.”

“James, he is who he is,” head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He scores the first rushing T.D., then he catches one for a T.D.; he’s a tremendous person. I’m sure as we watch the tape, we’re going to have a lot of corrections for him. Mainly, maybe he’s looking for a touchdown every play instead of just hitting it up there and taking three or four yards and being happy with it. But we’ll look at the tape.

“It’s been a long time since he stepped on the field in a game situation, but overall, he made plays when he needed to. We need to do a better job blocking for him.”

Ultimately, the results of Conner’s individual performance were secondary to his presence. Less than 10 months after being diagnosed with cancer, he led his team onto the field and carried the ball on his team’s first possession. And for his teammates, Conner’s return to the field and the end zone was just the latest in a long line of inspirations.

“James’ story is an amazing story,” senior tight end Scott Orndoff said. “It was awesome to see him back there and get that first touchdown. There was just something more special about this game. We just all felt it inside of us, so having James back was awesome.”