Graham: Positive feedback on OL Nix
Pitt lost senior offensive lineman Lucas Nix to injury in Thursday night's 44-17 win over South Florida, but head coach Todd Graham said in a statement on Friday afternoon that news regarding Nix is encouraging.
"We received very positive feedback on Lucas Nix today from our medical staff as his MRI did not reveal any significant damage. Lucas will undergo an intense rehabilitation program and we are hopeful he will be back in action soon."
Advertisement
Nix left the field after the second play of the game, although he did return to the sidelines after being examined by team doctors.
Nix was replaced at left guard by redshirt sophomore Ryan Schlieper, who played that position for the remainder of the game.
The injury was the second blow to Pitt's offensive line this season. Redshirt senior Chris Jacobson suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Panthers' loss at Iowa on September 17. Nix and Jacobson were Pitt's most experienced linemen, with 44 combined career starts at Pitt.
Jacobson was replaced at left guard by redshirt sophomore Cory King. If King and Schlieper both start next Saturday when Pitt plays at Rutgers, redshirt senior Jordan Gibbs will be the only lineman who entered the season with starting experience prior to this season.
With King and Schlieper on the field Thursday night, Pitt (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big East) rushed for 307 yards as a team and totaled 523 yards of total offense. That total included 226 rushing yards from junior running back Ray Graham.