Pitt will go into the final game of the 2023 regular season missing one leader from each side of the ball.

Super senior defensive tackle Devin Danielson and junior tight end Gavin Bartholomew will both miss the finale at Duke on Saturday due to season-ending injuries, head coach Pat Narduzzi announced on Monday.

“Obviously, there’s one more game left, but both will be not with us this weekend, as well, as far as that goes,” Narduzzi said. “Sad to see for both of those guys. Obviously, with Danielson being such a tough dude, he’s never hurt and he never thought his senior year, his sixth year, would end like it did. And Gavin, obviously lost a major weapon. Karter Johnson and (Malcolm) Epps have really stepped up in his [absence] the last two weeks.”

Bartholomew and Danielson both left Pitt’s loss to Syracuse at Yankee Stadium two weeks ago with injuries and neither dressed for the Panthers’ win in the home finale against Boston College last Thursday night.

Danielson played in nine of the first 10 games and started seven of those, while Bartholomew started every game prior to missing last Thursday’s win.

Danielson recorded 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in his nine games played, and he ends his time at Pitt with career totals of 78 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, accumulated over the course of 60 career games, of which he started 20.

Bartholomew has played in 36 games since arriving at Pitt in 2021. During that span, he has recorded 66 receptions for 926 yards and seven touchdowns. But after catching four touchdowns as a freshman, he caught two last season and one this year. He did set a career high for receiving yards this season with 326, but his best year for receptions was 2021, when he caught 27 passes.

In Bartholomew’s absence last Thursday, Pitt turned to Johnson and Epps, who both logged season highs on snaps against Boston College. Epps caught Nate Yarnell’s first pass attempt last Thursday for a 24-yard gain and had two receptions for 43 yards from Yarnell in the fourth quarter of the loss to Syracuse.

Johnson caught two passes for 36 yards against Boston College and also had a 50-yard reception from Yarnell in the loss at Notre Dame late last month.

To replace Danielson, almost all of the snaps at defensive tackle against the Eagles went to Tyler Bentley, Deandre Jules and David Green.