Football: Six Panthers earn conference honors

Ray Graham and Jarred Holley led a group of Pitt football players who received All-Big East… Ray Graham and Jarred Holley led a group of Pitt football players who received All-Big East honors, the conference announced Thursday.

Graham and Holley were both named to the All-Big East first team, while Chas Alecxih, Aaron Donald, Max Gruder and Antwuan Reed received second-team recognition.

Graham missed the final four games of the regular season with a knee injury, but the junior running back still received first-team honors. He finished the season with 958 total yards and nine touchdowns on 164 rushing attempts. Before his injury, he ranked second in the nation in rushing and finished fourth overall in the Big East despite his shortened year.

Holley, a junior safety, finished the regular season with 64 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks. He also has three pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Holley was named to the All-Big East second team last season.

Alecxih ranks fourth on Pitt’s team with 54 tackles and has 13.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. The senior defensive tackle finished the regular season with five quarterback hurries, four broken-up passes and two forced fumbles.

Donald, a sophomore, leads the Panthers with 15 tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hurries despite earning a spot on the starting defensive line late in the season. He also finished the regular season with 10 sacks and 42 tackles. He’s just the fifth Pitt player since 1991 to finish with 10 sacks in a single season.

Senior linebacker Gruder has a team-high 107 tackles this season, with 7.5 tackles for loss. He finished second in the Big East with 8.9 tackles per game.

Reed, a senior cornerback, finished with 29 tackles in 12 games and recorded a team-high seven pass break-ups. Reed also recovered two fumbles this season.

The Panthers will take on Southern Methodist University in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Jan. 7.