Football: Gunn leads Panthers in first game back from neck injury

After missing all but one half of the last football season with a broken neck, linebacker Adam… After missing all but one half of the last football season with a broken neck, linebacker Adam Gunn said over the summer he was anxious to get his first hit of the season out of the way.

He wasted little time.

On the first play of the year, Gunn and Jabaal Sheard brought down Youngstown State running back Kevin Smith after a 4-yard carry.

“After that first hit, I forgot I broke my neck,” Gunn said.

The middle linebacker went on to lead all Panthers with eight total tackles and two sacks, as the defense carried Pitt to a 38-3 win in its first game of the year Saturday. It was a much more pleasant start to Gunn’s season than last year.

Early in the second half of last year’s season opener Gunn was carried off the field on a backboard after colliding with teammate Scott McKillop. Because of his neck injury, Gunn didn’t play at all the rest of the season.

Early in the second half of Saturday’s season opener, Gunn recorded a sack of Youngstown State quarterback Brandon Summers. Gunn came into the game with 1.5 career sacks, but the 8-yard take-down of Summers was already his second in the game.

It wasn’t only a wildly different opener for Gunn, but for Pitt as well.

Last year the Panthers dropped their first game of the season against Bowling Green, a game they were expected to easily win. Pitt had a 17-14 lead at the half in that game, but ended up losing 27-17.

On Saturday Pitt had a 21-3 lead at the half but didn’t let Youngstown State back into the game. The defensive line kept pressure on Summers all day, tallying six sacks for a loss of 38 yards.

“They’re the best defensive line in the country,” Gunn said.

Dom DeCicco and Ricky Gary each picked off passes, and Pitt held the Penguins to 159 yards of total offense.

But it wasn’t only the defense that impressed. So did freshman running back Dion Lewis.

In his first collegiate action, Lewis rushed 20 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 10 yards and one touchdown.