Dickerson scores on first run

Early in the second half Saturday, highly touted Pitt freshman Dorin Dickerson grabbed a… Early in the second half Saturday, highly touted Pitt freshman Dorin Dickerson grabbed a kickoff, took a couple steps forward and was tackled by Toledo for a 6-yard gain.

The fans who remained in Heinz Field erupted.

“I couldn’t wait to get on the field,” Dickerson said. “It was hard to have to sit out and watch everybody else play.”

“That was nice, though. I liked it a lot,” he added of the fans’ reaction to the 6-yard return.

The return marked the first time Dickerson touched the ball all season. In fact, the first time Dickerson saw the field was with two seconds left in the first half. He made a block on a kickoff return as time expired.

Quarterback Tyler Palko, however, wasn’t as impressed as the fans with the two yards. He joked with the youngster to let him know.

“I let him know afterwards that man, he gets two yards on a kick return and the city loves him,” Palko said. “I told him, ‘OK, you got in the game, now why don’t you do something for real now.'”

Late in the third quarter, Dickerson finally got his chance to make an impact on the Pitt offense. Lined up at receiver from the 14-yard line, a play came in that called his number.

“[My] heart dropped a little bit,” Dickerson said when he knew he was about to get the ball. “But I said to myself ‘Let’s go, I’m ready.'”

On the play, Palko handed the ball off to receiver Marcel Pestano, who made his way from the right side of the field. At the same time, Dickerson shifted toward the right behind Pestano. As the two crossed, Pestano handed off to Dickerson on the end-around reverse.

With nothing but open field in front of the former high school All-American, Dickerson waltzed into the end zone with one lead blocker just looking to place a hit on someone. It was Palko.

Palko wandered out to the right side during the play to serve as the main blocker. The play worked so well, however, that Palko never got the chance to block someone as he and Dickerson entered the end zone together for the youngster’s first touchdown.

“It would have been nice to throw a block,” Palko said. “That is what I’m out there for. But the guys just did a great job of executing the play. It would have been nice, but it was even nicer to see him score.”

Dickerson and Palko have a long history together, despite this being Dickerson’s first year in a Panthers uniform.

Dickerson attended nearby West Allegheny High School — the same high school Palko played at — and was coached by Palko’s dad, Bob.

Through Pitt’s first four games, Dickerson sat on the bench and a redshirt season was being talked about. According to Dickerson, he would have done whatever the coaches wanted him to. But in the back of his mind, he wanted to get on the field.

After a talk with Dickerson and his dad before the game Saturday, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt gave him a choice to either sit out a year or get on the field — Dickerson chose the latter.

“Dorin had the mindset that he wanted to play,” Wannstedt said. “He wasn’t concerned about how much, but he wanted to be a part of it this year. When I recruited him, I told him he would have a chance to play.”

As of now, Dickerson will see time with the special teams. However, he could also be used at tailback and wide receiver.

Dickerson entered the off-season as a wide receiver after rushing for 1,429 yards and 30 touchdowns in his senior season. A few weeks into camp, though, and the Pitt coaching staff moved him back to running back.

“Wherever I can get on the field and help the team is fine with me,” he said. “We still have a lot of games left, so we’ll see what happens down the road and where I end up.”

Though his contribution may not be as much this year as it will be in the future, just the presence of Dickerson on the field adds a lot to the Panthers’ offense and special teams.

Palko believes Dickerson learned a lot while sitting out the first four games of the season. And even though it was tough on the kid, Palko didn’t feel the need to be at his side to keep his head up.

“I haven’t said anything to him. Sometimes when you know somebody so well like I do with Dorin, you let them figure out for themselves,” Palko said. “He’s got to grow up fast and learn how to deal with ups and downs.

“I look for great things from him. It’s a slow start for him, but I’m glad he got in the end zone and got things started.”