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Whenever someone brings up the fact that linebacker Brandon George is in his sixth year with the Pitt program, he always brings a similar response.
“Aw, don’t call me old like that,” he joked with a smile following Pitt’s home-opening win over Kent State.
For George, Saturday was different than any other game he has suited up for the Panthers. It was his first career start. However, he didn’t reflect on his long journey or how special the moment was. Instead, it was just another day at the office.
“Today was another football game for me. When you approach a game, you approach it the same way every time. In the past couple of years, I’ve approached it the same way, same preparation no matter who’s putting on the hat in front of us,” he said.
The game also marked the first as a captain for Pitt. He once again deflected anything about him being in the spotlight to make it about his entire defensive unit.
“It’s not a one-man show. It’s 11 guys on the football field at a time. It’s an honor to have the ‘C’ on my chest, absolutely, but when you’re out there, you’re not thinking about that. You’re thinking about how can I help this team win a football team,” George said.
It goes to show the type of selfless leader George will be for this Panthers team this season.
He also led in a different way. In his 52 career games up to that point, George had never forced or recovered a fumble. He had also only recorded two sacks.
With Kent State driving late in the fourth quarter, George burst into the backfield unimpeded, swiped the football out of the hand of Kent State quarterback Devin Kargman. George then stopped in his tracks and fell on the football. A sack, forced fumble and recovery all in an instant for George.
MAKE A PLAY BRANDON GEORGE@B_George06 strips the ball and comes up with the recovery!#H2P » #WeNotMe pic.twitter.com/GdfQSmKcfd
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) August 31, 2024
“It was a great play call by our coaching staff knowing the tendencies of their offense and players making plays. All 11 guys did their job and that allowed the play to be successful,” George said reminiscing on the play.
“Shout out to B. George, he got a strip sack,” linebacker Kyle Louis added. “Heard he could of scooped and scored, but he still got the ball.”
George’s sack was one of five for the Panthers defense on the day. It was a return to normalcy for the Pitt pass rush getting to the quarterback.
“We have some cleaning up to do, but I think we’re flying around to the football. We’re back to kind of where we used to be as far as being violent, being aggressive, flying around and being a bunch of rabid dogs on the football field,” George said.
As the Panthers found a way to get into the backfield, that also came in stopping the run. George was instrumental in stopping the run, holding Kent State to 31 yards, but it’s an area that he vows will continue to improve.
“In our mindset, that’s not good enough. Our goal every week is zero yards rushing. That’s how we want to attack it, that’s how violent we want to be, that’s how aggressive we want to be as a defense,” he said.
In game No. 53 of his Pitt career, George totaled seven tackles and two tackles for loss, to go along with his strip sack.
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10 bold predictions for the 2025 college football season
Expect the unexpected when it comes to college football. Though traditional heavyweights like Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia have recently won national titles, there is hardly a sport that produces weekly drama like college football. It's tough to forecast the unexpected, but here are 10 bold predictions for the 2025-26 season. 1. Alabama misses the College Football Playoff again Games at No. 5 Georgia and No. 13 South Carolina, plus Florida State, Missouri and Auburn, make for a tough road slate. Couple that with a new quarterback in Ty Simpson, and questions abound. A stacked defense could cover up for some offensive growing pains, but how quickly does Simpson settle in? The season will depend on it. By the way, you have to go back to 2006 and 2007 to find the last time Alabama missed a BCS bowl game or the CFP two seasons in a row. 2. Penn State finally breaks through This is the year James Franklin and Penn State defeat Ohio State and win the Big Ten. Drew Allar's return at quarterback for PSU for his senior season is the difference. An experienced quarterback is something neither Ohio State, Oregon or Michigan has. 3. Michigan finishes outside the Top 25 Michigan has the on-field talent (don't miss No. 1 QB prospect Bryce Underwood), but the recent sign-stealing sanctions hang like a cloud over the program. It might subside if Michigan wins, but what if it suffers early-season losses at Oklahoma and/or Nebraska? There could be a snowball effect. 4. A wide receiver will win the Heisman Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter excelled as a wide receiver and defensive back, claiming the 2024 Heisman. Another wide receiver will win this year. How about Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith (76 rec, 1,315 yards, 15 TD in 2024) or Alabama's Ryan Williams (48 rec, 865 yards, 8 TD in 2024)? 5. Three SEC programs fire their coach Last season was unusually quiet on the coaching carousel, especially in the SEC. All 16 coaches return, but several are on varying degrees of the hot seat. Billy Napier (Florida), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Brent Venables (Oklahoma) and Mark Stoops (Kentucky) are all coaches to keep an eye on. None of the five programs listed is expected to finish in the top four of the conference, meaning some will be .500 or worse. 6. Utah wins the Big 12 The Utes are going to bounce back in a wide-open Big 12. Health is the key here as injuries ruined the 2024 campaign. One reason for optimism? New offensive coordinator Jason Beck and incoming quarterback Devon Dampier came from New Mexico, where they engineered the Lobos' best offensive season in eight years. 7. The Group of 6 CFP bid comes from the American Boise State is the favorite to represent the Group of 6 in the CFP, but the American champion will receive the bid this season. Look for as many as five teams to vie for the title. Tulane brought in 20 transfers to bolster its roster, but Navy returns quarterback Blake Horvath (1,353 passing yards, 13 TD, 1,254 rushing yards, 17 TD). It should be an exciting watch. 8. The ACC receives one bid for the CFP The ACC managed to grab two CFP bids last season, but it won't happen again this year. Clemson is the favorite and should be a part of the 12-team field. No. 10 Miami could be in the hunt, but games against No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 15 Florida and at No. 16 SMU pose a threat. Remember, the Canes were left out last season with just two losses. 9. Vanderbilt increases its win total again The Commodores were the surprise story of 2024, going 7-6 after a 2-10 season in 2023. Vandy will win at least eight games this year thanks to 77 percent of its 2024 production returning. Quarterback Diego Pavia (2,293 yards, 20 TD) is the little engine that could. The 'Dores season will be decided between Oct. 4 and Nov. 1 when they play road games at No. 8 Alabama and No. 1 Texas, along with home contests against No. 9 LSU and Missouri. 10. No agreement will be reached to change the CFP format We'll know the answer to this by Dec. 1, as that's the date the CFP committee has set to determine the format for 2026-31. With the Big Ten still throwing out radical ideas, people are upset and it seems no deal is imminent. "We sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall," one CFP executive recently told CBS Sports.
Steelers have major injury concern leaving preseason
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Giants rookie shines again, completing promising preseason
Preseason football can produce some misleading results, but the New York Giants have to be ecstatic with what they have seen from first-round pick quarterback Jaxson Dart so far. He impressed again on Thursday night against the New England Patriots, before being removed from the game to be evaluated for a concussion. The Giants said he cleared the concussion protocol. Prior to that, however, Dart was showing all of his skills in leading the Giants offense. While his final stat line only shows a 6-for-12 passing performance for 81 yards, some of those incompletions were passes that could — and, perhaps, should — have been caught. He did not get a lot of help from his wide receivers. Even so, he still completed a 50-yard pass to Gunner Olszewski, and then connected with Greg Dulcich for a touchdown on a laser of a pass. Along with the passing, Dart also showed off his ability to run with a 23-yard gain. The only downside to that run, however, is that it ended his night when his head hit the ground, resulting in him leaving the game to be evaluated for the potential concussion. Dart does not figure to be in serious competition for the starting job as veteran Russell Wilson seems to have that locked down, at least for now. But Dart has done everything he can in the preseason to show that he has the ability to play at the NFL level. Including his performance on Thursday, he leaves the preseason having completed 32-of-47 passes for 372 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions and also ran six times for 52 yards and a touchdown. It is hard for a rookie to do better than that in their first look in the NFL. The Giants have been searching for a long-term quarterback solution ever since Eli Manning retired and have gone through a revolving door of bad options. They are hoping Dart can finally put an end to that for the foreseeable future. There is still a long way to go before he gets to that level, but he has certainly made a great first impression.
Blackhawks make gargantuan commitment to young forward
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