Pitt RB James Conner Wants Wins, Not Awards
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - Pitt Panthers running back James Conner can't be stopped these days, but he slowed down just a bit on Wednesday to join The Cook and Poni Show and talk about his impressive sophomore year that has many talking about him winning some impressive hardware this season.
Conner admits that as the season approached he thought more about the individual awards, but now it's all about staying focused and doing what is best for his team and the individual stuff will take care of itself. He just wants to keep winning.
Conner says he is not taking his early great start for granted. He says there is still work to do as it showed when he had a poor first half against Florida International over the weekend.
"I wanted to take the blame," Conner said. "I told the guys that they would see a new me in the second half."
Conner lived up to his promise as he ran for three touchdowns in the second half, leading the Panthers to a come-from-behind 42-25 win over Florida International.
He finished the game running for 177 yards on 31 carries with three touchdowns.
But he tells the guys that there are enough weapons on this team to pick up the offense if he struggles.
"The more games I do good, the bigger the target I'll have," Conner said. "We got the best receiver in college football in Tyler on our team, so they still have to respect that. Chad does great, Trey does great when he gets in there, so I have confidence in everybody on this team."
Although Conner has been making the headlines on offense, he tells the guys that he still works on his defense every day at practice.
"I still practice every day like I will be out there," Conner said. "My number will be called upon soon and I will be ready."
Conner says he believes that this Pitt team, if they stay focused and take it game by game and everyone does their job, the sky is the limit for what they can do.
The first step might be to see the (3-0) Panthers to get a spot in the national rankings. Conner says that is out of their hands, but it will come if they keep winning ballgames.
Conner has been already talked about as a guy who could be racking up some major individual awards this season, but that is not what he is concerned about right now.
"I'm just focused on being 4-0 this weekend," Conner said.
That would mean the Panthers would need a win over the Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday at noon at Heinz Field.
"It's our biggest test yet and we will be ready for it," Conner said.
It's hard not to believe him after he kept his promise last week.
Listen to the full interview below:
Pitt RB James Conner Wants Wins Not Awards
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