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Pitt's football team got some unfortunate news that starting safety Terrish Webb had an ankle injury. Webb had surgery on Friday and will miss the rest of the season.
It's true that the secondary hasn't had a great year. Webb, though, is a player that has all kinds of promise and I think he had some bright spots this year. He recorded interceptions in each of his first two games this year, picking up where he left off after a solid game against Bowling Green last season in the bowl game when he had a season-high six tackles and a pass defended.
On the season this year, he had 33 tackles as a first-year starter.
Webb missed last week's game against Duke with an ankle injury giving freshman Pat Amara his first career start. As Sam Werner of the PG notes, last week, Reggie Mitchell dropped back to safety as the team started Maddox at cornerback and Amara at nickelback.
The loss turns Pitt's already vulnerable secondary into one that gets even weaker. Maddox had a difficult time with Jamison Crowder last week and if the Panthers are forced to drop Mitchell back again, it could mean Maddox again starts at corner. He has a world of potential, but was clearly overmatched last week. He was up against one of the best receivers in the ACC, but his performance wasn't encouraging.
Webb's injury makes the Panthers even thinner on defense and with the team needing two more wins in their last three games just to qualify for a bowl game, his loss comes at a particularly bad time. North Carolina, Pitt's next opponent, could be a really difficult matchup - the Tar Heels rank 21st in the nation in passing.
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