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Daniel Carter’s career-best performance was a long time coming

Posted on by angelo
Daniel Carter’s career-best performance was a long time coming

Since running back Daniel Carter enrolled at Pitt, he’s played under three offensive coordinators and felt the highs of an ACC championship and the lows of a 3-9 season.

Over the years, Carter has been considered a depth power back who has played behind a number of talented backs. It took time, but in his 54th game as a Panther, the sixth-year senior exploded against Youngstown State, rushing for 109 yards with two long touchdown runs.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Carter said after his win. “I feel like I’ve been waiting six years for this moment to finally get my chance. I told you when my number was called I was going to make a play and take advantage of every opportunity.”

In addition to his two touchdown runs, redshirt freshman Eli Holstein hit Carter out of the backfield for a 13-yard touchdown reception.

“I was so happy for him,” Holstein said. “DC has been a great leader on this team. He’s been here a while, so he knows the ups and downs of the last couple of years. He’s a guy that’s stuck with it and worked hard.”

Saturday was a career day for Carter in many ways. In the first quarter, Carter took off on a 24-yard run up the middle, which set a career high. That record didn’t last long, however, as Carter turned the Jets around for a 43-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

His 109 rushing yards broke his previous career high of 65 yards in a single game against Wofford last season. It was also the first game of his career in which he recorded multiple touchdowns.

“I’m just making plays that I haven’t really had a chance to show the last couple of years,” Carter said. “It’s nice for me too, trying to get my confidence back. Knowing that I can go out there and make plays, I’m really proud of how I’m handling things.”

Carter is one of four players — Brandon George, Jason Collier and Nate Temple — who went on to complete six-year college careers with the Panthers, making Saturday’s performance all the more significant.

“I’m happy for Daniel,” head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “He deserves it. He’s an unselfish guy. He’s been on the punting team for three years. He does a great job as a man protector, he makes all the decisions on our punting team. For him to get the ball and go out and make plays, I was happy for him.”

Throughout fall camp, Carter has looked faster thanks to his improved speed, which was evident against the Penguins. That’s largely due to the fact that he lost weight in the offseason.

“I always say I have a higher gear, but I’m definitely losing weight, I’m down to 215, 220 now. I definitely feel a lot better than the last couple of years when I was 240.”

“I always knew if I was out in the open, nobody was going to catch me and that’s my mindset every time,” Carter added.

Daniel Carter

Pittsburgh Panthers running back Daniel Carter (4) September 21, 2024 Photo by David Hague/PSN

While Carter has flashed his speed on the ground, he’s also been a target in the backfield, which is something different this season for the veteran from Margate, Florida.

“The difference is we’re catching the ball from the back end. We’re not just sitting there when we drop back, we’re pass protecting, we’re getting out and running routes,” Carter said.

Pitt’s team features one of the best all-around backs in the country in Desmond Reid, but the Western Carolina transfer was held to the sidelines against YSU. That opened up opportunities for Derrick Davis Jr. and Carter to show off Pitt’s depth in the backfield.

“It’s awesome. You can’t really argue with one person, so you have to consider all of us. We’ve got a lot of playmakers in the room, too. Not just me and Des, but D. Davis and some of the younger guys. You see Che (Nwabuko) came in there and had a 57-yard run. It’s always awesome to have that many guys that can make plays in the backfield, so I feel like we have a special space. Our space is also very tight, so we’re always pushing each other every day.”

In his final season of college football, Carter will be a constant presence in Pitt’s offense. No matter how many touches he gets, Carter will be ready.

“That’s how it is every week, we prepare and we’re ready to play when our numbers call us. We knew Des wasn’t going to play today at kickoff. Derrick and I worked all offseason, every day, twice a day, on footwork, catching, all these different things, so we were always ready.”