LINCOLN, Neb. - In the midst of a third consecutive ugly loss to open the season, Pitt might have found its version of "Fast" Willie Parker.
Call him "Hot Rod" Stephens-Howling.
True freshman LaRod Stephens-Howling put some spice in the Panthers' rushing attack with 98 yards on 17 carries Saturday in a 7-6 loss to Nebraska.
It was Pitt's best rushing performance of the season and its best since Tim Murphy ran for 106 yards in the 10th game last season, against West Virginia.
On several carries, the diminutive Stephens-Howling (5-foot-7, 165 pounds) seemed a step or two from going all the way. He also twisted and turned his way for first downs and carried some would-be tacklers on his back.
"When you have a guy like that, who can run the ball and get (defenders) down in the box, then you'll start seeing guys like (receiver Greg Lee) coming up with some big plays over the top," said quarterback Tyler Palko. "That's how football works. They come down to stop the run and leave some people open over the top."
Stephens-Howling came into the game with only three carries but knew he would get more playing time because of starting tailback Rashad Jennings' shoulder injury.
On Pitt's second series, Stephens-Howling replaced senior Raymond Kirkley and rushed five times for 43 yards before one of the Cornhuskers' four sacks stalled the drive.
"I finally had a chance to carry the ball between the tackles," Stephens-Howling said. "The offensive line definitely did the job."
Asked if Stephens-Howling had earned himself additional playing time in coming weeks, coach Dave Wannstedt said, "As much as he can get. He was really a bright spot today."
Stephens-Howling ripped off a 30-yard run in the second half and briefly cracked the 100-yard barrier but was thrown for a 3-yard loss on his second-last carry of the game, with about 11 minutes left.
Ex-Pitt coach Walt Harris knew he was getting a back with breakaway speed when he recruited Stephens-Howling out of Greater Johnstown High School. That is where Stephens-Howling rushed for a school record 4,597 career yards, breaking a 29-year-old school record set by former Pitt running back Artrell Hawkins Sr.
As a high school senior, Stephens-Howling was named one of the top 60 "athletes" in the country by rivals.com. He jumped at Pitt's scholarship offer after Harris made it clear that only one free ride was available for a small running back - Stephens-Howling or Pittsburgh Central Catholic's Eugene Jarvis -- and it would go on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Stephens-Howling's raw speed was obvious in Pitt's 10-7 loss at Ohio, when he took the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. He and Kirkley wound up alternating at tailback yesterday, although Kirkley carried only nine times (for 40 yards).
All that in mind, it'd be no surprise to see "Hot Rod" line up as Pitt's starter next Saturday against Youngstown State.
"That's all up to the coaches," he said. "I just played my hardest, did what I had to do. We'll just see what happens."
People will no doubt question his durability. But that has always been the case.
"It never bothered me," Stephens-Howling said. "I know what I can do."
Plenty of others know, too, thanks to what happened yesterday at Memorial Stadium.
