The best story of college football's offseason, at last, has an in-season chapter.
Pittsburgh running back James Conner, who overcame Hodgkin Lymphoma during the offseason, led the Panthers out of the tunnel and on the field Saturday in a 28-7 home win over Villanova at Heinz Field.
The 2014 ACC Player of the Year rushed 17 times for 53 yards, scoring on a 3-yard run and a 9-yard reception. Former Pitt star Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals tipped his hat to Conner via social media:
Conner received the Hodgkin diagnosis in December, but was determined to return to the field in 2016 and even worked out with the Panthers while his chemotherapy treatments were ongoing. In April, he made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, where he got a surprise meeting with Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, also a Hodgkin survivor.
Conner rushed for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2014, but was injured in Pitt's first game of 2015 and did not play again last season.
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