New-look Pitt leans on veterans Nick Patti, Jared Wayne for Sun Bowl

When UCLA’s players look across the line of scrimmage Friday in the Sun Bowl, the team looking back at them won’t resemble the one they watched on video in preparation for the game.

Not even close.

There are at least eight players — five on defense, plus quarterback Kedon Slovis, running back Izzy Abanikanda and offensive tackle Gabe Houy — who won’t play against the No. 18 Bruins in El Paso, Texas. Defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado, who missed the final two regular-season games with an injury, also might not play.

Many of them, including middle linebacker SirVocea Dennis, are saving their bodies for NFL Draft training. Others, such as consensus All-American defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, are injured.

That leaves veteran players such as wide receiver Jared Wayne and quarterback Nick Patti to keep their teammates focused as intently as everyone appeared to be during Pitt’s current four-game winning streak.

Coach Pat Narduzzi said Patti will start, replacing Slovis just as he stepped in for Kenny Pickett, who opted out of the Peach Bowl last year.

“This is his shot again,” Narduzzi said.

Patti has experienced a hard-luck Pitt career, first playing behind Pickett, who became a first-round draft choice, and then breaking his collarbone in the first quarter of the Peach Bowl. Even earlier this season, when Slovis suffered a concussion in the first half against Tennessee, Patti entered the game, injured his ankle and hobbled through the fourth quarter and overtime.

“He’s tough. He’s a competitor. He’s a smart football player and he’s a team guy,” Narduzzi said Sunday when the team arrived in El Paso. “Our guys will play for him. He’s probably our best leader at the quarterback position. Our guys really like playing for Nick.”

Running back Rodney Hammond Jr. called Patti “a good leader, a good guy, somebody good to be around on and off the field. I’m confident with Nick being out. I feel like he’s going to get it done.”

Patti, a senior who will be playing his last game for Pitt, said Tuesday he’ll lean on the strong connections he has built with Wayne and Hammond, who will replace Abanikanda.

“I had a lot of reps with Rodney,” Patti said Tuesday after practice at Eastwood High School in El Paso.

Patti also has thrown plenty of footballs toward Wayne, a fellow senior. Perhaps the most significant was a game-tying, 4-yard touchdown pass with 2 minutes, 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter — on fourth down — to send the Tennessee game into overtime.

“We always say, if his legs are a little tired, we can take a day off,” Patti said of working out with Wayne. “Our connection is so good.”

Said Wayne: “It didn’t take too much to get on the same page, and we kind of know each other’s tendencies. I know what type of ball he likes to throw, and (he knows) how I run my routes.”

Patti and Wayne also understand the responsibility they shoulder in the Sun Bowl.

“Now, I’m the older guy,” Patti said. “I try to come out with a positive mindset every day, positive attitude, come out with confidence. I guess the guys just rally around that, and I’m going to try to keep it going for the game.”

Wayne, who became a 1,000-yard receiver this season while stepping into the go-to role perfected by Jordan Addison in 2021, said he’s tried to remain consistent throughout the season. He did so, catching an average of five passes for 91 yards per game.

“It’s definitely something I take seriously in life, just being consistent and always being there whenever someone needs me,” he said. “Whether it’s my teammate or coach or family member.”

Said Hammond: “You need a big play, Jared’s going to make it happen anytime.”

Hammond has a big job, replacing Abanikanda, who led the ACC in rushing with 1,431 yards.

But Hammond also has been an important element in the Pitt running game the past two seasons, rushing for 870 yards and eight touchdowns on 186 carries. He gained 74 and scored twice in the opener against West Virginia, but he injured his foot and missed five games.

“I did it before. It’s nothing new,” Hammond said. “Everybody in the (running back) room can start. It was tough being out. Now, I’m back and feeling good.”