Pitt had a few players deal with minor bumps and bruises through the first week of camp but for the most part the Panthers had avoided any major injuries.

That is until Saturday, when freshman defensive end Bryan Murphy had his foot stepped on during the Panthers' scrimmage and X-rays would later reveal that he had a broken bone.

Murphy will have surgery this morning and will be out for at least six weeks and that means he will almost assuredly -- barring an injury or two to other defensive ends -- have to take a redshirt this year.

It is a tough blow for Murphy and the Panthers because he had made a very strong push to become one of only a few freshmen who would make the two-deep this season and thus not redshirt. As of late in the week, Murphy had been working some with the second team and was more than holding his own in the competition for the fourth defensive end spot.

"He will have surgery to have a pin put in it and unfortunately it will be at least six weeks before he is back with us," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said Sunday, a day after he talked openly about the fact that Murphy was making a move on the depth chart.

With Murphy out of the mix, the battle for the fourth defensive end spot will now be between senior Nate Nix and redshirt sophomore Shayne Hale, though Hale has been slowed by an ankle injury.

Three of the five spots along the offensive line have been solidified thus far and it appears that a fourth -- center -- is on its way as well. Wannstedt said senior Alex Karabin, a walk-on from Greensburg Central Catholic, has gone a long way toward erasing any doubts about his ability to handle the position on a full-time basis as the starter.

"Alex Karabin is doing a very good job at center," Wannstedt said. "He really is. You have to give the guy credit. He is coming on, he is making the calls, he is smart, he is tough and it was good [to see]."

Saturday, Wannstedt talked about the need for some of the younger linebackers to emerge to add some depth to the unit and shore up all three positions but after watching film of the scrimmage as well as practice Sunday he's very excited about the future for redshirt freshman Kevin Adams.

And what makes that development so interesting is that Adams played fullback last season and in the spring and didn't convert to linebacker until about two days before training camp opened.

"Out of all the young [linebackers], the one I'd talk about is Kevin Adams," Wannstedt said. "He is making a move, he worked some with the second group today."

Another injury from the scrimmage Saturday is backup tailback Ray Graham, who sustained a sprained left knee. Graham is listed as day to day and did not practice Sunday. ... The Panthers had a light practice Sunday (helmets and shoulder pads only) but Wannstedt held a number of players out. The list included Henry Hynoski (concussion), Dion Lewis (flu), Hale (ankle), Graham, Tristan Roberts (concussion) and Greg Romeus (back spasms) did some individual work. One bright spot -- Andrew Taglianetti (groin) returned to practice after missing the entire first week. ... The depth chart at receiver is very crowded right now and Wannstedt said there are so many good players -- who are similar in their ability -- competing for time that it is going to be difficult to sort them out. "With Devin Street, Cam Saddler, Ed Tinker -- we have to get Tinker more work," Wannstedt said. "Right now our receiver position, we have some kids who have ability to make some plays but the biggest challenge is teaching them what to do." ... The second practice today has been moved from this afternoon to this evening so the team can get a little bit of work under the lights. The Panthers' opener at Utah is a night game.

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