Pitt playmakers Desmond Reid, Konata Mumpfield understand benefits of treating their body right

The play started with the Cincinnati defensive back trying to hold hands with Konata Mumpfield.

Or, at least, that’s the way it seemed to Mumpfield, the Pitt wide receiver who was just trying to get open for a big catch.

It ended less glamorously for Mumpfield, who was blocking far downfield while running back Desmond Reid was taking a flip from Eli Holstein and turning into a game-changing, 56-yard touchdown in Pitt’s 28-27 victory Saturday.

“Initially, I’m not going to lie,” Mumpfield said, “I was working to get open. I wanted the ball. As I’m running, the dude was holding my hand. I’m talking to the DB — “Dang, you going to hold my hand?” — and I look back and I see Des flying. That’s when I tried to make a block.”

Said Reid: “That play was crazy. The whole game was crazy.”

That’s one moment in the early days of the season for Pitt’s two most productive playmakers. Reid leads the ACC in rushing yards (293 on 33 carries), and Mumpfield is the Panthers’ leading receiver (seventh in the ACC) with 10 for 179. Mumpfield’s 123 yards receiving against Cincinnati was a career high and his first game of 100-plus.

One of the hidden benefits of the NCAA transfer portal is teams bringing together players who otherwise would be strangers. After defensive end Nate Matlack transferred to Pitt from Kansas State this year, he met Reid during spring testing drills.

“I saw his vertical (leap),” Matlack said, marveling at the athleticism of his new teammate. “ ‘Who’s Des Reid?’ I didn’t even know who that was. I figured out he was our running back.”

Matlack said Reid (5-foot-8, 175 pounds) reminds him of former Kansas State teammate Deuce Vaughn, who is 2 inches shorter but the same weight. Vaughn was a sixth-round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in 2023.

“Their size, their shiftiness, their speed,” Matlack said.

Matlack’s remarks stirred up curiosity during player interviews Tuesday, and someone asked Reid how high he can jump. He said he recalled recording a 42-inch vertical, which would have been the best among running backs at this year’s NFL Combine. Only two other backs reached 40 inches.

Reid, who was timed during the game by Pitt’s analytics crew going a team-high 20.66 mph, finished with 148 yards rushing and 106 receiving, the first Pitt player to reach triple digits in both categories in one game. And he did it while finishing with a decided limp after sustaining a minor injury previously in the game.

“I was in a little pain, but during the game you aren’t really thinking about the pain,” he said. “You just want to win. I’ll be good. I’ll make sure my body’s good.”

Reid’s slight-but-muscular frame, has been put to the test by offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s play-calling. He has 43 touches in two games — 33 carries, nine receptions and one punt return — while leading the nation in all-purpose yards (488). That’s 17 more than Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, who’s already getting Heisman mentions.

Projections aren’t always accurate, but Reid is on pace for a total of 258 touches, not especially far behind James Conner’s 303 when he was ACC Player of the Year in 2014. And that’s before Reid has played his first conference game.

Reid said he feels fine and is trying to monitor his body and help it recover by spending time in the ice tub and hot tub.

Mumpfield also is working diligently to keep his body in shape and as pain-free as possible, something he learned from former Pitt wide receiver Jared Wayne. Mumpfield is among several Pitt players who jump in the hot tub as part of their conditioning.

“Coming into Akron, freshman, 18-, 17 (years old), I wasn’t really worried about (his body),” he said. “I’m just thinking I’m just going to go play football.”

But Wayne set him on the right path, he said, and he now works on his body as much as his craft.

”Something I pray about is I want to play a long time in the league. I want to be a Hall of Famer,” Mumpfield said. “With that, you have to be able to take care of your body. Wayne taught me, ‘You’re going to get nicked up; you’re going to get bruised.’ In order for you to be your best and continue to be your best, you have to make sure your body’s right, you’re mental’s right.“