Pitt's linebacker corps has been a challenge for coaches this season as constant changes have been made due to injuries and performance as the season has unfolded. This week will be the linebackers' biggest challenge this season.
The Panthers have to travel to fourth-ranked Notre Dame with Shane Gordon, their starting middle linebacker, injured. Their backup starting linebacker, Dan Mason, has done an excellent job filing in the past two games, but was hurt in the last game and is now out for the season.
The next man up (a familiar cliché' for the Panthers this year) at middle linebacker will be Joe Trebitz. He will be making his first career start this Saturday at Notre Dame. Trebitz is a 6-3, 220 lb. fifth-year senior from Boca Raton, Fla.
He already graduated with a degree in business marketing and is now working on his MBA. He earned Big East All-Academic honors the last two seasons.
He has mainly made a name for himself with the Panthers as a special teams player. After redshirting in 2008, he played in 4 games in 2009, 13 games in 2010, and 12 games in 2011. He has 16 career tackles at Pitt.
"I've been waiting my whole life for this, so I'm just so excited," Trebitz said. "I kept working at it and was confident in the coaches and my abilities, and when one guy goes down another one has to step up. That's the name of the game, and it has allowed me to get the start this weekend."
Trebitz was injured himself off and on this season with a hamstring injury and a dislocated elbow, but he is healthy now and is excited to by playing Notre Dame in his first career start at Pitt.
"This is when you have to dig deep and know that you love the process, love the team and love the University of Pittsburgh," Chryst said. "I've been waiting my whole life for this, but to come out of the chute and play Notre Dame in your first start, I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity. I guess it's kind of a storybook situation for me. I'll be ready when the game gets here."
Even though he is excited, Trebitz is still keeping an even keel this week with his emotions so he can focus on the opponent and the job at hand.
"I think I'm going to keep my emotions in check until the game. That's when I'll let them out. I'll just prepare how I do every week, but I'll watch more film this week. I'm working really hard," Trebitz said. "I'm getting used to [the elbow brace], and I kind of like it now, even though my teammates have called me the Bionic Man."
He feels the Notre Dame offense will be a tall task on Saturday although the team has not lingered on the fact that the Irish are undefeated and a top-four team in the country.
"We're going to have to step up to stop their running game, because they have some good backs and a really big offensive line. So, it's going to be a difficult task. We know what we're going to be up against. And we'll be ready for it," Trebitz said. "We really haven't talked about them being ranked so high, but everybody knows that we have to put a little more into it this week. We're putting in more preparation this week, and we'll be as ready as we can."
Trebitz is not worried about the hype preceding the game.
"I watched Notre Dame as a kid, but I didn't fall into either of the two extremes. I didn't hate them, and I didn't really like them too much, either. (And) right now, I'm not too worried about what anybody else is thinking or what the national buzz is going into this game," Tebitz said. "I think we believe in ourselves and our abilities, and we know how we feel in our locker room. That's all that concerns me right now. And after two wins in a row, we're a pretty confident group, but we have to build on that momentum."