Pittsburgh head coach Todd Graham noted on Monday's Big East Coaches Teleconference that senior linebacker Dan Mason will miss the opener against Buffalo due to a knee injury. Mason is looking to come back from the horrific injury suffered in the Panthers' loss to Miami last season.
Given the nature of the injury Mason's recovery may have been going at a quicker rate than expected. But he still has some work to do in that area, meaning he will need to miss the opener. Pitt was prepared for this.