Panthers Bryce Young sharp in the preseason finale, said he is ready for the opener

Sliding.

Young took a lot of ribbing from teammates for sitting on the artificial turf at Bank of America Stadium after a 13-yard run on third down that set up his first preseason touchdown at 26-17 that loss.

“Never claimed for it to be one of my strong suits,” said Young with a smile. “We now have slide lessons scheduled.”

Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, later admitted that he didn’t slide in his college career at Alabama. Third-string quarterback Matt Corral said it shows.

“He really needs to get better at this,” Corral said as Young listened from the next locker. “We need to bring the tarp and soap and water.”

Sliding outside, Young finished the preseason with his best effort, completing 7-of-12 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown and scrambling three times for 21 yards. He led two scoring drives to give Carolina a 10-0 lead after only making a field goal on five drives in the first two games.

From what he put on tape in three preseason games, completing 14-of-24 pass attempts for 129 yards and a touchdown, Young believes he’ll be ready for Week 1.

“That came about because of my coaches and teammates who gave me the confidence and pushed me throughout practice,” Young said. “That prepares you a lot, and having these games under my belt, it’s good to take that and translate to playing against others.”

Carolina coach Frank Reich said Young looked sharp for the second straight preseason game, adding the scrambling element Friday night showed another reason the Panthers made him the top pick in the draft .

“He’s sharp and productive and making plays, and showing more ability to make plays with his feet, throwing for a touchdown, another throw to Adam. [Thielen] that Adam lost in the lights had a decent chance of completion,” Reich said.

Young’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Thielen on third down was a perfect strike in the front-left corner of the end zone. While it came against the team’s second- and third-down defenders, it showcased Young’s trademark accuracy at Alabama.

“He got the football for me,” Thielen said. “So when you have that kind of mix of touch and accuracy and timing, it’s hard to stop. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he’s the No. 1 pick.

“When you can prove that everyday, it’s a great feeling.”

Young’s numbers across the board were more impressive against the Lions than in the first two games. He improved his yards per attempt from 4.7 to 6.1 and his passer rating from 70.1 to 103.8.

Better protection plays a role. Young forced 43% of his dropbacks last week against the New York Giants and 36% in the first two games. He was only forced 23% of the time Friday, though one resulted in a sack.

The difference is that Young ran for more yards when pressed Friday night instead of running to keep the game alive for a pass. Two of his runs were for a first down on third down.

Reich said it was good to see Young use his legs and instincts to make plays.

“We have to work on his sliding a little bit,” he added. “But he has that, that instinct, that frustrates you [ability], even if a man has him dead in rights. We see that in practice, little bits of that. “

The next step is to perfect the slide.

“He’s had a hard time with a lot of guys in that regard,” Thielen said. “He practiced that in his sleep, in his dreams.”