Pitt offense did what it had to do to win
There was a lot to celebrate for Pitt’s historic day on the ground in a 45-29 win against Virginia Tech Saturday at Acrisure Stadium. But plenty of concerns persist about whether a passing offense will ever emerge for this team.
What worked
If this Pitt team has an identity, it’s Israel Abanikanda. After his six rushing touchdowns, which tied a Pitt record set by Norman Bill Budd in 1910, he has 13 touchdowns on the season. The rest of Pitt’s offense has scored 14.
Once he’s given a crease by Pitt’s offensive line, he can score before you get a chance to blink. Five of Abanikanda’s six touchdowns came on runs of 38, 17, 29, 10 and 80 yards. It was his fourth game with over 100 rushing yards, and his 320 rushing yards on 36 carries broke Tony Dorsett’s school record of 303 set in 1975 against Notre
Dame.
“It starts with film room,” Abanikanda said. “I watch film with the O-line and the whole unit. We study the plays so that everything is familiar and similar to every concept. ... I did what my job was. I’m not the only one who led to that win. My receivers caught balls for third-down conversions, quarterback did what he had to do and the O-line was blocking. It was a team effort.”
Credit must also be given to his offensive line, as Pitt’s big men of Matt Goncalves, Marcus Minor, Jake Kradel, Blake Zubovic and Gabe Houy plowed the road for Abanikanda.
Pitt doesn’t run a wide array of different rushing concepts but does mix those concepts between different formations and personnel packages. In the second half, the Panthers found the one that worked best.
“We went with two tight ends in the third quarter,” Narduzzi said. “It picked up the tempo a little bit. We thought it would be good. We got two touchdowns off of that personnel grouping alone. When we put the big boys in and run it, that’s what we’re good at right now.”
What didn’t work
When you look at the change of pace in Pitt’s offense between the halves, it’s easy to see why offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. decided to throw away plans for a balanced offense, and instead chose to call plays to get Pitt a win.
Pitt called 17 pass attempts and 17 rushing attempts in the first half. In the second half, Pitt ran the ball 26 times compared to just nine passes. The result led to four touchdowns, compared to just two and a field goal in the first half.
It’s clear Pitt wants to have a more balanced offense, it’s just been unable to achieve one.
Pitt didn’t have time to worry about the appearance of being balanced on offense. The Panthers had to win in spite of the subpar passing offense. Those problems aren’t the fault of poorly designed passing concepts either. Cignetti drew up several shot play opportunities for Slovis, and he either didn’t take them or didn’t connect.
On one play during the third quarter, Slovis had Jared Wayne wide open on a post pattern, perfectly called against a Cover 2 defense that split the middle of the field. Slovis stood in the pocket long enough to be timed with a calendar, and still didn’t take the shot. He instead checked it down to Karter Johnson, who did gain 14 yards on the play. But it was still a missed opportunity.
After the game, Slovis recounted the mistake.
“After the fact, you’re kind of kicking yourself,” Slovis said. “You have a time clock [in your head]. There’s a deep cross progression with the post, the deep cross and the flat. I got to my footwork for when he hit the post. I had to reset on it. I thought the [defensive back] kind of held him up a little bit.
“I wish I just reset one more time and let it fly.”
There’s no doubt after five starts in six games that Slovis has major struggles seeing the field, and trusting his reads. Cignetti has regularly drawn up plays with open receivers, and Slovis just hasn’t capitalized on the opportunities. But it’s no longer a question of if it’s a problem. Slovis’ quarterback play is the issue with the offense and must be addressed soon.
“We’ll figure it out,” Narduzzi said when asked about Slovis’ struggles. “We’ve got to make him better as coaches. We’ll look into that. I’ve got some ideas.”
Slovis sees the upcoming bye week as a chance to do that.
“Definitely,” Slovis said about using the bye week to sharpen the pass game. “For all facets of our offense, it’s a good time to improve. We have to reassure our identity and get sure about the things we’re really good at. That’s still a process we’re going through.”
It was over when ...
Up 38-29 early in the fourth quarter, Pitt’s offense took over on its 20 after Virginia Tech missed a field goal. It took a single play for Abanikanda to hit a crease and score an 80-yard touchdown. That was his sixth touchdown of the game — and the haymaker blow that knocked Virginia Tech out.
Looking ahead
The Panthers get a bye week after the win, and it might be the perfect time. Abanikanda can rest a week, which is much needed after 320 rushing yards on 36 carries. Also, Rodney Hammond II, who dressed but didn’t play, should be back to 100 percent.
Still, the Panthers will need some semblance of a passing offense with road contests against Louisville (Oct. 22) and North Carolina (Oct. 29) after the off week.