Pitt notebook: Panthers carry momentum into bye week, but need to tighten bolts defensively

After dropping its ACC opener last weekend to Georgia Tech, Pitt handled business vs. Virginia Tech on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, defeating the Hokies, 45-29, avoiding another toe-stubbing loss against one of the conference’s lesser opponents.

There was plenty to celebrate following the game for the Panthers, nothing more so than junior tailback Izzy Abanikanda etching his name into the university history books. His 320 rushing yards shattered Pitt’s single-game record of 303 set by Tony Dorsett in 1975 against Notre Dame.

Abanikanda scored six rushing touchdowns, as well, tying the program record set in 1910 by Norman “Bill” Budd.

As the dust settles, Pitt (4-2, 1-1 ACC), can enjoy Saturday’s victory and Abanikanda’s hard-earned accomplishments.

But ahead of the team’s next game, an Oct. 22 showdown at Louisville following this week’s bye, work remains to be done if Pitt is going to continue adding tallies in the win column.

Dangerous territory avoided

Saturday against Virginia Tech may not have qualified as a must-win affair for the Panthers.

Yet, a notable historical precedent within the ACC elevated the game’s importance.

In 2005, the ACC transitioned to a divisional format, with members splitting into the Atlantic and Coastal blocs.

Since then, in 17 completed seasons, only two Coastal teams have lost three league games and gone on to play for the conference title.

Most recently, in 2012, Georgia Tech, Miami and North Carolina finished tied for the Coastal division title, with the Yellow Jackets playing in the ACC championship against Florida State because the Hurricanes (self-imposed) and Tar Heels were dealing with postseason bans.

All three teams went 5-3 in conference.

A similar situation, albeit without any disqualified parties, took place in 2008, with Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech winning a share of the ACC Coastal title.

The Hokies and Yellow Jackets both went 5-3 in league games, with Virginia Tech going on to represent their division in the ACC championship, defeating Boston College before beating Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl.

A loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday wouldn’t have ruined Pitt’s chance to finish atop the ACC Coastal.

That said, falling to the Hokies, a team picked by 164 members of the media who cover the ACC to finish fifth in the division, would have put the Panthers at 0-2 in league play early into the year, with far tougher opponents laying in wait.

Now, with a bye week before an Oct. 22 matchup at Louisville, Pitt should feel a bit of relief, having earned a conference victory.

“When you can go into the bye week 1-1 in the ACC and control your destiny the rest of the way — we have six more games,” senior guard Jake Kradel said. “We’ve just got to win one every week, just go 1-0 each week, and we’ll be where we need to be in December.”

Defense fails to impress

Kaleb Smith, No. 80 for the Hokies and a redshirt senior wide receiver, will be popping up frequently when the Panthers gather for their film breakdown of Saturday’s game.

Abanikanda’s explosive performance overshadowed Smith, but Smith had an impressive day nonetheless, torching Pitt for 152 yards on nine catches.

While Pitt kept him out of the end zone, he finished just shy of surpassing the most receiving yards the Panthers have allowed to an individual this year. Tennessee’s Cedric Tillman had nine catches for 162 yards in the Vols’ 34-27 overtime win Sept. 10.

Virginia Tech rushed 30 times for 126 yards, posting a healthy average of 4.2 yards.

Malachi Thomas did most of the damage for the Hokies, rushing 15 times for 84 yards and a touchdown. Fellow tailback Keshawn King found the end zone from 19 yards in the second quarter.

Whether it was through the air or via the ground, the Panthers allowed their fair share of chunky gains.

Virginia Tech had four rushes of 10 or more yards and six completions of 15-plus yards, the majority of which went to Smith.

Coach Pat Narduzzi described his defense’s performance Saturday as “average at times,” while crediting it with making good adjustments in the second half.

Narduzzi in particular was adamant to shore up his run defense.

“We’ll look at the tape,” Narduzzi said. “That first half, I’ve just never been around where we get the ball run on us — I’m not used to it. So, we’ll reevaluate where we are … I don’t like that. I don’t like anybody running the football on us. If you want to throw it, throw it, but don’t let them be two-dimensional.”

Pitt allowed 403 yards of offense to the Hokies. In three of six games this season, the Panthers have allowed their opponent to eclipse 400 yards of total offense.

Narduzzi approaches history

Abanikanda’s record-shattering exploits deservedly dominated postgame chatter Saturday, but after beating Virginia Tech, his coach is approaching somewhat similar territory.

Narduzzi, halfway through his eighth season at the helm, has 57 career victories with Pitt, passing the 56 won by John Michelosen (1955-65).

That’s good for third-most in the history of Pitt football, with Narduzzi trailing Jock Sutherland’s 111 wins from 1924-38 and the 60 won by “Pop” Warner from 1915-23.

With Louisville, UNC, Syracuse, Virginia, Duke and Miami (in that order) remaining on Pitt’s schedule, plus a possible bowl game, Narduzzi has a fighting chance to overtake Warner for second all-time.

Run-first identity?

Aside from a 47-yard field goal by redshirt sophomore kicker Ben Sauls in the second quarter, Abanikanda’s six touchdowns accounted for all the points Pitt’s offense scored.

It would be fair to say senior quarterback Kedon Slovis did not make much of an impact. He went 15 of 27 with 170 yards and an interception in the win.

The Panthers’s success running the ball prompted a bold assertion from Kradel when he was asked after the game if Pitt’s offense should be described as run-first.

“I would say so,” he said. “I think so. I think that’s just one thing we try to pride ourselves on: just run the ball first, open up the passing lanes and see what happens.”

Half of Pitt’s games (against Western Michigan, Rhode Island and Virginia Tech) have featured more yards on the ground than through the air.

Pitt has 17 rushing touchdowns on the year vs. seven from the arm of Slovis.

All that being said, Slovis is not hitting the panic button at a perceived lack of consistency with the passing game.

He, along with Pitt’s offensive staff and players, plan to continue to iron out the kinks, putting the team’s bye week to good use.

“For all facets of our offense, it’s a good time to improve, kind of reassure our identity and get sure of the things that we’re really good at,” he said. “I think that’s still a process that we’re going through.”