PITTSBURGH — Week by week, Rodney Hammond Jr. waited his turn.
Following a strong showing in the team’s season opener against West Virginia, the sophomore tailback spent the remainder of September and half of October watching from the sidelines with an injury, as his teammate Israel Abanikanda piled up one big rushing effort after another.
The understanding within Pitt’s locker room was that even with Abanikanda rolling, eventually a time would come where Hammond’s services would once again be needed — and when that time came Saturday afternoon against No. 22 Syracuse, the young running back rose to the occasion.
With Abanikanda sidelined due to injuries from the previous game, Hammond carried the load for the Panthers (5-4, 2-3), rushing for a career-best 128 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries in their 19-9 victory over the Orange (6-3, 3-2) at Acrisure Stadium.
From start to finish, it was clear Hammond would be the player offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. would rely on to lead the way. The sophomore carried the ball on seven of Pitt’s nine offensive plays in the opening quarter. Twice in the first half, he was trusted to keep drives alive on third down by running the wildcat formation.
Hammond Jr. scored the game’s only touchdown in the opening two periods of action, allowing Pitt to take a 10-6 lead into the locker room. And when he and the offense came out on the field to start the second half, his presence continued to be felt.
With the assistance of C’Bo Flemister, who rushed for 42 yards and a score, Hammond and the Panthers’ run game pieced together long drives that prevented the Syracuse offense from finding any sort of rhythm.
To go along with the run, Kedon Slovis provided a handful of sharp passes in the second half to keep the Orange defense on its toes. Slovis ended the night completing 16 of his 23 attempts for 178 yards and an interception. His top target Jared Wayne had a notable afternoon, catching six balls for 102 yards.
Key stat
Perhaps nothing tells the story of Pitt’s win on Saturday more than the time of possession.
The Panthers possessed the ball for 36 minutes and 45 seconds, which was over 10 minutes more than Syracuse’s 23 minutes and 15 seconds with the pigskin. Long, physical drives from the Pitt run game allowed Randy Bates’ group to play fresh and remain aggressive for 60 minutes. The result was the best statistical showing Pitt’s defensive unit has had all year.
The Panthers limited Syracuse to just 145 total yards of offense, allowing just 120 yards through the air and 25 on the ground. Pitt’s defensive front created a rough afternoon for Syracuse backup quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson — who started in place of an injured Garrett Shrader — sacking the sophomore six times, including once for a safety, which was tallied by Deslin Alexandre.
Up next
After getting back into the win column Saturday afternoon, the Panthers will look to remain hot next weekend, as they make the trip down south to Charlottesville to face ACC foe Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 12 at noon.
The Cavaliers (3-6, 1-5) continued their season of struggles Saturday, falling 31-18 in a hard fought battle at home against No. 17 North Carolina. Virginia is winless at home this season against ACC opponents.
Last year, Pitt defeated the Cavaliers in a 48-38 shootout win at Heinz Field, which featured a four touchdown effort from Fred Biletnikoff Award winning receiver Jordan Addison.
