This week we'll be tackling some questions about the Pitt football team's production and who will be leading it in the coming season. To start, we're focusing on the running backs and a simple question:
Who will be the Panthers' leading rusher in 2020?
That's not an easy question, largely because none of the backs on the roster has established himself. Consider that last season's leading rusher produced the fewest yards by a Pitt leading rusher since 2005 and the second-fewest by a Pitt leading rusher since 1973.
Here's a look at last season's production and how it spread across four running backs.
That's a long way from having two 1,000-yard rushers, as Pitt did in 2018, and it's no surprise that the team total of 1,544 net rushing yards was the Panthers' lowest for a 13-game season since 2003.
It goes without saying that the production was well below what the Panthers needed. Pitt scored just 11 rushing touchdowns - the nine produced by the running backs plus two from quarterback Kenny Pickett - and the subpar rushing performance wasn't just a matter of success; there was also an apparent lack of will, as Pitt's 441 rushing attempts ranked in the bottom 40 of FBS.
Additionally, the team average of 3.5 yards per carry ranked above just 11 teams nationally. That number also includes sack yardage, so it's not perfectly representative, but the bottom line remains:
Pitt didn't rush very often, and the Panthers weren't very good at it when they did run.
Of course, the issues last season weren't all the fault of the running backs. In addition to a seeming lack of commitment in play-calling, the Panthers weren't great at run-blocking, and that was an issue as well. The line should be better in 2020, if for no other reason than experience, but what about the backs?
What should we expect from Pitt's running backs in 2020?
Here's a look at the career production of the projected roster.
Let's get back to the original question:
Who will be Pitt's leading rusher in 2020?
THE FAVORITE
Picking a favorite from that group is...not easy. None of the backs on Pitt's 2020 roster has separated himself or looked like capable of being a No. 1 outside of A.J. Davis' 103-yard game at Syracuse last season.
Still, Davis is the senior on the roster and has more career production, so he's probably the favorite in the conversation, but not by much. The coaches will most likely lean on a committee approach and rely on the hot hand (if one reveals itself). So even if Davis leads the team in rushing on the season, it might not be by much.
THE DARK HORSE
Vincent Davis is an intriguing option as the dark horse candidate. His size is a detriment to a big workload, but he's got more potential for breaking big runs than anyone else on the roster. Potentially, he could do more with less and out-gain the rest of the group even if he gets fewer carries. But that's going to depend on how many big plays he can make.
THE NEWCOMER
Israel Abanikanda could probably be considered a dark horse as well. The freshman from New York City enrolled in January and participated in the first three practices of spring camp, and he impressed the coaches during those workouts.
Abanikanda is an intriguing blend of the older players on the roster. He's faster than A.J. Davis and bigger than Vincent Davis, giving him as much a chance - physically speaking - of being the lead back as any of the others.
Can Abanikanda develop into Pitt's leading rusher this season? It seems unlikely, given that he's a freshman, but it's hard to completely rule him out. Running back is a position where freshmen can excel, and Abanikanda is not walking into a situation with a proven workhorse already in place.
The battle for rushing yards will be an interesting one to watch this season. If there is commitment to the run from offensive coordinator Mark Whipple and if there is improvement from the offensive line, the quartet of Davis, Sibley, Davis and Abanikanda should be capable of providing an effective rushing attack.
So we'll come back to the question:
