Five Takeaways: 5 things that stood out in Pitt's 34-13 win

Pitt beat Western Michigan 34-13 on Saturday night. The Panthers were dealing with numerous injuries entering the game, but overcame those to come up with a road victory in Kalamazoo and avenged last season’s loss to the Broncos.

Pitt improved to 3-1 on the season and will host Rhode Island next weekend at Acrisure Stadium. Here are five takeaways from Pitt’s win over Western Michigan.

Pitt handled business

Pitt needed a win on Saturday night and it did not matter how it transpired. Style points were not necessary for this team, they just needed a win and they got it done by a score of 34-13. Pitt was without starting quarterback Kedon Slovis and a host of other key players entering Saturday’s game against Western Michigan, but the team found enough offense and got plenty of help from the defense to secure the win to move to 3-1 on the season.

Pitt’s offensive approach at times was unimaginative, but the coaches played the hand they were dealt, and it eventually caught on, especially late in the game. They got just enough out of Nate Yarnell in his first career start and also leaned heavily on Israel Abanikanda to move the sticks on offense. The defense was rock solid, as they only allowed 180 yards of total offense to a Western Michigan team that torched them up and down the field a year ago.

Pitt did not come away from this game unscathed. There were additional injuries added to an already lengthy list. The special teams yet again had miscues with a missed field goal and also a botched punt return that set up a Western Michigan score in the first half. It may have not been the prettiest game Pitt has played, but in the end it was a 21-point win on the road.

Hard to argue with that, right?

Nate Yarnell delivers

The Pitt football program played the quarterback situation close to the vest all week, which isn’t out of character for a Pat Narduzzi-led squad. Kedon Slovis was knocked out of the game last week against Tennessee, and his backup Nick Patti was visibly injured in that same game, but ultimately played through it. There were rumors swirling throughout the week that Slovis might be available for the game against Western Michigan and he was reportedly a ‘game time decision’ but in the end he was held out of the game, despite being dressed. Patti did not travel with the team, which left Pitt with two unlikely starting quarterback options just three games into the season: redshirt freshman Nate Yarnell and Dartmouth transfer Derek Kyler.

Yarnell got the nod, and did not look rattled in the least. The Texas native was not asked to do too much in this game, but rather Pitt had a run-heavy game plan in place to help out the young quarterback. Yarnell was still called upon to make some throws throughout the game, and he did just about as well as anyone could have envisioned, if not exceeded all expectations. The Panthers' quarterback was 9-of-12 for 179 yards and one touchdown. He did not turn the ball over either. Yarnell averaged 19.9 yards per completion. In fact, six of Yarnell’s completions went for 18 yards or more. The second year player connected with Konata Mumpfield for a red zone touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Pitt a two touchdown lead in crunch time.

Yarnell was an unlikely starter this early in the season, but showed poised and did everything he was asked to do by offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. It was clear that the Pitt coaches had some reservations about him throwing the ball early on in the game, but over time they allowed him to do more and he flourished. I think Cignetti did a good job of scheming some plays for him to have success, like the Bartholomew throw down the sideline. It will be interesting to see how Pitt handles next week’s game, but if Yarnell would have to play again this season, I think he showed enough that he is a capable player and could throw the ball if needed.

Izzy Abanikanda was the workhorse again

Pitt never really disguised what they were doing on offense from the start of this game. On the opening possession, Pitt ran the ball nine times in ten plays. They pretty much made a statement from the get go that they would win the game by running the football, and that is exactly what happened.

Israel Abnikanda, the reigning ACC Running Back of the Week, rushed 31 times for 133 yards and one touchdown. It was the second straight 100-yard game for the junior tailback and the third one of his career. In addition to his rushing prowess, he added 75 yards on kick returns and totaled a career-best 203 all-purpose yards.

Pitt needed a player to lean on in this game without its starting quarterback, and it was most certainly Abanikanda that answered that call. The Panthers running back did not break many big runs like the one he had last week, but he continued to push the pile forward throughout the game, even when it was clear Western Michigan knew that was Pitt had planned.

In the fourth quarter, Abanikanda rushed the ball nine times as Pitt was working to shorten the game and keep the ball away from the Broncos. Pitt out-gained Western Michigan 134 yards to -1 in the final frame. The Panthers had nine first downs, and never really gave the Broncos a chance at a comeback. It wasn’t all Abanikanda, however. Pitt senior tailback Vincent Davis rushed for 83 yards, including a 23-yard dash that set up a touchdown. C’Bo Flemister also contributed 28 yards, and fullback Daniel Carter punched in a touchdown to put the game out of reach. In total Pitt rushed for 238 yards on the day and held the time of possession edge 38:36 to 21:24.

The Defense pitches a gem

The Pitt offense was down to its third quarterback, and opted to go with a run heavy approach to win the game. It obviously worked, but that type of strategy meant that Pitt might not be able to score in bunches, which created more stress on the defense. The added pressure didn’t seem to bother the veteran defense for the Panthers.

Pitt held the Broncos to under 200 yards of total offense. They limited Western Michigan to just 2-of-11 on third down conversions. Pitt came down with two sacks, and picked off three passes, one of which went for a touchdown by senior cornerback Marquis Williams. It was an absolute masterpiece for the defense in a game where they had little room for error.

Western Michigan’s veteran running back duo of Sean Tyler and La’Darius Jefferson combined for 48 yards on 16 carries. First year starting quarterback Jack Salopek completed just six passes, and finished with 99 yards. After shredding Pitt’s defense last year, Western Michigan star receiver Corey Crooms finished with just three catches. It took a trick play at the end of the third quarter for the Broncos to finally find the scoreboard, but otherwise it was a dominating effort for the Panthers on the defensive side of the ball.

Time to get healthy

Pitt walked into Western Michigan a battered football team. Coming out of the 34-13 win on Saturday, the list of injured players for the Panthers only continued to grow. Pitt’s leading receiver Jared Wayne and starting cornerback Marquis Williams did not finish the game after having productive performances prior to halftime. They join a list that already includes the likes of Kedon Slovis, Nick Patti, Rodney Hammond, Gabe Houy, Owen Drexel, Deslin Alexandre, Dayon Hayes, and Devon Danielson.

It’s almost to the point where naming healthy players might be easier…

But all in seriousness that is a lot to handle this early in the season, especially because a lot of those guys are key players. Pitt found a way to beat Western Michigan with a third-string quarterback, but that’s obviously not going to be the recipe for success going forward. This team needs Slovis under center for certain, but they won’t get very far without the rest of those guys either as the team gears up for conference play.

Pitt has one more non-conference game, a home game next Saturday against Rhode Island. The Panthers can’t take that game for granted obviously, but they should be able to employ a similar approach to the one they had tonight: win with defense and running the football. I think Slovis could be available for that game, but the team should also be able to get by with Yarnell for another start if needed.

Pitt is 2-1 on the year with a lot of football ahead. The team has multiple things it can work on, but none more important than its health.