In a game that featured the top two leading passers in the ACC, Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong and Kenny Pickett from Pitt naturally stole the show at Heinz Field on Saturday. The two quarterbacks combined for over 800 passing yards and seven touchdowns.
It was the shootout many expected once it became clear Armstrong would play following a week of uncertainty around his health.
Pitt needed every big throw it got from Pickett in the team’s 48-38 win over the Cavaliers. The Panthers also needed a little support from the ground game too, and like he has many times this season Pitt true freshman running back Rodney Hammond answered the call.
Hammond provided 15 carries for 66 yards and a fourth quarter touchdown to help spark a win for Pitt that clinched the ACC Coastal division. 14 of Hammond’s 15 touches came in the second half, with 11 coming in the fourth quarter alone.
Hammond has earned the reputation as Pitt’s finisher late in games. In four of Pitt’s six ACC wins this season, the Panthers have held the ball for at least ten minutes in the fourth quarter. The ball control approach late in games secured earlier wins against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Clemson.
On Saturday, Pitt possessed the ball for 10:54 in the game’s final quarter to help keep the potent Cavaliers offense on the sideline. The Panthers executed a 15-play drive at the start of the fourth quarter and that possession featured seven rushing attempts for the Panthers freshman tailback.
“Anytime coach calls me, I’ve got to execute so whenever he puts me in there I’ve got to be ready,” Hammond told reporters after the game.
It’s not the first time Hammond had his number called late in the game. Hammond rushed 11 times in Pitt’s win over Clemson earlier this season with all 11 of those carries coming in the fourth quarter.
“It’s a good role,” Hammond said when asked of him being the closer for this Pitt team.
Vincent Davis led Pitt in rushing with 100 yards on 12 carries. Starter Izzy Abanikanda had 19 yards on three carries, but did not finish the game due to an injury according to Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi.
In total, the three Pitt backs combined for 185 yards on 30 carries with Hammond providing a fourth quarter touchdown with 9:43 left to give Pitt a 41-31 advantage.
“You guys ask all the time, why do we rotate those guys? Because we trust everybody,” Narduzzi said of his running back. "Vincent Davis had a great day. Rodney's a bull. He had some terrific runs there near the end. You can't win championships with one guy. You need to have a few.”
Hammond now has 412 yards and five touchdowns this season, while sharing the workload with veterans Abanikanda and Davis. He is enjoying a much bigger role than some might have expected when he committed to Pitt, but he’s relishing the opportunity.
He’s been an integral part of Pitt’s ACC Coastal title run and that’s one of the reasons he picked Pitt, according to the freshman back.
“That’s why I came to Pitt, to win. I knew we were going to win so that’s why I came here,” Hammond explained.
Hammond has the full trust of his coaches and teammates. In fact, during the lengthy scoring drive he was one of three true freshmen out there along with tight end Gavin Bartholomew and wide receiver Jaden Bradley.
"Those are good football players,” Narduzzi said of the freshmen. "They’ve come a long way since fall camp. We had the ball for almost 11 minutes…That's how you win championships. Our offense had the ball and kept that potent offense off the field.”
Hammond is a native of Virginia, but had little to say about whether he considered the ‘Hoos during the recruiting process or if they recruited him much at all.
“I don’t really worry about them, I was just worried about coming to Pitt,” he said.
In any event, the Panthers found a good one from the backyard of two divisional rivals. Pitt was able to close out not only the game, but the division on Saturday thanks to some key fourth quarter running from the Virginia native.
