The 2022 Pitt football team has been trying to establish an offensive identity since the season started. Throughout the offseason, the word around Pitt football is that the team would be running the ball more than it did last season, but it would be with a balanced attack led by quarterback Kedon Slovis and new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.

Pitt reached the halfway mark of the season on Saturday with a 45-29 win over Virginia Tech. In that victory it became pretty clear that Pitt has an offensive identity and it’s handing the ball off to Israel Abanikanda.

On Saturday, Abanikanda has a record-breaking performance with 320 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He broke Tony Dorsett’s single game school rushing record of 303 yards that has stood since 1975. The junior back tied Norman Budd’s six touchdown game that occurred back in 1910.

Abanikanda scored all six of the team's touchdowns on Saturday. Through six games, Pitt has 24 offensive touchdowns and he has accounted for 13 of them. There is little doubt who the star and focal point of the offense has been, and should be moving forward into the second half of the season.

Pitt isn’t looking for an identity anymore, the team has one and it has been there all along.

“Last year we could throw it pretty good; this year we're better off pounding it down your throat a little bit,” Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi told reporters following the game.

He’s not wrong either.

The passing game has been disjointed throughout most of the season, save for a few moments against West Virginia and Tennessee. The struggles continued on Saturday against the Hokies.

Pitt starting quarterback Kedon Slovis had a modest statistical performance. He finished 15-of-27 for 170 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. On the season, Slovis has thrown for 1,167 yards and just five touchdowns.

The expectations for the USC transfer were certainly there heading into this season, but the passing game has never really clicked consistently with Slovis under center. A lot of factors can be at play that have led to that: Slovis’ own injury, injuries to his supporting cast, and also trying to mesh together a new offense.

There have been growing pains for sure. Pitt needs to figure out how to make the passing game more effective in the second half of the season. Nobody is suggesting otherwise. If this team is to repeat as ACC Champions, they can’t live off of running the ball every play, and Narduzzi is well aware of that.

“We've got to make him better as coaches, so we'll look into that,” Narduzzi said when asked to evaluate Slovis’ performance. “I’ve got some ideas, and we'll figure that thing out.”

Pitt has two weeks before its next game to figure those things out with Slovis and the passing game. The rushing attack doesn’t need that same kind of maintenance during the bye week, maybe just some rest for Abanikanda, who carried the ball 36 times on Saturday.

Following Pitt’s 26-21 loss to Georgia Tech last week, a game in which Abanikanda did not play in the second half due to injury, the junior back knew he would be suiting up Saturday, and he left no doubt with his performance.

Abanikanda rushed for touchdown runs of 38, 17, 29, 5, 10, and capped off the day with an 80-yard fourth quarter sprint to the end zone, his longest of the season, and his third touchdown that has traveled over 65-yards this year.

“I won’t say I had to carry them, I just had to do what I had to do,” Abanikanda said after his record breaking game. “I did what my job was and just to help my team win, but I’m not the only one that led to that win.”

Abanikanbda was quick to credit his line, quarterback, receivers, and defense after the game. He knows it wouldn’t possible without the help from his teammates. In turn, his teammates have enjoyed watching the junior back flourish.

“Once he gets to that second level you know he’s gone,” Slovis said. “It’s really nice as a quarterback to have that.”

Added Narduzzi, “He's got breakaway speed. If he pops through there, good luck to you. There's not many guys that can catch him.”

There has been a season-long quest to figure out the teams offensive identity, but it has been unfolding before our eyes for weeks now. Abanikanda has been there this whole time with four 100-yard games through the halfway point. If you were to ask a Pitt offensive linemen if this is a ‘run first’ team, they certainly aren’t denying it.

“I think so and that’s one thing we try to pride ourselves on: run the ball first and open up the passing lanes and see what happens,” senior center Jake Kradel said when asked that very question.

Abanikanda woke up Sunday morning as the national leader in rushing touchdowns with 12 and is second in the country in rushing yards with 830.

If Pitt is going where it wants to go, it will be on the legs of Abanikanda. Also to his and the team’s benefit, Pitt’s No. 2 running back Rodney Hammond sounds like he will be available following the bye week to give the Panthers a strong 1-2 punch coming out of the backfield.

The bye week comes at an opportune time for a team that has dealt with a lot of injuries this season and it gives them a chance to rest and get healthy. With a 4-2 record and 1-1 mark in league play, the Panthers control their ACC title hopes entering the back half of the schedule.

Slovis wants to use that time to work and improve their approach.

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

Pitt can be sure of one thing that they are really good at right now, and that’s handing it off to Abanikanda. The Panthers do need more offensive balance in order to make a run at an ACC title, but giving the ball to Abanikanda is going to give them the best chance of reaching their goals.