Defense, running game dominate in Pitt's rout of Virginia Tech

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Respect is something earned, not given in all walks of life. With a 28-7 thumping of Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, Va., Pitt inched ever so closer to earning the respect the Panthers deserve as they sit 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC. 

Sure, losing to a directional school in Michigan, in this case Western, grants others the ability doubt you and disrespect your program. It's how you handle that setback and overcome that defeat that really earns the respect head coach Pat Narduzzi wants for his program.

The Panthers have done that. 

In fact, they've dominated since then. First came the 70-point drubbing against New Hampshire though, that's not saying much because well it's New Hampshire after all. Then came the dismantling of Georgia Tech, a 52-21 affair in Georgia, which leads us to Blacksburg on Saturday.

Statistically, this game was as dominant as you'd expect from a Kenny Pickett-led team. Pitt went up early and the Virginia Tech offense was just no match for a vaunted Panthers' defensive line and secondary.

Pitt held the Hokies to a mere seven rushing yards in the first half. Seven! Virginia Tech couldn't muster much of anything outside of the third quarter when the Hokies found the end zone courtesy of a defensive pass interference penalty that set the stage for the lone score of the game for the home team. 

There was a lot to like and a lot not to like for the Panthers and plenty of things to take away from the victory that puts them out in front with some breathing room in the ACC Coastal division.

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1. KENNY PICKETT IS THE REAL DEAL 

The hype around Pickett is growing and it's 100 percent real. Pickett has developed into what looks to be a top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The leadership, the moxie and the all-around ability make him a potential future face of a franchise.

Pickett finished the game going 22-for-37 with 203 yards in the air and two touchdowns. The game Saturday was played in a swirling, gusty wind that is a nightmare for kickers and quarterbacks, but it didn't seem to bother Pickett one iota. 

The fifth-year senior demonstrated an incredible chemistry with his receivers and especially on this dime to Jared Wayne in the second quarter to put the Panthers in total control and up 21-0.

He leads Wayne perfectly on the wheel route while the Virginia Tech defender chases him down. Pickett stays in the play, steps up and throws a perfect pass for six. That's the type of play you expect a veteran signal caller like Pickett to make each game. He would also rush 12 times for 38 yards and a touchdown. 

While Pickett was a big part of the offense, running back Israel Abanikanda was the most important player in this game.

2. FEED ISRAEL ABANIKANDA THE ROCK

If there was a player of the game against Virginia Tech it was Abanikanda. He just torched the defense of the Hokies to the tune of 140 yards on 21 carries, none of which came in the third quarter. The Panthers did a great job of getting Abanikanda into space and the open field where he did the rest of the work, averaging 6.7 yards per carry against a Virginia Tech front that's among the best in the ACC.

A third of his carries ended up going for 10-or-more yards against the Hokies. Four of those came in the fourth quarter as Pitt looked to put the finishing touches on the game. 

Abanikanda was a one-man wrecking crew against Virginia Tech and, with that type of performance, should be getting the starting nod for the Panthers as starting running back Vincent Davis struggled.

3. THE RUSHING GAME STILL HAS WORK TO DO

Outside of the football program it seems as though everybody agrees on one thing: Abanikanda should be the feature back. Narduzzi on the other hand, well, he agrees to disagree and Davis got the starting nod once again for the Panthers.

Davis rushed 11 times for 30 yards and a touchdown against Virginia Tech and has failed to eclipse the 50-yard plateau this season. Though Abanikanda got a bulk of the reps, it's clear the coaching staff is trying to get something going with Davis, it's just not paid off for them quite yet. 

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but what is for certain is that Abanikanda looks the best choice at feature back. 

4. A CASE OF THE DROPSIES

Pickett didn't have quite the performance fans have come to expect on Saturdays, though his receivers didn't help him out much. 

One of the statistics that jumped off the stat sheet following the game was that of Pickett's 15 incompletions, 13 were deemed drops which means they hit the receivers in the hands at some point however minimal that may have been.

Taysir Mack led the way with seven on the afternoon with Lucas Krull, Melquise Stovall and Jordan Addison all contributing two apiece. Drops like that can't happen against teams like Clemson, which comes to town next week. While some of the throws are on Pickett and where he puts the ball in relation to the receiver, those drops add up and can hurt against the better teams. 

Wide receivers coach Brennan Marion has done an excellent job in developing Pitt's receivers this year and making them true threats in all areas of the game. It would be expected this type of performance is an outlier and will be fixed rather quickly. 

5. DEFENSE DOMINATES THE TRENCHES

It'll take roughly 1,000 words to sum up this Pitt victory but really all it takes is watching this clip of defensive lineman Calijah Kancey just obliterating Virginia Tech running back Jalen Holston before taking down quarterback Braxton Burmeister in the process.

That's the type of performance the Panthers got from the front seven all game. They held Virginia Tech to 90 yards on the ground after allowing only seven rushing yards in the first half. 

Linebackers Sirvocea Dennis and Wendell Davis led the way with eight and six tackles respectively while Kancey, linebacker Cam Bright and defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado each added a sack apiece.

6. ONE BIG PLAY AWAY FROM A SHUTOUT

Pitt might have held Virginia Tech off the scoreboard had it not been for the longest play of the game by either team, a 47-yard reception by Tre Turner. 

Burmeister found Turner in stride for the completion that ultimately set Virginia Tech up to score. Down 28-0, the Hokies were in desperate need of points and Burmeister had put them in good position to do so. The Turner reception put the ball at the Pitt 28 yard line before another Virginia Tech first down put the Hokies at the Pitt 18. 

Burmeister attempted to find Tayvion Robinson in the end zone, but A.J. Woods had other plans and interfered with the reception setting up a first-and-goal from inside the 10. Back-to-back incompletions set up a third-and-goal before a Hokies false start moved the ball back. 

Faced with a third-and-goal from the 14, Burmeister looked to find Kaleb Smith, but he too was interfered with by Woods setting up another first-and-goal that wound up being the only touchdown of the game for the Hokies, Burmeister to Robinson. 

7. PITT AVOIDING PITT-ING

Ultimately, Pitt avoided Pitt-ing once again. Following the touchdown, Virginia Tech forced a three-and-out and had moved the ball into Pitt territory. It felt as though this game could have been on the cusp of a huge momentum swing at that point. 

The Pitt defense had other plans as it forced three incompletions in the next four plays to get the ball back once again. While the chance of a comeback was pretty minimal, the fact that the Panthers shut the door on the Hokies when the momentum was on the brink of changing is a positive to take with them into next week. 

8. ACC COASTAL OUTLOOK

It's a down season in the ACC with perennial power Clemson struggling early and it's anybody's guess at who might take the throne should the Tigers not get back to the ACC Championship.

Of course, Clemson is in the Atlantic Division so while still a conference foe, what ultimately matters is how Pitt does in relation to its Coastal Division brethren. 

Currently, Pitt sits at the top of the Coastal with two division wins over the Hokies and Georgia Tech. As long as the Panthers continue winning, they should find themselves in the ACC Championship when it's all said and done. 

Who they face, that's a different story. The Tigers are third in the Atlantic behind NC State and undefeated Wake Forest. Only six games into the season and, with the bulk of conference play heating up, anything can happen as the previous five weeks of the season have shown.

9. A SHOT AT THE PLAYOFFS

It's still a long shot, but a path to the College Football Playoff is still within reach for Narduzzi's squad. The easiest way to get there is to continue winning and by getting some style points in those wins as well. 

Pitt has games against Clemson, Miami, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Syracuse remaining on the schedule and a potential ACC Championship game berth as well. That said, of the aforementioned teams, only the Tigers, Tar Heels and Cavaliers have winning records. 

With the win this week, Pitt should move into the top-25 and deservedly so. 

10. PUT SOME RESPECT ON THE NAME

It's time for some respect for the Panthers. Narduzzi wants it and the program should get it after the way it bounced back from the loss to Western Michigan. 

Now, the Panthers have an opportunity to raise their profile to another level by beating Clemson. The Tigers are still the Tigers despite two early losses and some inconsistency in their play. Dabo Swinney is still Dabo Swinney. It's going to be a tough, ground-and-pound game and the Panthers should be favorites.

A win against Dabo and the Tigers would help Narduzzi and Pitt earn even more the respect, and give Pickett a bigger platform to showcase what makes him a future first-round pick.