If Pitt can score quickly, Pat Narduzzi will take his chances against Tennessee's up-tempo offense

Pat Narduzzi might have been exaggerating Thursday afternoon when he mentioned that Tennessee could actually run 100 plays against Pitt’s defense on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.

How big of a departure from the norm would that be? West Virginia ran 73 plays last Thursday night.

Keeping the No. 24 Volunteers and their – to paraphrase a former Pitt coach — “speed, speed, speed” offense off the field will be critical to the No. 17 Panthers finding a way to win.

But there’s only one element of football Narduzzi values more than his defense forcing a series of three-and-out possessions: Points, and lots of them as quickly and as often as possible.

So, if offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr trusts quarterback Kedon Slovis to throw deep and it leads to one-play, 10-second touchdown drives, so be it. The defense will appreciate the cushion.

“I’m not going to handcuff a coordinator and say, `Hey, don’t throw deep shots,’ ” Narduzzi said. “They have to call it as they see it. The quarterback has to make decisions based on what they’re giving us.”

“(Narduzzi won’t say), `Hey, run the ball three plays in a row so we get three minutes of possession and we’re punting.’ That doesn’t make any sense. Our goal is to score touchdowns and move the ball down the field. I don’t care how they do it.”

Yet, Narduzzi and Cignetti still are seeking balance in Pitt’s offense, which means the running game and pass protection need to do better than what they did against WVU — gain an average of 2 yards every time the ball wasn’t in the air. That includes five sacks for a loss of 39 yards.

What will Pitt’s stable of running backs look like against Tennessee?

You’ll remember that sophomore running back Rodney Hammond Jr. ran relentlessly – his legs churning like his scholarship depended on it – and scored twice while gaining 74 yards on 16 carries.

But Hammond hurt his right foot against the Mountaineers and wore a boot into the post-game news conference.

Narduzzi doesn’t talk about injured players, but he reiterated Thursday a promise made earlier in his Pitt career that he will release information on an injury if it’s season-ending. He made no such pronouncement Thursday, but that’s no guarantee Hammond will play Saturday.

Don’t ask the coach. He’s not telling. Buy a ticket, or tune in to ABC-TV at 3:30 p.m.

If Hammond can’t play, there are four running backs with significant experience who could help fill the void.

In fact, Hammond didn’t start the game. Junior Izzy Abanikanda earned that distinction, but he carried only eight times for 15 net yards before he was replaced by Hammond and, briefly, by Daniel Carter, who scored on a 1-yard burst in the third quarter.

Abanikanda’s biggest contribution – and it was impressive – was a 24-yard catch-and-run for the tying touchdown in the fourth quarter. He eluded three West Virginia defenders who had clear shots at him before he dived into the lower corner of the end zone.

“I think we have capable backs,” Narduzzi said. “Izzy starts the game off and sometimes it’s a little different, and you don’t get the opportunities.

“Rodney came in and it felt like the hot hand. Let’s go with him. I imagine if Izzy is in those same situations, he’s going to do the same thing. We feel really confident in what Izzy can do.”

Vince Davis and C’Bo Flemister also could help Saturday. But Davis had no carries Thursday and Flemister, a transfer from Notre Dame, fumbled his only opportunity and never returned.

“He’s still learning the offense,” Narduzzi said of Flemister. “When he did get that one carry, he put it on the ground. That would be part of it. Ball security is part of it. I don’t think he’ll ever fumble again.”