PITTSBURGH — If Frank Cignetti Jr.'s offense didn't get enough reps this week in practice, the offensive coordinator for No. 24 Pitt made sure the group saw plenty of action on Saturday.
Long, methodical drives were the story of the day for the Panthers, who earned a 45-24 victory over Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium.
Similar to the week prior against Western Michigan, Pitt (3-1) leaned heavily on its rushing attack to control the time of possession and piece together demoralizing marches down the field from start to finish. Even with quarterback Kedon Slovis — who didn't play against the Broncos last week after sustaining an injury against Tennessee — back in the starting lineup, the Panthers only threw the ball when needed.
Pitt's offensive scheme sent a clear message: This year's group is a running team.
For the third straight week, Israel Abanikanda led the way for the Panthers on the ground, rushing for 177 yards and four scores on 19 carries. The junior set the tone early on, going 67 yards off the left tackle on just his second carry of the day for a touchdown. His other touchdowns were from 12, 24 and 13 yards out in the opening drives of each of the final three quarters.
In addition to Abanikanda, seniors Vincent Davis, Daniel Carter and C'Bo Flemister all provided solid complementary efforts. As a group, the Panthers backfield rushed for 271 yards on 41 carries. Davis was responsible for the fifth Pitt rushing touchdown, which came late in the fourth quarter.
Conservative play-calling prevented Slovis from taking any deep shots down the field. However, when the senior did drop back to pass, he was efficient, completing 20 of his 27 pass attempts for 189 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, a pair of big plays in the first half — which accounted for 108 of Rhode Island's 144 total yards of offense in the first two quarters — allowed the Rams (2-2) to hang around early on. Long drives from the Pitt offense in the second half drastically limited Rhode Island's time with the football, as the Rams had just three possessions in the final 30 minutes of action.
Pitt's defense tallied a season-high four sacks in the victory. Rhode Island ended the afternoon with 286 yards of offense.
Key stat
There just seems to be something about Pitt defensive backs from Aliquippa.
M.J. Devonshire opened the scoring for the Panthers on Saturday afternoon, returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. The score was his second of the season, with his first, of course, coming from a pick-six against West Virginia, which would end up being the game winner.
Devonshire's punt-return touchdown put him in elite company, becoming the first Pitt player to score on a punt return and an interception in the same season since fellow Quip Darrelle Revis did so in 2006.
The punt return score was the first by any Panther since Rafael Araujo-Lopes returned one from 86 yards out against Central Florida on Sept. 29, 2018.
Up next
With its nonconference competition now in the rearview mirror, Pitt will begin ACC play next week against Georgia Tech (1-2) at Acrisure Stadium.
Last fall, the Panthers delivered a dominant effort against the Yellow Jackets, defeating them 52-21 on the road.
Georgia Tech has been battle tested in its young 2022 campaign, with its losses coming to No. 5 Clemson and No. 16 Ole Miss. The Yellow Jackets will look to improve to .500 Saturday evening, as they take on Central Florida on the road at 4 p.m.
The start time for Pitt's game against Georgia Tech has yet to be announced. The game will be carried on the ACC Network.
