Taking A Look Into the Pitt Running Back Situation

I’ll admit that I’m shocked Rodney Hammond Jr. is on pace for 423 rushing yards this season. That would be a career low. And for the first time in his Pitt career, Izzy Abanikanda isn’t on the roster.

I don’t know if it’s a lingering injury, the coaching staff actually valuing C’Bo Flemister’s leadership on the field or what, but Hammond has finally had an “OR” slapped next to his name on the weekly depth chart.

When Pitt releases its Monday depth chart, Pat Narduzzi likes to say that it’s E.J. Borghetti — the spokesman of Pitt athletics — who puts it together. But when the latest depth featured an “OR” between Hammond and Flemister, it confirmed what the last couple of weeks have shown.

Flemister is the starting running back going forward.

“C’Bo has been playing well the last couple weeks, and he’s also helping to lead our football team as far as just being a leader,” Narduzzi said Monday at his weekly news conference. “I think he’s stepped up with the absence of Matt Goncalves. He’s kind of got some natural leadership skills to him. Our guys have really bought into what he’s all about. He plays his tail off.

“Rodney didn’t start, but Rodney, he’s good, too. We like them both. You go with your hot hand. And I think even late in the game Coach Powell tried to put Rodney in the game and he’s like, ‘Coach, he’s hot, let him go.’ It’s like, ‘Whoa.’ Kind of shocked by that. Kind of an unselfish move by him.”

It’s hard to make sense of the situation, especially as Narduzzi said that he would’ve liked Hammond to have received more snaps against Wake Forest, but that’s seemingly been a sentiment after every game this season.

Hammond has received double-digit carries in just three times games season, receiving just 20 run snaps just once, and even with Abanikanda on the roster last season, he still had five double-digit carry and two 25-plus carry games.

Pittsburgh Panthers running back Rodney Hammond Jr. (6) October 5, 2023 David Hague/PSN

I truly don’t know what the plan is right now. Hammond isn’t — and hasn’t — been utilized this season despite claims that his workload would increase in prior games this season. Narduzzi said it’s what other programs around the country are doing.

“Notre Dame plays four tailbacks,” Narduzzi said. “They play four of them, and they all got 20-some-plus snaps at tailback. They have got two really that are getting the majority of them. I don’t think we’re different in any way. You want to get your tailbacks reps, and you want to make them all feel comfortable.

“They are all ballplayers. You never know. If you have one tailback that’s getting 200 snaps and the other guy gets three and all of a sudden, the first guy gets hurt and you’ve got a guy that’s never rushed the ball before, we won’t have that problem. I think it’s a natural thing. You have to play who is hot and blocking well, and who you feel comfortable with based on the flow of the game.”

Well, I don’t know if that’s exactly the case. Notre Dame does have four running backs with at least 20 carries this season, but when it comes to an actual pecking order, it’s Audric Estime and then everybody else.

Estime has dominated both snap counts and carries, and he’s rewarded the Fighting Irish with one of the best running backs in college football.

Pitt certainly does not have an Estime in the backfield this season, and Notre Dame has fed him with double-digit carries in every game this season. But Jeremiyah Love has rewarded the Irish’s faith with consistent production from that No. 2 spot.

Love would be the second-leading rusher at Pitt this season, and that may not be surprising considering he was one of the very top running back recruits in the class of 2023, but there’s a good chance he’d lead the way forward at Pitt this season.

Flemister dominated the snaps against Wake Forest, carrying the ball 23 times for 105 yards (both career highs), and aside from a few run snaps for Hammond (and one carry for Konata Mumpfield), Flemister took the rest.

He was very, very solid against Wake Forest, racking up 52 yards after contact (at a decent 2.26 yards after contact per attempt), forcing two missed tackles and breaking off three carries of at least 10 yards — two of 15 yards.

After featuring more heavily in a rotation with Hammond and Daniel Carter over the first five weeks of the season, playing second-fiddle to Hammond mainly, he’s received a much heavier workload over the last three weeks.

Hammond was a more efficient runner in the upset of Louisville two weeks ago, taking 11 carries for 50 yards, but the coaching staff relied upon Flemister in the red zone. And he turned 13 carries into 27 yards and two touchdowns.

Hammond and Flemister are even in run snaps this season now. Hammond has carried the ball 60 times for 247 yards (4.1 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns. Flemister has carried the ball 67 times for 279 yards (4.2 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns.

Flemister was a very solid third option behind Abanikanda and Hammond last season, already having won over the coaching staff with his veteran presence and the locker room with his easy-going leadership, but Narduzzi feels like Flemister has gotten even better this season.

“I think he’s obviously growing up a lot on and off the field,” Narduzzi said. “But yeah, he’s doing what we thought he could do. He had a motor last year. He understands the offense more now. I think he’s more comfortable, just like anybody would be in their second year of a new offense that’s totally different from what they were doing at the other place.”

I don’t know how the carries will be distributed going forward, but I do know that the Pitt coaching staff loves Flemister. And he will be as much of a piece going forward — if not more — than Hammond.