Rodney Hammond Jr. Showed Exactly What Pitt Has Been Missing

Pat Narduzzi was right on the money about one thing Thursday night. Whether it’s Rodney Hammond Jr. or Izzy Abanikanda (or C’Bo Flemister or Daniel Carter, in this case), rushing success will be non-existent if there’s no blocking upfront.

If a running back is hit in the backfield, it doesn’t bode well for his success.

But and this is a major, major but, there currently isn’t a Pitt running back better suited for making defenders miss than Hammond. And he showcased that in a major way against Boston College.

The Pitt offensive scheme hasn’t exactly done its running backs any sort of favors this season. But if there’s one running back at Pitt who is capable of actually being a difference-maker, it’s Hammond. So, what took so long to get him going? Why hasn’t he been a legitimate part of the offensive game plan? Hammond himself just wants to do the best with what he’s given.

“However many carries they wanna give me, I’m gonna take it and I’m gonna do whatever I gotta do with it,” Hammond said Thursday night after the win. “If I get one carry, I’m gonna do my best with that one carry.”

But even against Boston College, in a career performance, Hammond didn’t receive a single carry until the second quarter. He had just 20 yards at the halftime break.

He finished with a career-high 145 yards, which included the game-winning 66-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter. It was a dominant performance, one in which Hammond got better as he received more carries through the game. And it was exactly the kind of performance that many expected to see more of this season.

15 carries were the most of the season for Hammond, who has received single digit carries in five games this season. It’s been a mystifying season of running back usage.

Flemister has been lauded for his leadership all season, even being named a captain, and that shows how Flemister has impacted this team. But, once again, it doesn’t take much to see that Hammond brings an entirely different level of impact to the offense than either Flemister or Carter. Hammond is the best running back on the roster, and he’s played behind Flemister AND Carter at times this season.

Hammond got going in the second half against Boston College, dominating the running back snaps, and Narduzzi said that while it’s what Pitt expects out of Hammond, it was still a team effort.

“Well, you have to block them,” Narduzzi said Thursday night following the win. “Our guys did a good job blocking. I think it’s something you learn. Kenny Johnson came in, and on that big run, that go-ahead touchdown, Kenny Johnson came in and had just an unbelievable block and sprung Rodney.

“So, Rodney didn’t do it all by himself, but Rodney looked great tonight, and that’s what we expect out of Rodney.”

RODNEY HAMMOND JR. GOT LOOSE FOR THE 66-YD TD 😤 pic.twitter.com/coUiW4qYHL

— ESPN (@espn) November 17, 2023

Pitt led 17-16 late in the fourth quarter, facing a 2nd-and-1 from inside the Pitt 35, and Hammond felt like the game was a little too close for his liking. So, when he was given a chance to change that, he didn’t hesitate. Nate Yarnell, it appears, made a check at that line that led to Johnson blowing up his defender, Hammond hit the hole and made a couple of Eagles’ defenders miss before outracing the entire defense.

“Rodney had a great game and obviously sealed it at the end with the long run, I was really excited watching him run that in,” Yarnell said Thursday night following the win. “… they’re calling me MVP, but I definitely relied upon them a lot.”

Hammond took that fourth quarter carry, hit the hole and made a man miss. And that was it. “That was cheetah speed right there, wasn’t nobody catching me,” Hammond said. “I knew that.”

He averaged just about 10 yards per carry throughout the contest — 91 yards after contact (6.5 yards after contact per rush), three runs of 10 yards, two of 15 and seven missed tackles. The vision and the ability to force defenders to miss is unlike anything offered by another Pitt running back. And the performance was exactly what Pitt needed but also what Hammond himself needed.

“After a season like this, I definitely needed a night like this,” Hammond said. “Boost the team up, I like to bring energy to the offense and we’re gonna end the season well.

“I knew the game was tight, I had to make a play, so as you see, I was trying to make a play every time I touched the ball and I just knew I had to make a play. And I knew aint nobody was catching me.”

Hammond was very good against Boston College, making more than a couple of plays in a win, but he’s been good — in limited — reps all season.

In 11 games this season, he’s racked up 106 carries for 526 yards (5 yards per carry) with four touchdowns. He hasn’t made much of an impact in the passing game, but, well, the passing game as a whole hasn’t been great either. And that’s been part of the reason Pitt has had to abandon the run early in games.

Pitt QB Phil Jurkovec hands off to Rodney Hammond Jr. against Virginia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Mitchell Northam / Pittsburgh Sports Now.)

Hammond, after missing time last season to a lower-body injury, still hasn’t hit his carries total from last season, but there’s further context needed there, too. He was playing behind an All-American in Abanikanda, yes, but he still held a feature role in multiple games.

Hammond eclipsed his 2023 season-high (15) carries total in three of his eight games last season, and he racked up 292 yards and five touchdowns in those opportunities — all wins. And even in 2021, as a true freshman, he at least matched his 2023 season-high in carries four times.

And, what should be unsurprisingly at this point, he recorded 298 yards and five touchdowns in those opportunities. If Hammond has proven anything in his nearly three years at Pitt, it’s that he gets better and better with more carries.

“If I get an opportunity, I’m gonna make something of it,” Hammond said. “And I got an opportunity tonight, so I made something of it.”

Narduzzi wants to run the football. He’s made that abundantly clear. Frank Cignetti Jr. made the most of Abanikanda and Hammond last season, saving the season with the combined rushing attack, but for whatever reason, Hammond hasn’t been given the same opportunity this season. The offense has been an abject disaster.

There will very likely be major changes made at the conclusion of the 2023 season, even if Pitt is able to string together its first sustained dose of offensive success, and it’s needed. There’s too much talent on the offense to score so few points. But even so, Hammond is excited for what’s to come next season.

“This year is like a learning experience, you can’t always expect the highest level, it’s gonna be ups and downs, there’s always ups and downs,” Hammond said. “This is the down year and next year is gonna be the up year, so we staying focused and we’re ready to come back next year and handle business.”

Hammond will be back. Carter (very likely) and Derrick Davis Jr., too. And Montravius Lloyd, TJ Harvison, Juelz Goff and Yasin Willis form a very talented young corp. But Hammond should — and will — lead the room forward.

And there’s one more chance for Hammond this season in the form of Duke.