Tying the Knot: The Importance of Pitt Marrying Run, Pass Game Together

Marriage can be a complicated relationship. For it to be strong and healthy, there needs to be a symbiotic association between two partners. When either side does not hold up its end, that marriage often crumbles.

Let’s apply that scenario to the gridiron and the offensive play structure. If the run game or the pass game fails one another, that marriage is in jeopardy.

“To be able to run the ball, you have to be able to pass the ball. To pass the ball, you got to run the ball,” Pitt wide receiver Censere Lee simply put it.

In 2024, Pitt desperately needs to tie that knot between the run and pass game – something that was lacking last fall.

“Marrying the pass game and the run game together is vital,” Pat Narduzzi said on Friday. “As a defensive coordinator, when you’re looking at formation and it’s all 100 percent pass, that’s a problem. You got to have the run game and I think that’s how you’re going to be successful.”

Under new offensive coordinator Kade Bell, Pitt is ushering a whole new era of offensive play style compared to years prior. No huddle, pre-snap movement and a balance of running and throwing will be the key for a successful offense.

When evaluating the group after the spring camp, Bell admitted that it’s time to make the run and pass coexist.

“The thing we’re really trying to focus on the most is marrying the run and pass game together,” Bell said. “For me, spring ball is to figure out what is the quarterback great at. We threw the ball probably more than anybody in the country this spring. Why? Because for us to have a great offense, the quarterback has to perform.”

Kade Bell enters Year I as Pitt’s offensive coordinator. April 2, 2024 David Hague/PSN

Now, Bell is taking what strengths the offense has within the pass game and forming that relationship with the ground attack.

“Going into summer camp, let’s do what the quarterback does well and call concepts that he likes and also what the receivers and skill players do well and how do we marry the pass game into where now we can run the football and play-action off of it. If we can run the football, it makes fun throwing the football, so now we’re working on that part, trying to be more balanced,” Bell said.

Last season, Pitt passed the ball 52.95 percent of the time, according to teamrankings.com, up from 44.53 percent from 2022.

Former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. had his own tendencies that certainly relied on an old-school, run first approach, but last year it fell flat. With the the inability to move the ball on the ground, the Panthers were dead last in the ACC and ranked 120^th with their 101.9 yards per game.

Play-action was seemingly nonexistent for large portions of last season and if the Panthers want to climb out of the offensive purgatory, they will have to develop that area maybe more than normal.

“When you’re two-dimensional, it’s hard. When people are defending our offense, they better have to worry about both. If they only have to focus on one thing, you got issues,” Narduzzi said.

Pittsburgh Panthers running back Rodney Hammond Jr. (6) November 16, 2023 David Hague/PSN

If the Panthers can set up the pass with the run and vice versa, they just might be able to sniff Bell’s lofty goal that he is establishing for the offense.

“When we set the standard here as an offense, our goal is to average 50 points a game. That’s a tough goal. Not many teams do that in a year.”

In fact, the last two teams to score 50-plus per contest came in 2013 when Florida State and Baylor surpassed that mark. Regardless, more than 20 points a game is the first step and maybe a more realistic goal is the 41.4 points per game the Panthers scored with Kenny Pickett in 2021.

Still, Bell knows Pitt needs a lot of different aspects to work for his offense to take flight.

“What does 50 points look like? You got to be explosive, you got to create explosive plays, you got to take care of the football, you got to be efficient throwing the football, you got to be able throw the ball on first downs against great teams, you got to run the football not just out in space, but you got to be able to run the ball and be physical to set the pass. The standard is just doing everything the right way, the details.”

As expected, there were some growing pains in the offense, but it seems as if the Panthers have settled in.

“Right now, we’re really clicking and everybody knows what they’re doing, so practice is smooth, our tempo is fast as it should be,” Lee said. “When we first started, it was kind of crazy. It was hard and challenging at first, but once you start putting two and two together, everything starts to click, and it gets easier.”

For Lee, who has experience under Bell and this offense at Western Carolina, he has helped the returnees learn the offense and as Bell noted, they are looking to build up from the initial foundation.

“Really just focusing on trying to be balanced right now and trying to get everybody understanding their assignments in the run game as much as they do in the pass game because receivers are more focused on the routes we got to run, but we also need to worry about blocking assignments, too,” Lee said.

Only time will tell if Pitt can complement the two facets of its offense with one another to become a competent offense once again.