Izzy Abanikanda's 4 touchdowns lead Pitt to 45-24 victory against Rhode Island

Izzy Abanikanda hears the names of Pitt’s all-time great running backs and figuratively bows in due respect.

Yet he is not in awe. Perhaps that’s because he aspires to one day be among them.

Pitt’s junior running back still has a long way to go — Tony Dorsett and Curtis Martin are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and four others have more than 3,000 career yards — but he took several large, purposeful steps toward that goal Saturday in front of an announced crowd of 54,667 at Acrisure Stadium. During Pitt’s 45-24 victory against Rhode Island, Abanikanda rushed for career highs in yards (177) and touchdowns (four).

“I want to not live up to them. I want to be better than them,” he told reporters after the game.

Abanikanda was tied for the ACC rushing lead before the game and left Pitt’s locker room Saturday with 479 yards in four games — all but 15 in the past three games, when he averaged 6.2 per carry.

“I’m not surprised because I know what I’m capable of,” he said. “I’m just going to keep working and try to do better. I usually don’t look at stats or think about stats. I just keep pushing to be great.”

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There was one point just before halftime when Abanikanda was down on the turf, slightly injured after a kickoff return. (He does that, too.)

Pat Narduzzi and his trainers went onto the field to see what was wrong, but the coach said he was not afraid of losing his bellcow running back.

“No, Izzy doesn’t scare me,” Narduzzi said. “Izzy was good. He just got rolled up on a little bit. I didn’t go out there very fast because I knew he was good.”

After a few minutes, Abanikanda rose under his own power and jogged off the field. Later, he shrugged off the moment.

“There are going to be bruises and stuff. You just have to be a soldier,” he said.

The victory against the FCS opponent bumped up the No. 24 Panthers to 3-1. It was the 56th victory of Narduzzi’s seven-plus seasons at Pitt. He is tied with John Michelosen (1955-1965) for third in all-time victories at the school, behind only legends Jock Sutherland (111) and Pop Warner (60).

Just as impressive as Abanikanda’s third consecutive 100-yard game and scoring runs of 67, 12, 24 and 13 was how Pitt was able to win the game decisively with so many starters unavailable.

The list includes defensive ends Habakkuk Baldonado, Deslin Alexandre and Dayon Hayes, cornerback Marquis Williams, wide receiver Jared Wayne and center Owen Drexel. Offensive tackle Gabe Houy played briefly, his first action of the season. Also, tight end Gavin Bartholomew was injured and watched the second half while wearing an arm sling. All eight of those players are either starters or regular contributors.

“I’ve been the other way, too,” said quarterback Kedon Slovis, himself back on the field after missing the previous six quarters with a concussion. “You don’t have a lot of depth, and you kind of cross your fingers that no one goes down. We know we have a lot of depth.”

Like Nate Yarnell last week at Western Michigan, Slovis had the benefit of a strong running game. Backup runners Vince Davis, C’Bo Flemister and Daniel Carter added another 83 yards, and Davis ran for an 18-yard touchdown with 1 minute, 11 seconds left.

Slovis completed 20 of 27 passes for 189 yards, as offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. opted for a largely conservative gameplan that included few deep passing routes.

Slovis said he can throw deep, if necessary.

“We can do a lot of different things, depending on the strengths of the defense we play,” said Slovis, admitting Rhode Island (2-2) tried to take away the deep throws. “You have to be a good decision-maker, check it down.”

Slovis admitted that as a younger player, he wasn’t as patient.

“I’ve made that mistake before as a freshman,” he said.

The answer: “Knowing exactly where your checkdowns are, knowing the timing, when to get off something, when to give up on route, when to hold on,” he said. “It all comes with the reps of the game.

“Every time you throw, you want to show it, let it rip. Again, with the deep balls, if there’s someone sitting back there playing centerfield you can’t make that throw. There were times when I was young (and said), ‘I can make this throw. No, you really can’t.’ You have to do what’s best for the team.”

Pitt scored quickly on Abanikanda’s 67-yarder and cornerback M.J. Devonshire’s 82-yard punt return. But the Panthers possessed the football for more than 35 minutes, with four touchdown drives of 5:42 or longer.

The defense recorded four sacks, but surrendering 24 points to the 20th-ranked team in the FCS might not sit well with coaches this week. Especially with important ACC games starting next Saturday against Georgia Tech.

“They were on us last year after we beat New Hampshire (77-7),” Devonshire said. “They’re on us after every game. They expect perfection, and that’s what we expect. We expect to go and shoot for the stars, shoot for the moon.”

Said defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, who had one of the sacks: “It was a dirty win. We gave them a lot of stuff. I think we could have had a better game.”

“I say good,” Narduzzi said of the victory. “I don’t think it was great.”