Had Pitt managed to pull out a victory Saturday night against the visiting Tennessee Volunteers, there would have been no shortage of heroes to celebrate.

Senior quarterback Nick Patti entered the game after halftime, replacing an injured Kedon Slovis, and left it all on the field despite playing through clear discomfort to one of his feet for most of the fourth quarter.

Sophomore longsnapper Byron Floyd made a critical fumble recovery midway through the fourth quarter on a muffed punt return by Tennessee’s Trevon Flowers, setting up a tying touchdown drive.

Earlier, sophomore P.J. O’Brien blocked a punt in the third quarter, recovering the loose ball and setting Pitt up at the Vols’ 19-yard-line (kicker Ben Sauls ultimately would shank a 36-yard field goal attempt).

While a tip of the cap is warranted to all the aforementioned players, perhaps the man whose performance was most frustratingly wasted was that of junior tailback Israel Abanikanda.

By the end of the game, after 17th-ranked Pitt had fallen to No. 24 Tennessee, 34-27, he had taken 25 handoffs, rushing for 154 net yards and a touchdown.

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“He was outstanding,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said after the loss. “He ran hard, and I just kept saying, when the team went down, keep feeding the horse. Just keep giving (the ball) to him, and he had some nice runs out there tonight.”

Abanikanda had just 16 yards on eight carries last Thursday in the Backyard Brawl, but against the Volunteers was thrust into a lead role because of Rodney Hammond’s injury absence.

Throughout the game, Abanikanda pulled his weight and then some, turning into the Panthers’ go-to guy in a game that saw the team limited schematically on offense in the fourth quarter by Patti’s hobbled state after being sacked on third down from Tennessee’s 11-yard line.

“The running backs, if one of us is down, the other ones are going to step up,” Abanikanda said. “That’s always how it is in the running backs room.”

In the first quarter, Pitt dominated, taking an early 10-0 lead.

While that portion of the game, in which Slovis was under center, was more pass-heavy, that didn’t stop Abanikanda from making his presence felt.

Immediately following a Tennessee punt, on a first-and-10 from Pitt’s 24-yard line, Abanikanda took a handoff from Slovis and burst upfield, eventually motoring his way into the end zone for a 76-yard touchdown.

It was the longest rushing touchdown by any Panthers running back since Nov. 11, 2018, when Qadree Ollison ran one in from 97 yards.

Abanikanda had to break a number of tackles en route to the end zone but felt like he was in the clear far before crossing the plains.

“Right when I made that first cut back, it was just green,” he said. “When I see green, I just got to make stuff happen with the opportunity.”

While his long touchdown run was doubtless the most flashy play he produced on the night, Abanikanda had several other impactful rushes.

On Pitt’s first possession of the second half, he had a run of 25 yards that set up a field goal try from 46 yards, which Sauls missed, as well.

On a drive that led to Sauls’ lone made field goal of the evening (a 35-yarder), Abanikanda was fed the ball four consecutive times and on seven out of eight total plays.

Before Sauls sent it through the uprights, the scrambling Patti had found the end zone from Tennessee’s 6-yard line, only to have the touchdown called back because of a holding call.

That drive was one of four on which the Panthers penetrated into the red zone but failed to score a touchdown.

As the fourth quarter went on, and the game had turned into something of a stalemate, Pitt trailed the Volunteers, 27-20.

The fourth-quarter drive that would tie the score at 27 and prompt an overtime period also saw Abanikanda make a few key plays, namely an 11-yard run up the middle on fourth-and-1 that kept Pitt’s comeback hopes alive.

On second-and-18 from the Tennessee 27-yard line, Abanikanda caught a pass from Patti for 21 yards, setting up a first-and-goal from the Vols’ 6-yard line.

Abanikanda’s lone reception of the game was a big one.

A few plays later, on fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Patti would find Jared Wayne in the end zone, setting up the tying extra point with 2 minutes, 23 seconds left on the clock.

Speaking to reporters after the loss, Abanikanda was generous in his distribution of praise to teammates for helping him.

“First and foremost, I just want to give thanks to my O-line, my receivers,” he said. “I wouldn’t have done that if it wasn’t for the O-line, receivers, fullback and tight ends, as well.”

As Pitt prepares for a road game at Western Michigan next Saturday, Hammond’s status remains to be determined.

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