Israel Abanikanda's Career Day Leads Pitt Past Rhode Island

Israel Abanikanda carried the Pitt Panthers to a win with a dominant day on the ground.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers muscled their way to a win over the Rhode Island Rams in Week 3. It wasn't a pretty victory for the Panthers - they struggled to defend on third down and committed penalties frequently but another career day on the ground from tailback Israel Abanikanda proved to be all they needed. They rode his four touchdowns and 245 all-purpose yards to a 45-24 win. 

Two Rhode Island false start penalties helped the Panthers force a punt on their first drive and they wasted no time putting points on the board. M.J. Devonshire fielded a long kick and took it 82 yards to the endzone for the game's opening score. 

Both teams traded three-and-outs before the Panthers finally broke through for the first big play by either offense. He took an inside handoff 67 yards for a touchdown and no Rhode Island defender was able to get a finger on him. The Rams responded with 63-yard touchdown run of their own from Marques DeShields. His long score made it 14-7 with 5:09 left to play in the first quarter. 

The Panthers dinked and dunked their way into Rhode Island territory as the first quarter ended and Abanikanda capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run, his second score of the afternoon, to put his team up 21-7. 

After holding Rhod Island gainless on three plays and forcing a punt, Pitt moved back into the redzone with 13 plays on their next possession but couldn't finish it off with six points. They had to settle for a 31-yard field goal from Ben Sauls. 

Down 24-7, Rhode Island would not go quietly, however. Backed up inside of their own 30-yard line and facing a third and nine, the Rams hit on a 45-yard catch and run from Kasim Hill to Paul Woods. It set up a one-yard scoring run from DeShields to make 24-14 just before halftime. 

Pitt got the ball to start the second half and started to throw the ball with more frequency but still moved methodically. It took them 10 plays to go 75 yards, the final 24 of which was covered by Abanikanda's third touchdown run of the day. 

The Rams mirrored them like they had all game, taking 18 plays to move 61 yards and inside the Pitt 10-yard line. They converted three times on third down and once on fourth down, but couldn't break through to the endzone. They opted for a 34-yard field goal instead and pulled back within two scores.  

Pitt continued to ramp up their passing attack. Kedon Slovis hit on a long catch and run to Karter Johnson but the Panthers stalled in the redzone and failed to convert on fourth and goal from the four-yard line. 

Rhode Island took over deep in their own territory trailing 38-17 with 4:22 left in the game. Big plays in the passing game got them to the doorstep and Hill capped the 96-yard march with a 15-yard strike to Darius Savedge to keep the Rams close at 38-24. 

They attempted an onside kick but Bub Means scooped up the ball and took ran it inside the 20-yard line. Vincent Davis ran the remaining 18 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. Up 45-24, the Panthers pulled out an onside kick of their own and recovered it in plus territory. They then knelt the clock out on their third victory of the season. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!

Pitt Defense Missing Out on Higher Sack Total

Narduzzi Says Top Three Pitt QBs 'Ready to Roll'

Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi Remembers College Days at Rhode Island

New Scheme Bringing Balance, Confidence to Pitt Offense

Pitt Knew WMU's Plays Before They Ran Them

Rhode Island Game Offers In-Season Tryout for Younger Players

• Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt