Hammond, Reid to balance out Bell's new pass-heavy offense

If there's one thing for certain about Pitt's new offense, it's that Kade Bell wants to play fast. He wants to get to the line of scrimmage, snap the ball and put it in the hands of his playmakers every opportunity he gets, and most of the time, that will be through the air.

While installing the offense in the spring, Bell said the Panthers probably threw the ball more than any team in the country as he became familiar with his quarterbacks and his skill players and the concepts they are comfortable running.

However, with Rodney Hammond Jr. and Desmond Reid in the backfield, Bell has now taken on the challenge of trying to find a way to "marry" the passing game with the running game as they head into this season.

"You gotta be explosive, you gotta create explosive plays, you gotta take care of the football, you have to be efficient throwing the football, you gotta be able to throw the ball on first down versus great teams," Bell said. "But you also gotta be able to run the football, not just out in space, but you have to be able to run the football when you have to run the football and be physical."

Both running backs are dynamic with their skill sets. They are smaller in stature -- Hammond stands at 5-9 and Reid stands at 5-8 -- but they both can gash defenses on the ground and catch the ball out of the backfield.

Hammond led the Panthers in rushing last year with 547 yards and four touchdowns on 118 attempts. The Doak Walk Award watch list honoree has run for 1,511 yards and 14 touchdowns and has also caught 22 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in his three-year career at Pitt.

Here's a perfect example of Hammond's game-breaking talent. He took this handoff from Nate Yarnell last season for a 66-yard touchdown against Boston College:

Reid, a 175-pound transfer who played under Bell at Western Carolina, has a familiarity with the offense. He rushed for 897 yards and 13 touchdowns on 131 attempts in only eight games last season and also caught 21 passes for 283 yards. 

Bell characterized both running backs as three-down guys, which gives the offense a lot of options when choosing plays and developing a plan of attack.

"That gives us two three-down backs that can really catch it like receivers out of the backfield and can give us matchup issues when, if we’re struggling sometimes running the ball versus loaded boxes, let’s throw it to them and instead of being a four-yard run, we’re catching it for four yards," Bell said. "To me, the quick game is kind of like an extension of the run game. It’s a way to find easy first- and second-down calls to get the run game going."

That type of versatility is something that Reid said is paramount to being successful in Bell's offense. While describing his role last season, Reid said "Running backs have to do a lot of stuff. We gotta be on the same time as the o-line, we gotta make sure we're good with the quarterbacks, we have routes that we have to do. It's a lot for the running backs."

Just take a look at what Reid was able to do during his 2022 season against Wofford: 

The more versatile a running back is, the better. So while the Panthers may look to have a pass-heavy offense, they have two running backs that can carry the load, both on the ground and through the air.

The speed of Bell's offense won't be a problem either as Hammond and Reid are both quick and shifty and can move around and play multiple roles. That means they won't need to come off the field which will allow Bell to move the offense quickly. That is something that Hammond is excited about and ready for.

"I want to keep the defense guessing. They tired, we tired. That’s the type of matchup I like. That’s a dog fight," Hammond said. "I always feel like if we get the defense tired, it’s going to be a long game. If they don’t know how to adjust to us, like the fast-paced, that’s definitely what I’m used to. I don’t really like slowing the game down. None of that. But, if we want to slow the game down, we can do that too. We are versatile, we can do it all."

Hammond and Reid are also already creating a great relationship in the backfield as a 1-2 punch. While Hammond is the guy who has been around the program for a while, Reid is the one with the knowledge of the offense and they are continuously bouncing ideas off each other to make sure they are on the same page. They also have high expectations for themselves. 

When Hammond was asked what they could do this season as a tandem, that is what he had to say: "When he first got here, we automatically connected. That’s somebody that holds me accountable and I hold him accountable. So, I feel like me and Des are going to be something the people want to see. So we are going to put on a show every Saturday, Thursday, whatever day, Sunday, I don’t care. Whatever day you want to see us play, we are here."

Along with Hammond and Reid, Derrick Davis Jr. is a player who could work into the mix as well. He attended high school at Gateway in Monroeville and was a four-star recruit when he committed to Louisiana State. He was a special athlete who played both ways in high school and accumulated over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 28 times as a junior. His film from that season speaks for itself:

While Davis is still getting back into his form in the backfield after playing offense sparingly at LSU, Bell said Davis has been putting in the work with running backs coach Lindsey Lamar to get ready for the season.

"You’re talking about a guy that’s now confident, is playing with low-pad level and is hitting holes with confidence," Bell said. "Derrick is a big dude that can run and coach Lindsey has been doing a great job working on his feet to where he can make those sudden movements to jump in and out of holes. I think he’s a guy who has a lot of ability."

So, while the offense may be pass-heavy offense this season, Bell certainly has capable talent in the backfield that he can lean on if it comes to it and being able to attack defenses in multiple ways, always benefits the offense.