Five Takeaways: Pitt dominates Virginia Tech 28-7
Pitt went into Blacksburg and dominated Virginia Tech for a 28-7 win over the Hokies. The win moves Pitt to 5-1 on the season and also 2-0 in the ACC. The Panthers are now in first place all alone atop the ACC Coastal standings. Here are five things that stood out from Pitt's commanding victory.
Road warriors
Pitt has played three games on the road this season, and all three have resulted in victories for the Panthers. Pitt grabbed previous wins at Tennessee and Georgia Tech, and went into Blacksburg this weekend and came out with a workmanlike 28-7 win over the Hokies. Lane Stadium has historically been a difficult place to play, and has been its own personal house of horrors for Pitt through the years. Pitt was just 2-7 at Virginia Tech all-time and had lost the previous two meetings, including a 28-0 defeat back in 2019.
None of that seemed to phase Pitt today. The weather conditions weren't great with heavy wind, but Pitt adjusted and played its best defensive game of the season and enjoyed a strong rushing attack. The high-powered offense wasn't there, but it didn't matter. This team has over 20 seniors and figured out the best way to win this game without playing its best hand. This team has two more road games left, but it has proven they are comfortable playing in hostile environments. Even with the Hokies picking up some momentum with a second half score, Pitt continued to look poised and ran out most of the clock in the fourth quarter.
Pitt finds a running back
On a day when the Pitt passing attack was a bit grounded, the Panthers turned to the rushing game and found something with the play of sophomore Izzy Abanikanda. He ran the ball 21 times for a career-high 140 yards. The Brooklyn native had seven runs of 10+ yards throughout the contest and was instrumental in Pitt's fourth quarter drive that took over 11 minutes off the clock.
Pitt's running game has been a topic of discussion all year, as the offense has struggled to find consistency there. On Saturday, the team totaled 208 rushing yards with Abanikanda leading the way. Vincent Davis was less effective, as he finished with 30 yards on 11 carries, though he did have a rushing touchdown in the third quarter to really put the game out of reach.
The story, though, is Abanikanda. He looked like the running back that was hyped up by his coaches and teammates all offseason. Abanikanda used his speed to break some longer runs, but also showed patience and waited for his blocks. It was easily the best game of his career, and he's been slowly producing more and more each week.
Defense played with an edge
Nobody would mistake the Virginia Tech offense for any type of juggernaut entering Saturday's game. The wind clearly affected how they played as well, but still this was a strong showing for the Pitt defense. The Panthers held the Hokies to 224 yards of offense, and limited them to just 3.2 yards per play. Pitt came up with three sacks and a turnover as well.
Virginia Tech's offense was stuck in place throughout much of the game. The Hokies were forced to punt eight times, and has six three-and-outs. Pitt held them to just 4-of-14 on third down conversions, and the Panthers stuffed them on both of their fourth-down attempts.
Sir'Vocea Dennis had a strong performance, with a team-high tackles. Cam Bright, Haba Baldonado, and Calijah Kancey all recorded sacks, and Erick Hallett had a strong game with two pass breakups and an interception. Pitt allowed just five plays that traveled more than ten yards, and kept them off-balance throughout the contest. It was clearly Pitt's best showing of the year on defense, and they enter next week's game against Clemson ready to take on a struggling offense.
Pitt wins without a dominant day from Pickett
Kenny Pickett threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 38 yards and a score as well. It was not a bad performance by any stretch, but for his own lofty standards, it wasn't reminiscent of the first five games of the season Pitt won by three touchdowns anyway, and that's a pretty impressive thing. There have been times this season where it looks like Pickett needed to throw for 400 yards for this team to win, and that wasn't the case on Saturday.
Pitt won the game with an effective ground game and strong defense. Pickett made plays and some big-time throws, but his stat line was modest. The weather played a factor in that, and the Panthers had some drop issues on Saturday for really the first time all season, It just didn't seem to matter. Pitt had other areas working against Virginia Tech, and they didn't need Pickett to be the hero, and in the long run, that's a good thing.
The stage is set
Pitt fans dreamed of a 6-0 vs. 6-0 showdown by the time Clemson came to town for the October 23rd meeting. It didn't quite work out that way. Pitt of course lost to Western Michigan, and Clemson just doesn't seem like themselves this year. It shouldn't matter, though, as the big stage for next week is still set.
Clemson is still Clemson. The Tigers have one of the most talented rosters in college football, and despite the early season struggles, the name still carries a lot of weight. Dabo Swiney and company are coming to town and the Panthers get a national showcase game at home against one of the top programs in football.
It's also another chance to pick up another game in the ACC. Pitt looks like the best team in the ACC Coastal, but given the state of college football in 2021, it's hard to predict long term results. Pitt just needs to keep winning and Saturday presents a good opportunity to play a team it is capable of beating.
Lastly, there will be a lot of eyes watching this team, this program, and this quarterback. There will be plenty of recruits in the stands taking in Pitt's atmosphere. It's a big chance for Pat Narduzzi's program, we'll see what they can do with it.