Pitt is hosting Virginia Tech in a key Coastal matchup today. Keep up with the action here.
FIRST QUARTER
Pitt won the coin toss and opted to defer. Virginia Tech opened the drive with a pair of double-digit gains, but after the Hokies crossed midfield, the Panthers' defense stepped up to force a punt.
Pitt's offense took the ball at its own 13 and looked to be in trouble when facing third-and-5 from the 18, but Kenny Pickett connected with Taysir Mack for nine yards to convert. The duo hooked up again three plays later with a 26-yard pass that converted third-and-8. The Panthers faced another third down at the Virginia Tech 25, but Pickett dropped the snap on a designed run and Pitt had to settle for a field goal.
Alex Kessman was good on the kick from 48 yards, and the Panthers took an early lead.
PITT 3, VIRGINIA TECH 0 (6:35, 1st quarter)
The script repeated on Virginia Tech's next possession: the Hokies hit a big gain - this time a 21-yard pass - but the Pitt defense responded by forcing another punt with a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. On its second drive, the Panthers' offense found success doing what it does best: running the ball. There was a 27-yard run by Qadree Ollison, a 53-yard run from Darrin Hall and an eight-yard run from Ollison that punched it in for a touchdown.
PITT 10, VIRGINIA TECH 0 (1:59, first quarter)
SECOND QUARTER
Pitt's defense gave up another first down on Virginia Tech's next drive, but on the first play of the second quarter, the Panthers forced VT quarterback to scramble on third-and-12; the scramble came up three yards short and the Hokies had to punt again.
Pitt's next possession lasted just one play, as Pickett threw for Maurice Ffrench in single coverage. Ffrench caught the pass over the defender, broke a tackle and ran all the way for a 78-yard touchdown.
PITT 17, VIRGINIA TECH 0 (14:01, 2nd quarter)
Virginia Tech had its best scoring chance of the game on the next drive after a long kick return started the Hokies at their own 48. VT converted a third down and a fourth down to get down to Pitt's 22, but the Panthers' defense stepped up to force a field goal - and Virginia Tech kicker Brian Johnson missed from 40 yards.
Pitt came up with another big play after the missed field goal when Hall took an RPO handoff from Pickett and ran 58 yards deep into Virginia Tech territory. Three plays later, Pickett took a snap on third-and-6 and ran for the end zone. He almost made it, but Virginia Tech safety Reggie Floyd popped the ball out and the Hokies recovered the fumble in the end zone.
Virginia Tech made the most of the turnover. After a pair of running plays gained a first down, Willis hit receiver Damon Hazelton for a 21-yard pass and then the Hokies got 15 more yards from a pass interference penalty on Dane Jackson. On the next play, Pitt sent a blitz at Willis but VT picked it up, and the Hokies quarterback connected with receiver Eric Kumah for a 29-yard touchdown pass.
PITT 17, VIRGINIA TECH 7 (6:38, 2nd quarter)
Pitt answered the touchdown with a score of its own. Ollison got it started with a pair of runs for 53 yards, and then Pickett ran to the Virginia Tech 11 before Ffrench took a jet sweep and followed strong blocking to get to the end zone.
PITT 24, VIRGINIA TECH 7 (2:54, 2nd quarter)
Virginia Tech set itself back with a penalty on the ensuing kickoff and never recovered, gaining just four net yards before punting again.
Pitt took over at its own 48 with 1:38 on the clock and worked its way into Virginia Tech territory, but there was a clear theme: the Panthers were trying to take shots. Pickett attempted two deep passes to Ffrench on the drive, but both were just off the mark. After a false start penalty set up second-and-15 from the VT 44 with less than 50 seconds on the clock, the chances seemed to be getting slim. But then Pickett dropped back and fired a shot down the right sideline for Mack and the pass connected for a 43-yard gain. On the next play, fullback George Aston took a quick handoff and pounded into the end zone for Pitt's fourth touchdown of the half.
PITT 31, VIRGINIA TECH 7 (0:35, 2nd quarter)
Pitt kicked a squib on the kickoff and Virginia Tech pushed into Pitt territory, but the Panthers' defense stopped the Hokies again to end the half with a 24-point lead.
THIRD QUARTER
Pitt got the ball to open the second half, but the Panthers couldn't do anything with it, posting their first three-and-out of the game and punting for the first time. Virginia Tech capitalized with its longest drive of the game: propelled by several running plays from Willis, the Hokies marched 80 yards on 17 plays, converting two fourth downs including a fourth-and-goal from the 5 to score their second touchdown of the game.
Willis then hit Kumah for a two-point conversion to cut Pitt's lead to two scores.
PITT 31, VIRGINIA TECH 15 (5:00, 3rd quarter)
Pitt's offense broke out of its second-half slump and it took just two plays to answer VT's touchdown. After Hall ran for two yards on first down from the 25, the senior back took a second-down handoff, jumped into a cut-back lane and took off for 73 yards to the end zone.
The touchdown was Hall's first of the day, and the run put him at 186 yards on seven carries.
PITT 38, VIRGINIA TECH 15 (4:04, 3rd quarter)
FOURTH QUARTER
Virginia Tech mounted another long drive after Pitt's touchdown, but the Hokies got some help from the officials when Rashad Weaver was called for roughing the passer, turning a potential third-and-18 into a fresh set of downs. A few plays later, Willis connected with Hazelton for a first down that turned into a touchdown when multiple Pitt defenders tried to strip the ball and ended up letting him get loose into the end zone.
PITT 38, VIRGINIA TECH 22 (12:34, 4th quarter)
Pitt had another answer for Virginia Tech's touchdown and it was all on the ground. After a good return by Ffrench with an extra 15 yards on a penalty on the kickoff, the Panthers ran the ball on six consecutive plays to get to the Virginia Tech 31. Facing fourth-and-2 from the 31, Ollison took a handoff, skipped through the right side and found daylight to the end zone.
PITT 45, VIRGINIA TECH 22 (8:48, 4th quarter)
Virginia Tech's next drive got an unexpected boost when Weaver had Willis sacked on second-and-10 from the VT 45, but the Hokies quarterback never actually touched the ground, so he jumped up and ran for 39 yards to the Pitt 16. Virginia Tech eventually got to the Pitt 3 for a fourth-and-goal, but Seun Idowu broke up a pass to Kumah and the Panthers took over on downs.
The big defensive stop was followed by the biggest play in Pitt history, as Ollison took a handoff on first down from the 3, busted through the line, stiff-armed a defender at midfield and ran 97 yards for the longest run and the longest play in school history.
PITT 52, VIRGINIA TECH 22 (4:43, 4th quarter)
With the game firmly in hand, the coaches went to the second-team defense for Virginia Tech's final drive and the reserves responded by stopping the Hokies on fourth-and-9 from the Pitt 23.
The Panthers finished the game with 654 yards of total offense, setting a school record. Ollison rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns and Hall had 186 and a score on seven carries. With the win, Pitt claimed bowl eligibility, improved to 6-4 on the season and 5-1 in the ACC and now needs just one more win in either of the final two games to clinch the Coastal Division title.
PITT 52, VIRGINIA TECH 22 (Final)
