Published Nov 4, 2018
Pitt-Virginia Tech set for 3:30 kickoff
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Chris Peak  •  Panther-lair
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Pitt's showdown with Virginia Tech this Saturday at Heinz Field will kick off at 3:30 pm, the school announced on Sunday.

The game will also be televised nationally on ESPNU.

The Panthers are 5-4 overall but sit in first place in the ACC Coastal Division with a 4-1 conference record after upsetting No. 23 Virginia 23-13 on the road Friday night. The Hokies are currently third in the division with a 3-2 ACC record.

If Pitt can beat Virginia Tech, the Panthers will need just one win in their final two games to clinch the Coastal Division title and a spot in the ACC championship game on Dec. 1 in Charlotte. Pitt travels to Wake Forest in two weeks before closing the regular season at Miami on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

For more on what Pitt needs to do to win the Coastal Division, click here.

Under Pat Narduzzi, Pitt is 1-2 against Virginia Tech. The Panthers beat the Hokies in Blacksburg in 2015, Narduzzi's first season as head coach. But Virginia Tech used a fade-heavy passing attack to beat Pitt at Heinz Field in 2016 and then stopped Pitt four times at the goal line to beat the Panthers in Blacksburg last year.

Virginia Tech enters Saturday's game on a two-game losing streak after losing at home to Boston College, 31-21, this weekend. The Hokies also lost at home to Georgia Tech two weeks ago. Their three ACC wins have come against Florida State in the season opener and Duke and North Carolina on the road in weeks five and seven, respectively.