MORE FROM THE GAME - Pitt sticks with Hall and the running game to beat UVa. | Narduzzi on upsetting Virginia, the run game, the defense and more | Video: Narduzzi's postgame press conference | Pitt upsets No. 23 on the road | Postgame video: Connor Dintino | Postgame video: Darrin Hall | Postgame video: Kenny Pickett | Postgame video: Dane Jackson | Postgame video: Rashad Weaver
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - There was a lot at stake for Pitt in Friday night’s showdown with No. 23 Virginia at Scott Stadium.
With a 3-1 ACC record, the Panthers were right in the hunt for the Coastal Division, but the Cavaliers were ahead by a half game at 4-1, so one team would come out of the game with a considerable advantage over the other.
As of Saturday morning, advantage: Pitt, since the Panthers came away with a 23-13 victory in front of 36,256 Virginia fans.
Surely, moving into first place in the division and moving one step closer to possibly winning the division title would be exciting for the players, right?
“I mean, that’s great. That’s awesome. But next week, we’ve got V-Tech and we have to go 1-0. That’s it,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Connor Dintino said after the game. “We’re not thinking ahead. We’re not thinking of anything like that. We’re going 1-0 in the ACC. That’s what we have to do.”
Next weekend’s opponent, Virginia Tech, comes into its matchup with Boston College today holding the same 3-1 record Pitt took into Friday night’s game. If the Hokies win, then next Saturday’s Pitt-Virginia Tech game at Heinz Field will loom especially large in the division race.
But the Hokies aren’t quite as hot as Pitt right now. They’ve lost two of the last three, including a 49-28 loss at home against Georgia Tech last week. Virginia Tech will also face a significant challenge in Boston College, who is ranked No. 22 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Win or lose, the Hokies will see a Pitt team who seems to be hitting on quite a few - it not exactly all - cylinders right now.
“There’s a lot of energy and it’s a good time to have that,” Dintino said. “We’re playing our best ball in November. That’s what we want. That’s what teams want right now: play your best ball. We have three conference games left and we wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The best thing Pitt is doing right now is running the ball. The Panthers have rushed for 1,119 yards and 11 touchdowns in the last four games, and Pitt is 3-1 in that stretch. The team’s defense is also hitting its stride; the last four opponents - Syracuse, Notre Dame, Duke and Virginia - have combined to rush for just 524 yards.
And while there are still issues with the pass defense, the unit as a whole has tightened up late in games, allowing just one fourth-quarter touchdown in the last four games. Given that each of those games came down to the wire, the late heroics were crucial.
Playing close games might not be good for nerves, but the fact that Pitt’s has won three out of the last four games with strong fourth-quarter efforts is a positive sign as the Panthers enter the final quarter of the regular season.
“Good teams win games like this,” Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett said. “Good teams win games like last week. No matter what you have to find a way. We’re playing for something real serious here in November, so we’re all focused on it. It’s a one-game-at-a-time mentality, so we’re going to enjoy this one and then we’ll give it everything we have again next week.”
