PITTSBURGH – Needing to win its final two games to become bowl eligible, Pitt will travel to Blacksburg, Va. for a 12:20 p.m. kickoff Saturday against Virginia Tech.
(Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)
Both teams are coming off losses last week with Pitt (4-6, 2-4 ACC) dropping a 34-31 decision to North Carolina last Thursday, while Virginia Tech (7-3, 3-3) fell, 28-22, at Georgia Tech and dropped out of the Top 25 after the loss. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network and will be available on WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.
This is the final regular-season road game for Pitt, which has won six of the past eight meetings with Virginia Tech. However, the Hokies prevailed in last season’s high-scoring encounter at Heinz Field, 39-36.
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Historically, the Panthers have not fared well on the road in this series. The Panthers are just 2-5 all-time in games played in Blacksburg. That mark includes a 17-13 Pitt victory in Lane Stadium in 2015, Pat Narduzzi’s initial season as the Panthers’ head coach.
The last three games in the series have been decided by a combined 12 points, an average margin of 4.0 points per game. The largest victory margin in that span is five points, achieved by Pitt in a 21-16 victory in 2014.
Pitt is led by junior tailback Darrin Hall, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of Pitt’s past three contests. Hall is averaging 162 yards over this span, totaling 486 yards and eight touchdowns on 72 carries (6.75 avg.). Hall is coming off a 121-yard, four-touchdown effort against North Carolina. Hall previously had 254 yards at Duke and 111 against Virginia. He will be challenged by a Hokies defense that ranks second in the ACC and 15th nationally, yielding just 310.6 total yards per game (136.6 on the ground).
This week’s game features two of the ACC’s most dangerous punt returners in Pitt’s Quadree Henderson and Virginia Tech’s Greg Stroman. The players are tied for the ACC lead and rank second nationally with two punt return touchdowns each.
Virginia Tech’s offense is led by quarterback Josh Jackson, who is completing 61.6 percent (183 of 297) of his passes for 2,382 yards and 17 touchdowns with six interceptions. Jackson has also rushed for 204 yards and three scores. Cam Phillips is his go-to guy with 60 catches for 801 yards and six scores.
PITT-MIAMI (FLA) TO KICKOFF AT NOON
Pitt’s Nov. 24 game against Miami will kick off at noon and be televised by ABC-TV.
The game will be shown locally on WTAE-TV, Channel 4.
