PITTSBURGH — Pitt will try to put last week’s embarrassing 51-6 loss to rival Penn State behind it when the Panthers start ACC play at 12:30 p.m. Saturday against Georgia Tech at Heinz Field.
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Since joining the ACC in 2013, the Panthers are 2-3 in conference openers. Pitt has lost its initial ACC game each of the last two seasons, including a 35-17 setback to Georgia Tech in Atlanta last year.
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Pitt will be playing its third home game in as many weeks. This is the first time the Panthers have opened a season with three consecutive home games since 2008. This century, that scheduling quirk has occurred four total times (2001 and 2004).
Both teams enter ACC play coming off disappointing outings. Pitt trailed Penn State at intermission, 14-6, but crumbled in the second half, 51-6. Georgia Tech led host USF by 10 in the fourth quarter but three unanswered touchdowns resulted in a 49-38 defeat.
Two of the Panthers’ past three encounters with Georgia Tech came down to late field goals. Pitt triumphed in 2015 (31-28) and 2016 (37-34) on game-winning field goals by Chris Blewitt, who graduated as the school’s all-time leading kick scorer.
Senior tailback Qadree Ollison is off to a strong start to his final season. Ollison rushed for a game-high 119 yards on 21 carries (5.7 avg.) against Penn State. He is averaging 96 yards per game.
Senior middle linebacker Quintin Wirginis is coming off the most productive game of his career. Wirginis, whose 2017 season was lost to injury, compiled nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack against Penn State.
Sophomore defensive end Rashad Weaver is also emerging as a playmaker. Weaver totaled four stops, 1.5 TFLs, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble against Penn State.
SERIES NOTES
This is the 13th meeting between Pitt and Georgia Tech in a series that began in 1918…Pitt leads the overall series, 7-5, and has won two of the past three meetings with the Yellow Jackets…the Panthers are 4-1 in games played in Pittsburgh and 3-2 in Atlanta…Pitt and Georgia Tech have twice met in bowl games with the Yellow Jackets winning each time…Georgia Tech defeated the Panthers in the Jan. 2, 1956 Sugar Bowl (7-0) and the Dec. 29, 1956 Gator Bowl (21-14)…the 2018 game marks the sixth Atlantic Coast Conference encounter between the two schools…Georgia Tech leads the ACC series, 3-2…the Yellow Jackets beat visiting Pitt last year, 35-17…Pitt won both the 2015 and 2016 contests courtesy of late field goals by the graduated Chris Blewitt…in 2016, Blewitt’s 31-yard field goal as time expired gave Pitt a 37-34 win at Heinz Field…in 2015, Blewitt boomed a school-record 56-yard field goal with 1:11 left for a 31-28 victory in Atlanta…the initial three games of the series from 1918-20 were all played in Pittsburgh…led by legendary coach Glenn “Pop” Warner, Pitt won each of those three contests by an aggregate score of 58-9…before the 2013 revival of the series, the two schools had not played since a pair of games at Georgia Tech in the 1970s…in 1976, Tony Dorsett scored three touchdowns as Pitt routed the host Yellow Jackets, 42-14…under the direction of Coach John Majors, Pitt would go 12-0 in 1976 and claim the national championship, while Dorsett would win the Heisman Trophy…the Panthers also defeated Georgia Tech, 27-17, in Atlanta during the 1974 season.
PITT-UNC KICKOFF TIME ANNOUNCED
Pitt’s September 22 game at North Carolina will kick off at 12:20 p.m., and be shown on television in the Pittsburgh market on WTAE-TV, Channel 4. A complete listing of all ACC Network television market clearances will be provided at a later date.
