Pittsburgh survived a wild one Friday night, rallying from an early 14-0 deficit to beat Virginia Tech 35-33 at Lane Stadium and improve to 5-0 on the season. The Panthers trailed 24-14 in the second quarter before pulling even by halftime, then took control with three straight scoring drives and built a 35-24 lead in the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech cut the deficit to two after a safety and a 28-yard touchdown from Ethan Grunkemeyer to Davion Brown.
They had one last chance to seal it late, but a 36-yard field goal sailed wide left as time expired. Despite being outgained 499-295, Pitt's defense came up huge with four turnovers, including two interceptions and two fumbles. Cataurus "Blue" Hicks hauled in two touchdowns and 63 receiving yards on three catches, while Ja'Kyrian Turner rushed for 65 yards and a rushing score.
It was a gritty win for a team few expected to be undefeated at this point in the season, and Pitt's head coach Pat Narduzzi made sure to let everybody know how he feels about his team after the win. "We got a hell of a football team. Any of those voters out there, if they wake their ass up, maybe they might figure that out," Narduzzi said in an on-field interview with ESPN sideline reporter Dana Boyle.
More news: Unlikely Source Offered Help to Oregon’s Dan Lanning After Dante Moore Injury Pitt has quickly become one of the most interesting teams in college football. They opened their season with a 59-14 whooping of Miami (Ohio) before edging out a narrow 12-7 win over UCF, followed by a commanding 27-13 victory against Syracuse and a 59-0 blowout over Bucknell. Friday's 35-33 road thriller versus Virginia Tech gives them their first statement win of the season.
Yet, they're still unranked given the quality of competition early in the season. Each of their first four games came at home and were against teams they were supposed to beat. So while 5-0 looks great on paper and has done enough to keep them atop the ACC, they're going to need to prove more down the stretch to really get AP voters' attention.
More news: Florida Gators Draw Contender Label After Ole Miss Blowout More news: Paul Finebaum Goes Scorched Earth on ‘Complete Fraud’ Lincoln Riley Narduzzi is in his 12th season as head coach at Pitt but has never made the College Football Playoff. His best season came in 2021, when the Panthers went 11-3 and won the ACC championship, finishing No. 13 in the final AP poll. The win in Blacksburg might be enough to squeeze them into the top 25, but they'll need to keep the momentum over the coming weeks to stay there.
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