Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

November 06, 2018 at 10:26 pm.

Hokies still have ACC Coastal title hopes

Virginia Tech, coming off back-to-back home losses, now has to get ready for a physical game against Pitt.

The Hokies allowed 219 rushing yards last week to a pro-style Boston College attack and 465 yards to Georgia Tech’s triple-option a week before that.

Pitt, under coach Pat Narduzzi, always wants to try to be bullies at the line of scrimmage. As an example, the Panthers ran for 254 yards — with 229 coming from Darrin Hall — in a 23-13 win over then-No. 23 Virginia on Saturday.

“Another, big, physical and tough football team,” said Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente.

“I would say it’s a vintage Pitt team from my limited experience from them — physical, run the ball and do quite a bit of play-action … They play hard and it starts with them running the football and stopping the run. And they’re pretty darn good on special teams, as well.”

Virginia Tech (4-4, 3-2 ACC) entered the season hoping to compete for the ACC Coastal division title, but Pitt (5-4, 4-1) sits in first place. Virginia is second at 4-2. The Hokies still control their destiny, because wins over Pitt, and then at home against Miami and Virginia, would put them on top with, at worst, the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Panthers.

But, first, the Hokies must bounce back from a 31-21 loss to Boston College.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed with last week’s result,” Fuente said. “There are some good things we can glean from that performance, then obviously some things we have to work to improve on.”

The past four meetings between Virginia Tech and Pitt have been decided by six points or fewer, with the Hokies winning the past two after the Panthers won in 2014 and 2015.

There was an epic finish last season, as Pitt converted fourth-and-4 from its own 25, with wide receiver Jester Weah finally caught from behind at the 1 after a 74-yard gain with about one minute to go. The Hokies then turned back the Panthers on four plays to seal a 20-14 victory.

“Still goes through my mind … four downs at the 1 last year where we could have taken that game back to Pittsburgh,” Narduzzi said. “We’re going to play angry, as well.”