Oct 27, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies place kicker Joey Slye (46) kicks a field goal against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at Heinz Field. Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
PITTSBURGH — Junior Joey Slye tied an ACC and Virginia Tech record by kicking six field goals and Isaiah Ford provided the winning margin with a 16-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter as the No. 25 Hokies downed Pittsburgh 39-36 on Thursday night at Heinz Field.
Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans threw for a career-high 406 yards, going 24 of 40 with two scoring passes, as the Hokies (6-2, 4-1) pulled even with North Carolina (6-2, 4-1) atop the ACC Coastal Division.
Bucky Hodges had a career-high 145 yards receiving and Ford recorded 143 for Virginia Tech.
James Conner ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns for Pitt (5-3, 2-2), increasing his career total of 100-yard rushing games to 14. Quarterback Nate Peterman was 13 of 22 for 267 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
The Panthers won six of the teams’ previous seven meetings and were 4-0 at Heinz Field against the Hokies.
Virginia Tech led 16-14 at halftime, but Conner quickly gave Pitt its first lead 21-16 with his third TD run, a 1-yarder to cap a 75-yard opening drive in the third quarter. Conner’s 37-yard run to the Virginia Tech 5 was the gut-buster of the drive.
The Hokies pulled to within 21-19 on Slye’s 26-yard field goal with seven minutes left in the third.
Evans left just before that field goal when he got hurt on a sack, but missed just one series while he got his right ankle taped.
Evans’ replacement, Brenden Motley, led Virginia Tech on a 50-yard field-goal drive, with Slye hitting his fifth to put the Hokies back on top 22-21 at 2:44 of the third.
Evans returned, leading the Hokies on a 50-yard drive that ended with Marshawn Williams’ 2-yard scoring run for a 29-21 lead.
Pitt tied it 29-29 on a trick play with lineman Brian O’Neill scoring on an end-around from 5 yards, and Conner’s run for a two-point conversion at 13:25 of the fourth.
Slye gave Virginia Tech the lead with a 22-yarder, making 32-29 at 9:39 of the fourth.
Ford’s touchdown pushed it to 39-29 at 7:20 of the fourth. That became important when Pitt moved 90 yards in 1:32 closed to within 39-36 on Peterman’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Jester Weah with 2:31 remaining.
The Hokies marched down field from their 10 on the opening drive, with Evans completing passes of 27 and 24 yards to Ford, but stalled at the 18. Slye hit a 31-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Pitt turned the ball over on the ensuing kickoff when returner Quadree Henderson fumbled. Virginia Tech got the ball at the Panthers 19 but again couldn’t punch it into to the end zone. Slye hit a 21-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead at 8:05 of the first.
Pitt’s first stab at offense didn’t last long as Peterman was intercepted by Mook Reynolds on the third play. Its only other offensive series of the first quarter ended with a punt.
Slye’s third field goal, a 22-yarder at 13:08 of the second, pushed the Hokies’ lead to 9-0.
The Panthers’ offense finally came alive on an 84-yard drive keyed by Peterman’s 37-yard pass to Henderson and culminating with Conner’s 6-yard touchdown run untouched to make it 9-7 at 4:14 of the second.
The Hokies got something other than a field goal in a first half they dominated when Evans’ 11-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cunningham came at the end of a 76-yard drive to make it 16-7 with two minutes left in the second.
Pitt wasn’t done, however. Aided by a 71-yard completion from Peterman to Scott Orndoff and a defensive pass interference penalty, the Panthers put together an 81-yard drive in the final two minutes of the half. Conner scored from 1 yard this time, and Pitt closed to within 16-14.
NOTES: Pitt QB Nate Peterman’s first-quarter interception was his first since Sept. 17, breaking a streak of 83 consecutive passes without a pick. … Panthers RB James Conner’s two first-half TD run gave him 45 in his career, moving him to third all-time in the ACC. … An apparent interception of QB Jerod Evans’ pass by Pitt LB Quintin Wirginis in the first quarter was wiped out by a defensive false start penalty. … Virginia Tech DT Nigel Williams, a starter, missed the game because of an ankle injury. … Pitt LB Mike Caprara returned and started after missing most of the previous four games because of a lower-body injury. DE Ejuan Price (lower body), S Terrish Webb (upper body), CB Avonte Maddox (arm) all dressed. OLB Bam Bradley (upper body) did not dress. … Virginia Tech next plays Nov. 5 at Duke; Pitt is at Miami on Nov. 5.
