The Virginia Tech football team returns to ACC play on Saturday as they welcome Pitt to Lane Stadium as Justin Fuente’s team aims to rebound from the heart-breaking loss to Notre Dame. The Hokies (3-2, 1-0 ACC) take on the Panthers (4-1, 1-0 ACC) with first place on the line in the Coastal. With every other team in the division either with multiple losses or without a win, this game could be massive in putting either in the driver’s seat to make the ACC Championship Game.
Here’s everything to know:
Where to watch?
The game will air on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET.
What to know about VT
Time to rebound here for Tech. They played well against Notre Dame for the most part but couldn’t pull through late as it all went south. The defense must be ready against a balanced offense that has been flying under Kenny Pickett. If they can be effective in their blitz and create constant pressure, they’ll be fine. If they struggle to apply that pressure, with man-to-man defense on the back end, expect them to get picked apart.
What to know about Pitt
While Pitt has been known in the past for its defense, it’s all about the offense this year. This may surprise you, but Pitt actually has the No. 1 ranked offense in all of college football, averaging 52.4 points per game. That’s more than Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia and others. Impressive to say the least, they have 36 touchdowns compared to just four field goals. Now how much of that production is thanks to the quality of their opponents remains to be seen, but they’ve padded stats against UMass, Western Michigan and New Hampshire. This will be their biggest test by far.
Prediction
The Hokies move to 2-0 in the conference in an ugly, physical game at Lane Stadium as the defense answers the call.
Virginia Tech 21, Pitt 17