Virginia Tech 28 Pitt 0

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Pitt vs Virginia Tech (Photo Credit: Pitt Football Twitter)

                   Panthers Fall to No. 25 Virginia Tech in the Rain

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) Hendon Hooker threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 25 Virginia Tech to a 28-0 victory over Pitt on a rainy Saturday evening.

Hooker threw touchdown passes to Tre Turner and Damon Hazelton, and Virginia Tech’s defense scored on a fumble return, as the Hokies (8-3, 5-2 ACC) notched their sixth win in their past seven games.

The Virginia Tech win sets up a showdown next weekend with rival Virginia, with the victor claiming the ACC’s Coastal Division and an ACC championship game berth on Dec. 7.

Pitt (7-4, 4-3 ACC) finished with a season-low 177 yards and was shut out in the regular season for the first time since 1996.

Hooker’s 71-yard pass to Tayvion Robinson led to James Mitchell’s 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, giving the Hokies a 7-0 lead. Moments later, Norell Pollard returned a Kenny Pickett fumble 7 yards for a touchdown that pushed the lead to 14.

Virginia Tech essentially put the game away with Hooker’s 3-yard touchdown to Turner with 45 seconds left in the first half. Hooker completed 10 of 13 passes in moving to 6-0 as the starting quarterback.

TAKEAWAYS

Pitt: Poor execution and especially penalties hurt the offense, as the Panthers were flagged for two false starts and two illegal formations, and a third-quarter holding penalty negated a first- and-goal at the Virginia Tech 8 – a drive that ended with a punt. Pittsburgh got into Tech territory just three times on 13 possessions.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies, who looked dead after a 0-2 start to ACC play, have played much better defense of late – a big part of their resurgence. Virginia Tech hasn’t allowed more than 301 total yards or more than 63 yards rushing in each of its past three games, and its back-to-back shutouts are the unit’s first since 2005.

UP NEXT
Pitt: The Panthers play Boston College at home Saturday. Virginia Tech: The Hokies play at rival Virginia on Friday.

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