Pitt
5-3 , 2-2
Virginia Tech
6-2 , 4-1
Pitt Held Off by No. 25 Virginia Tech, 39-36
10/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
PITTSBURGH (AP) James Conner ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers, but it was not enough as Pitt fell late to No. 25 Virginia Tech, 39-36, on Thursday night.
Nathan Peterman completed 13 of 22 passes for 267 yards with a touchdown and an interception while also catching the first pass of his career as Pitt offensive coordinator Matt Canada went deep into his playbook once again. Pitt offensive tackle Brian O'Neill scored his second touchdown of the season, this time on a pitch from Peterman that resulted in the 6-foot-6, 300-pound O'Neill barreling over the goal line from 5 yards out. O'Neill, a tight end in high school, scored on a throwback screen against Georgia Tech earlier this month.
O'Neill's score tied it at 29 with 13:25 remaining but the Hokies responded quickly. Slye hit his sixth field goal to put Virginia Tech back in front and following a Pitt punt Evans needed just three plays to take the Hokies 57 yards. Ford took care of the last 16, making a leaping grab to give Virginia Tech a 10-point cushion.
Pitt scored once more to draw within three but the Hokies ran out the clock to assure they'll end the weekend no worse than tied in the loss column with North Carolina atop the Coastal. Virginia Tech owns the tiebreaker, having beaten the Tar Heels decisively this month.
Jerod Evans shook off a right ankle injury to throw for a career-high 406 yards and two touchdowns to lead Virginia Tech.
Joey Slye tied a school and Atlantic Coach Conference record by kicking six field goals and Isaiah Ford's 10 receptions included his school-record 23rd receiving touchdown as the Hokies (6-2, 4-1 beat the Panthers (5-3, 2-2) on the road for the first time in 17 years.
Three Tech wide receivers topped 100 yards in the same game for the first time in school history. Isaiah Ford's 10 receptions included his school-record 23rd receiving touchdown. Bucky Hodges caught six passes for 145 yards and a score and Cam Phillips added 109 yards on a night the Hokies piled up 556 total yards.
''It's a great feeling when you can do what you love doing and that's throw the ball up and down the field against a pretty good defense,'' Evans said. ''One-on-one coverage. You can't ask for anything better than one-on-one coverage.''
Evans left briefly in the third quarter after getting his right leg rolled up on but returned to lead a fourth-quarter surge that included Slye's sixth field goal. Slye joked it got a little bit boring knocking in chip shot after chip shot, though he's hardly complaining after the Hokies won at Heinz Field for the first time in five tries and assured themselves of a bowl berth for a 24th straight year, the longest active streak in the nation.
It's a notable streak, but bigger goals lie ahead. The Hokies will end the weekend no worse than tied in the loss column with North Carolina atop the Coastal. Virginia Tech owns the tiebreaker, having beaten the Tar Heels decisively this month.
UP NEXT
Virginia Tech: Travel to Duke on Nov. 5. The Hokies fell to the Blue Devils 45-43 in four overtimes last season.
Pitt: Begin a tough two-game stretch at Miami on Nov. 5. Hurricanes have won two of three meetings since Pitt joined ACC.
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Team Stats
VT 3, UP 0
VT - Slye, Joey 31 yd field goal 10 plays, 76 yards, TOP 4:01
VT 6, UP 0
VT - Slye, Joey 21 yd field goal 7 plays, 15 yards, TOP 2:54
VT 9, UP 0
VT - Slye, Joey 22 yd field goal 9 plays, 46 yards, TOP 4:05
VT 9, UP 7
UP - Conner, J. 6 yd run (Blewitt, C. kick), 8 plays, 84 yards, TOP 4:01
VT 16, UP 7
VT - Cunningham, C 11 yd pass from Evans, J (Slye, Joey kick) 7 plays, 76 yards, TOP 2:14
VT 16, UP 14
UP - Conner, J. 1 yd run (Blewitt, C. kick), 5 plays, 81 yards, TOP 1:46
VT 16, UP 21
UP - Conner, J. 1 yd run (Blewitt, C. kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:33
VT 19, UP 21
VT - Slye, Joey 26 yd field goal 12 plays, 70 yards, TOP 4:27
VT 22, UP 21
VT - Slye, Joey 37 yd field goal 7 plays, 50 yards, TOP 2:03
VT 29, UP 21
VT - Williams, M 2 yd run (Slye, Joey kick), 5 plays, 68 yards, TOP 1:37
VT 29, UP 29
UP - O'Neill, B. 5 yd run (Conner, J. pass), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:42
VT 32, UP 29
VT - Slye, Joey 22 yd field goal 10 plays, 70 yards, TOP 3:46
VT 39, UP 29
VT - Ford, I 16 yd pass from Evans, J (Slye, Joey kick) 3 plays, 57 yards, TOP 0:31
VT 39, UP 36
UP - Weah, J. 7 yd pass from Peterman, N. (Blewitt, C. kick) 7 plays, 90 yards, TOP 1:32
