Pitt
9-2 , 6-1
Virginia
6-5 , 4-3
Pickett, Addison Lead No. 18 Pitt to 48-38 Win over Virginia, ACC Coastal Title
11/20/2021 8:00:00 PM | Football
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kenny Pickett, Jordan Addison and No. 18 Pitt took the chaos out of the ACC's Coastal Division.
Pickett threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns — all of them to Addison — in his final collegiate game at Heinz Field and the Panthers claimed their second Coastal title in four years with a 48-38 victory over Virginia on Saturday night.
The Panthers (9-2, 6-1 ACC) earned a trip to Charlotte on Dec. 4 by relying heavily on the best quarterback-wide receiver combination in the country. Addison's four scores tied a school record and boosted his season total to 15, tops in FBS.
Pitt needed every single one of them.
The Cavaliers (6-5, 4-3) kept hanging around until Addison out-jumped a defender for a ball and raced the rest of the way for a 62-yard touchdown with 2:10 remaining that let the Panthers finally exhale. Addison, a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award given to the best wide receiver in the country, finished with 14 receptions for 202 yards.
Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong returned from a one-game absence due to injury to throw for 487 yards with three touchdowns and an interception but was also sacked five times. When Armstrong's fourth-down pass to Jelani Woods fell incomplete with 1:19 to play, Pickett came on for a couple of kneel downs, his performance book-ending his breakout as a true freshman in an upset of then-No. 2 Miami four years ago.
Pickett added to his ever-growing stash of school records when he broke Rod Rutherford's mark for yards passing in a single season (3,679) and smashed Rutherford and Hall of Famer Dan Marino's standard for touchdowns responsible for in one year (40) on his last heave to Addison.
THE TAKEAWAY
Virginia: The offense is good enough to compete for an ACC title. The defense is not. The Cavaliers surrendered 509 yards and had no answer for Addison. Whenever the Panthers found themselves in a tight spot, Pickett would look for Addison, who was often wide open.
Pitt: Head coach Pat Narduzzi's program finally seems to have achieved a true breakthrough in year seven. The Panthers have their first nine-win season since 2009 with two more games to go before whatever bowl they might land in.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Pitt (No. 20 AP/No. 19 Coaches) is likely to rise when the next poll comes out Sunday. The Panthers will likely also reach another high point in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Virginia: Welcomes Virginia Tech to Scott Stadium next Saturday. The Hokies have won 16 of 17 against the Cavaliers.
Pitt: Will try to extend its mastery over Syracuse when the Panthers wrap up the regular season on the road next Saturday. Pitt is 7-1 against the Orange since both schools joined the ACC in 2013.
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Team Stats
UVA 7, PIT 0
UVA - Thompson,Keytaon 3 yd pass from Armstrong,Brennan (Farrell,Brendan kick) 10 plays, 70 yards, TOP 04:32
UVA 7, PIT 7
PIT - Addison,Jordan 11 yd pass from Pickett,Kenny (Scarton,Sam kick) 10 plays, 88 yards, TOP 03:23
UVA 7, PIT 14
PIT - Addison,Jordan 18 yd pass from Pickett,Kenny (Scarton,Sam kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:54
UVA 14, PIT 14
UVA - Hollins,Mike 2 yd run (Farrell,Brendan kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:09
UVA 14, PIT 21
PIT - Abanikanda,Israel 98 yd kickoff return (Scarton,Sam kick)
UVA 14, PIT 24
PIT - Scarton,Sam 36 yd field goal 7 plays, 20 yards, TOP 02:25
UVA 21, PIT 24
UVA - Woods,Jelani 7 yd pass from Armstrong,Brennan (Farrell,Brendan kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:57
UVA 24, PIT 24
UVA - Farrell,Brendan 30 yd field goal 4 plays, yards, TOP 01:28
UVA 24, PIT 31
PIT - Addison,Jordan 34 yd pass from Pickett,Kenny (Scarton,Sam kick) 5 plays, 55 yards, TOP 01:53
UVA 31, PIT 31
UVA - Thompson,Keytaon 8 yd run (Farrell,Brendan kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:26
UVA 31, PIT 34
PIT - Scarton,Sam 23 yd field goal 10 plays, 70 yards, TOP 03:20
UVA 31, PIT 41
PIT - Hammond Jr.,Rodney 1 yd run (Scarton,Sam kick), 15 plays, 78 yards, TOP 05:34
UVA 38, PIT 41
UVA - Henry,Ra'Shaun 39 yd pass from Armstrong,Brennan (Farrell,Brendan kick) 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:25
UVA 38, PIT 48
PIT - Addison,Jordan 62 yd pass from Pickett,Kenny (Scarton,Sam kick) 5 plays, 77 yards, TOP 01:37
