Pitt beats the Virginia Tech 52-22 to a level close to the ACC Coastal title

PITTSBURGH – Qadree Ollison examined the line of scrimmage, the Virginia Tech's end zone at 97 yards away and turned to good friend and fellow Pittsburgh, half-offensive Darrin Hall.

"I asked him if he thought I could run that far and he would say," I do not know, "Ollison laughs.

The answer came in 17 seconds, starting with the blocking of textbooks at the time of the takeover. She included a vicious arm extended in the middle of the field and ended when Ollison scoured the goal line to complete the longest offensive game of his 114 year existence of the program. exclamation point as the Panthers took a big step forward to their first CCA coastal division title with a dominant 52-22 victory over the Hokies on Saturday.

"It was perfect," said Ollison after finishing with 235 yards and three touchdowns. "It's like the Red Sea and it's my job to miss a guy. It's my job to overthrow a guy, not to let a guy go after you and after (getting free), I did it. "

However, that's what happened immediately after, according to the Panthers, which says a lot about their team and the bond that has been created between Ollison and Hall over the last four years and has succeeded Alternatively. Ollison's record sprint beat Hall's previous 92-yard record last season against Duke. And Hall could not have been happier.

"I'm glad he got it," Hall said after a 186-yard run and a touchdown on the senior day. "It's a blessing because he deserves it for all he has done for this university."

The Panthers (6-4, 5-1 ACC) racked up a school record of 654 rushing yards, including 492 rushing yards, the second-ever Hokies total (4-5, 3-3).

"Obviously, we had problems and they ran the ball very well," said Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente. "It's a bit odd … we have not played as well as we would have liked."

Ryan Willis had 231 yards and three touchdowns for the Hokies (4-5, 3-3), including two with Eric Kumah, but Virginia Tech's defense barely held up. A season that began with such a promise now shows that the Hokies must win each of their last two matches if they want to extend their series of floor matches to 26 seasons.

"This is not in my mind first," Fuente said. "I have a lot of other things to worry about right now."

Pitt's concerns are very different. The team that was defeated at the end of September after being swept by Central Florida must now win one of the last two games to win the ACC title on the first Saturday in December. .

"I know everyone wanted to leave the ship after this game (UCF), but there was no doubt in my mind," said Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett. "We showed it with our game and our mutual trust."

Despite the stakes, the Panthers insisted on avenging a 20-14 loss to Virginia Tech last November. Pitt had four chances to get out of the goal line in the final seconds of the win at Lane Stadium, before being stopped net. A setback that ultimately prevented the Panthers from winning an auction.

Still, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said he was not worried about his team's ability to deliver results if put in a similar place, and the Panthers spent four quarters setting up a clinical. Hall and Ollison spent most of the afternoon roaring through gaping holes and reacting in the second half every time Virginia Tech tried to get back into the game.

"We got what we wanted," Pickett said. "So it was a good day."

L & # 39; boarding

Virginia Tech: The Hokies do not seem interested in attacking anyone. Defensive coordinator Bud Foster hoped that his young group would have learned after being crushed by Georgia Tech and Boston College. Instead, it was more or less the same. Pitt's offensive line intimidated Virginia Tech on a day when the Panthers averaged 13.9 yards per game.

Pitt: The Panthers have earned a tough reputation for stumbling when they have the opportunity to create a real moment of decisiveness. It seemed that the latest edition of "Pitt-ing" could arrive in the second quarter when Pickett spun in the end zone, Virginia Tech recovered for a touchdown and then scored to draw 17-7. This time, however, the Panthers did not panic. Pickett led two touchdowns before the end of the first half to put the Panthers up 31-7 at the break. The Hokies never got close to the rest of the way.

FOLLOWING

Virginia Tech: Welcomes Miami at Lane Stadium next Saturday.

Pitt: Will visit Wake Forest next Saturday at the first meeting between the two schools since joining ACC in 2013.

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