After back-to-back losses, Virginia Tech heads north to Acrisure Stadium looking to get back to .500 while they take on a Pittsburgh team hungry for redemption after a shocking loss to Georgia Tech last week. Here are our picks for the Hokies against the Panthers.
Tim Thomas
Yes, Pittsburgh just lost to Georgia Tech but this is a much better team than that game which seems like one of, if not the, biggest miracle of the season so far. Meanwhile, the Hokies face another stiff challenge that you could argue may be the best team that Tech has played to date.
Tech is going need their offense to find some sort of momentum after another disappointing performance last week. The running game was somewhat better than what they did against West Virginia but still was bad while Grant Wells needs to make some big plays or else points will be very hard to come by.
This defense has run into some stiff competition the past two weeks with this game being a relief especially if Israel Abanikanda is out. If Dorian Strong is out again, Tech will need Armani Chatman and Brion Murray to find their form against a Pitt receiving corps that is solid but not spectacular.
This may not be as ugly as the Broncos-Colts game on Thursday night, but this is going to be a low-scoring affair with Pitt dominating the time of possession and pulling away late despite a solid defensive performance.
Pick: Pittsburgh 20, Virginia Tech 6
Ryan Duvall
Following a dreadful two week stint from the Hokies in which they were blown out by longtime rival West Virginia, then picked apart by Drake Maye and North Carolina, Virginia Tech faces another tough test. This time, it’s the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Pitt, who started the season as the No.17 team in the nation (according to the AP poll), has faced a number of ups and downs to start their 2022 campaign.
The Panthers currently sit at 3-2, and have completely dropped out of the national rankings following last week’s shocking loss to Georgia Tech. The early season struggles for Pitt are not entirely on USC transfer Kedon Slovis, but it does go to show that having an NFL caliber quarterback can make all the difference, as Kenny Pickett (now the Pittsburgh Steelers QB1) took the Panthers to a “New Year's Six” bowl last season.
Nonetheless, Pitt is still a force to be reckoned with in the Coastal division, meaning this is a prove-it game in terms of ACC play.
The biggest question mark for Tech is Grant Wells. The Marshall transfer has been less than stellar, totalling five touchdowns to six interceptions thus far. If Wells can’t manage the game the way Brent Pry and company have hoped for, it may be Jason Brown’s job sooner rather than later.
I think the game will be more competitive than the 14.5 point spread shows, but I can't envision the Hokies taking this one.
