Pitt destroys Tech 28-7

Pitt 28 - VT 7

The Pitt Panthers took the Hokies to the woodshed and beat them 28-7 in a game that was never in doubt. Off the strength of a 22-37, 203-yard performance, Kenny Pickett picked apart the Hokies in a windy day in Blacksburg.

The first scoring drive for Pitt was a 5:53 preview of coming attractions. 94 yards and 15 plays where Pitt was able to do just about whatever it desired. The drive was capped off by an 8-yard pass from Kenny Pickett to Gavin Bartholomew and a 7-0 lead.

This isn’t to say that the defense for the Hokies didn’t do everything in its power to keep the game manageable. They got after Kenny Pickett with their front 4, often times bringing 3 and having a single defender spying him before rushing when the time seemed right. While this only led to 1 sack, it got Pickett off of the spot and allowed for the wind and defense to play tricks on him enough to miss a number of passes and get him off of the field for a large portion of the 1st and 2nd Quarters.

Unfortunately, for the Hokies, Kenny Pickett’s issues during that time looked minuscule compared to Braxton Burmeister. His 11-32, 134-yard performance was saddening. On seemingly every drive, the Hokies would throw the ball 30-40 yards downfield hoping against hope for one of our guys to comedown with the ball. You can blame the wind, the refs, the play calling, or not being able to throw a clean ball, but those throws sailed to the ground and left Tech in 3rd and long situations they were unable to get away from.

Pitt had plenty of time to get their offense in gear, which they did at the end of the 2nd Quarter, scoring 2 touchdowns and effectively ending the game.

The 2nd half saw another touchdown for Kenny and the boys before the Hokies, finally, got into the end zone off an amazing one-hand grab from Tayvion Robinson.

Pitt now has a stranglehold on the Coastal Division of the ACC. While they play Clemson next weekend, the rest of the games look to be very winnable, and who knows about Clemson at this point.

The Hokies are in a spot. While it is possible they could get a few wins a row and go on a run, it’s hard to see that happening. Syracuse at home next weekend will end the homestand and give an important glimpse into what the rest of the season holds for Virginia Tech.

Something has to change or there will be changes in management, sooner rather than later.