Virginia Tech hands Pitt its first shutout in 11 years

BLACKSBURG, Va. — The opportunity was there Saturday for Pitt to make a loud statement about its football program.

In the end, however, that was just one reason why the final score — Virginia Tech 28, Pitt 0 — hurt so much as the Panthers (7-4, 4-3) walked quietly out of their locker room underneath Lane Stadium. There are many other factors that led to Pitt’s first shutout loss since the 2008 Sun Bowl.

It would have been a victory of significant proportions, likely propelling the Panthers among the top 25 teams in the nation, making people listen seriously when the name Pitt is mentioned on national broadcasts. It would have kept alive hopes for a repeat ACC Coastal championship and a bid to the Orange Bowl.

Even coach Pat Narduzzi talked openly two days before the game about how Pitt’s eighth victory would give his team “a chance to get No. 9 … a chance to get No. 10. There are those things, I think, (players) think about. They want to leave their mark, their legacy here in Pitt football in 2019.”

But the loss had Narduzzi changing direction, worried more about immediate issues than how many victories his team will earn this season.

“You can worry about maybe nine, 10 (victories),” he told a reporter after the game. “I’m worried about the next game. I wasn’t worried about the number of games and wins. I’m worried about beating Virginia Tech, and we didn’t get that done. I certainly wasn’t counting any.”

At the outset of his postgame session with reporters, Narduzzi made a short list of the problems that surfaced during the game.

“I’m not happy with a lot of things,” he said. “Too many penalties (10 for a loss of 67 yards), 0 for 3 on fourth down. Three critical fourth downs (where Pitt needed 2, 1 and 3 yards to convert) and we don’t make any plays.”

Then, when it was suggested maybe the steady rain, the blocking by his offensive line and the dropped passes might have played a role, he agreed.

“Put a tally next to each one of those,” he said. “It’s not just one thing. It’s a bunch of things. They played harder and faster than we did up front.”

Pitt finished with only 177 total yards (60 on the ground), reached the red zone only once and failed to get a first down on six possessions. Quarterback Kenny Pickett either threw poorly or watched his receivers drop several passes. He finished 10 of 26 for 103 yards after throwing for 359 last week against North Carolina.

“We didn’t show up,” he said. “Defense played well. We didn’t show up offensively.”

When he was asked about the mood inside the locker room, he said, “How would you expect the postgame locker room (to be)? That’s a pretty easy question to answer.”

Pickett’s worst play of the game did not show up on his stat line. His biggest mistake was a fumble that Virginia Tech’s Norrell Pollard returned 7 yards for a touchdown.

That score came 9 seconds after James Mitchell’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:16 left in the first quarter. It was set up by a 71-yard pass-and-run play to wide receiver Tayvion Robinson that was facilitated by two missed tackles near the sideline.

Virginia Tech (8-3, 5-2), which will play at Virginia next Friday in a winner-take-all game for the Coastal championship, had two 90-yard scoring drives. The Hokies added two touchdowns in the second half when quarterback Hendon Hooker threw short passes to wide receivers Tre Turner and Damon Hazelton. He finished 10 of 13 for 153 yards.

In the second quarter, Pitt showed some fight and advanced to the Hokies’ 10-yard line on 31- and 19-yard completions to Jared Wayne and Taysir Mack.

But on fourth-and-2 from the 10, Narduzzi ignored the field goal. The call was a quick pass to running back V’Lique Carter that might have worked, but Pickett was hurried by blitzing defensive back Chamarri Conner. The ball was slightly behind Carter, who dropped it.

In the second half, Carter caught a pass for 21 yards to the Virginia Tech 8, but it was called back by holding.

Co-captain Jimmy Morrissey said the offense “came out flat.”

“Their defense came out ready to play and we didn’t answer the call,” Morrissey said. “They outplayed us. Extremely frustrating.”

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