SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 12, 2013
No. 25 Virginia Tech 19, Pittsburgh 9: Cody Journell kicked four field goals and the host Hokies rode suffocating defense to beat the Panthers.
Virginia Tech (6-1, 3-0 ACC) held Pittsburgh without a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, with just 210 yards of total offense while registering eight sacks. Logan Thomas passed for 239 yards and a first-quarter touchdown while Journell added field goals of 48, 37, 42 and 23 yards for the Hokies.
The Panthers (3-2, 2-2) defense kept the them in the game, holding Virginia Tech to 76 yards rushing. Quarterback Tom Savage completed 13-of-28 passes for 187 yards and the rush game averaged just 0.9 yards per attempt.
Thomas hit Kalvin Cline on a 27-yard touchdown with 10:11 left in the first quarter for the Hokies’ lone touchdown. Journell kicked his first field goal later in the first quarter, but Pittsburgh pulled within 10-3 at halftime on Chris Blewitt’s 47-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining.
Journell added two third-quarter field goals to extend the lead to 16-3, and his final field goal with 3:27 left came after Virginia Tech stopped the Panthers on fourth down. Savage scored Pittsburgh’s only touchdown on a 9-yard run with 2:01 to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Hokies DE Dadi Nicolas finished with three sacks - one off the school record. … Savage’s touchdown was only the fourth rushing score allowed by Virginia Tech in seven games. … Devin Street caught five passes for 104 yards for the Panthers.