PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh broke a three-game losing streak with a 21-16 win over Virginia Tech on Thursday night at Heinz Field.
The Panthers (4-3, 2-1) outgained the Hokies with a 331-291 yardage advantage. Quarterback Chad Voytik passed for 92 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 118 yards on 19 carries. Tailback James Conner rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
Virginia Tech’s offense, meanwhile, was punchless for most of the game. The Hokies went almost 24 minutes before getting their first first down of the game.
Hokies quarterback Michael Brewer passed for 265 yards and a touchdown. Tech rushed for 26 total yards on 22 carries.
Freshman Joey Slye kicked three field goals to account for all of the Hokies’ points before Brewer connected with freshman wide receiver Cam Phillips on a 14-yard touchdown completion with 4:52 left in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers are back in the ACC’s Coastal Division picture after suffering a loss to division opponent Virginia 10 days ago.
Virginia Tech’s last win at Pittsburgh came on Oct. 30, 1999. The Hokies (4-3), 0-4 all time at Heinz Field, have started with a 1-2 record in ACC play in two of the last three seasons. They opened with the same mark in 2012 en route to a 4-5 conference record.
Tech cut Pitt’s lead to 14-9 on Slye’s 21-yard field goal with 11:32 remaining in the third quarter.
The Hokies had a chance to do further damage in the fourth quarter, but Brewer airmailed a pass attempt to Willie Burn on fourth-and-2 from the Panthers’ 38-yard line.
Pitt scored a short time later. Voytik broke off a 49-yard run and Conner scored his second touchdown on a 13-yard run to make it 21-9 with 13:07 left in the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh scored first on a 53-yard touchdown pass from Voytik to Boyd midway through the first quarter.
The Panthers lulled the Hokies defense to sleep with six straight runs on the scoring drive and then struck for their biggest play of the season. Boyd beat cornerback Kendall Fuller on the reception, and Tech safety Kyshoen Jarrett was caught out of position trying to come up with an interception.
Despite going almost the first 24 minutes without a first down, the Hokies still managed a 42-yard Slye field goal with 8:44 left in the second quarter to make it 7-3.
Pittsburgh turned a fumble into a touchdown late in the second quarter. Defensive back Reggie Mitchell stripped the ball from Hokies tailback J.C. Coleman, and nose tackle K.K. Mosley-Smith recovered at the Hokies 22.
Conner scored a short time later, breaking three tackles en route to a 15-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers ahead 14-3.
Slye kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to pull Tech to 14-6.
NOTES: Pitt’s 53-yard first-quarter touchdown was its longest play of the season. … Virginia Tech made its record 28th ESPN Thursday night appearance. … WR Tyler Boyd completed a 29-yard wide receiver pass to QB Chad Voytik in the first quarter. It was the first attempt and completion of Boyd’s career and the first reception of Voytik’s career. … Hokies junior DT Corey Marshall had his first career interception in the second quarter. It led to Slye’s second field goal. … Tech freshman Greg Stroman had a career-long 38-yard punt return in the second quarter.
