Pitt left Lane Stadium with a 35-33 escape, a 5-0 record and a coach who had plenty to say about the AP poll.
Pat Narduzzi didn’t hide his feelings after the Panthers survived Virginia Tech on Friday night, thanks to Hokies kicker John Love missing a 36-yard field goal on the final play. In his postgame interview with ESPN, Narduzzi went straight at the voters.
"We've got a hell of a football team," Narduzzi said in his postgame interview with ESPN. "Any of those voters out there, if they wake their ass up they might figure that out."
The Panthers were unranked entering the week, sitting seventh in the “others receiving votes” section of the AP poll. After this road win, their first away from home, they should be in position to move closer to the top 25 when the next poll comes out Sunday.
The bigger picture is even more interesting. Pitt’s win moved it into a strong spot in the ACC race, with a major test looming at No.
4 Miami on Oct. 24.
Before that, the Panthers still have a home date with North Carolina next week and a trip to Boston College on Oct. 17.
If they get through those two, they’d take a 7-0 record into that showdown.
Friday’s game, though, was anything but smooth. Virginia Tech led 24-14 before turnovers turned the night around and Pitt found a way to seize control. The Hokies were still dangerous throughout, and the final stat sheet showed just how much pressure Pitt was under.
Virginia Tech finished with 499 total yards and averaged 6.8 yards per play, while Pitt managed 295 yards and 4.8 per snap. The Hokies’ offense leaned heavily on quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who threw for 434 yards but also committed three turnovers.
Pitt was already dealing with a major concern when sophomore Mason Heintschel went out with what appeared to be a knee injury early in the third quarter. Heintschel had entered the night third in the ACC in passing yards, second in touchdowns and fourth in passer rating. When he left, Pitt trailed 24-21.
Backup Holden Geriner held up well enough to keep the Panthers afloat, but the game also tilted in Pitt’s favor because Virginia Tech kept giving possessions away. Heintschel later returned to the sideline on crutches, where he watched the finish unfold with the rest of his teammates.
Then came the kick that stunned Lane Stadium. Love, a fifth-year kicker, had been almost automatic in his career, entering the game 60 for 70 and a perfect 6 for 6 this season.
Virginia Tech even shifted the ball to the right hash to suit his preference and used a timeout with three seconds left to set up the winner. The snap and hold looked clean.
Love reacted as if the kick had gone through. The officials ruled otherwise, signaling it wide left and freezing the crowd.
That miss brought the game to a brutal end for the Hokies and set off Narduzzi’s postgame outburst. It also sent Pitt to 5-0 for the second time in the past three seasons. In 2024, the Panthers didn’t crack the rankings until they were 6-0, eventually climbed to No. 18, and then lost six straight to finish the year.
So yes, Pitt has the record, and it has the coach making noise. But it still has work to do before anyone can call it a true College Football Playoff threat - or a real threat to Miami in the ACC.
In Other News...
Pitt Escaped With A Win Fans Still Aren't Settled On
Pitt walked away with a 35-33 win over Virginia Tech, but the finish left plenty of people around the game looking at the replay instead of the scorebook. John Loves 36-yard field goal attempt as time expired was ruled no good, and the call held even as slow-motion video sparked a fresh round of debate over whether the kick had actually slipped inside the left upright.
The larger issue is what happens next when a game ends on a decision like that and the rules keep the booth from stepping in. Virginia Tech coach James Franklin voiced concern afterward about how clear the ruling was, and while Pitt gets to count the victory, the conversation around this one is likely to linger long after the teams have moved on. [Read more 🡒]
Mason Heintschel Faces A Huge Pitt Test In Hostile Territory
Mason Heintschels season has already offered a little of everything for Pitt, with some games showing the sophomore quarterbacks big-play upside and others reminding everyone how uneven a young passer can be. Now he gets his next major proving ground as the Panthers head to Virginia Tech for their first road game of the season, a setting that will ask as much about poise and command as it does about arm talent.
Heintschel has been unbeaten away from home in his college career, which gives Pitt reason to believe he can handle a difficult night in a hostile stadium. Still, road games have a way of exposing even small cracks, and this one feels especially important for both the quarterback and the Panthers as they try to establish some consistency early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Pitt Gets A Rare Chance To End The Doubts At Virginia Tech
Saturdays trip to Virginia Tech gives Pitt something it does not often get this deep into a season, a clean chance to sort out how real it is. The Panthers and Hokies both arrive at 4-0, both are tucked just outside the AP Poll, and the ACC meeting carries a bit of rarity with it as the first game between two unbeaten power-conference teams that are unranked.
For Pitt, that makes this more than just another road test. It is the kind of matchup that can settle the early doubts that linger around an undefeated team before league play fully starts to frame the race, especially with two programs that have looked sharp enough to keep their records intact but still need proof against a quality opponent. The stakes are simple enough, even if the larger picture is not: leave Blacksburg with the same record, and the conversation around the Panthers changes fast. [Read more 🡒]