Virginia Tech heads into Friday night’s matchup with Pitt carrying plenty of momentum, but the numbers say the Hokies still have work to do.
After outlasting Boston College 21-14 in Chestnut Hill on Saturday, Virginia Tech returns home for a game that already has a little history attached to it. According to The Key Play’s Shelton Moss, this is the first matchup in the history of modern college football between two unranked 4-0 Power Four teams. Moss added that it has happened only three times in any Division I game ever.
That makes Friday’s meeting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN a rare one. It also puts a little extra shine on a Virginia Tech team that has opened 4-0 for the first time since 2017 and is 1-0 in ACC play.
The Hokies started with a 73-3 win over VMI, then handled Old Dominion 44-21 after falling to the Monarchs 45-26 nearly a calendar year earlier. They followed that by snapping their 15-game Power Four non-conference winning streak with a 35-26 win over Maryland in College Park on Sept. 19.
Last time out, though, Tech had to dig in. Boston College led 14-6 in the fourth quarter before the Hokies flipped the game behind a huge finish from sophomore running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. He piled up 140 rushing yards in the final period alone and helped Tech escape with the 21-14 win.
Overton Jr. finished with a career-best 209 rushing yards and earned ACC Running Back of the Week honors. He became the first player since Bhayshul Tuten in 2024, also against Boston College, to top 200 rushing yards. He was also the first Virginia Tech running back since Tuten that week to win the ACC Running Back of the Week award.
The weekly conference recognition has spread around the roster, too. After four games, three Hokies have picked up ACC Player of the Week honors: Overton Jr., tight end Luke Reynolds and defensive lineman Mylachi Williams.
Virginia Tech is listed as a 3.5-point favorite at DraftKings, but Football Power Index sees Pitt as the tougher assignment. FPI projects the Hokies with a 42.2% chance to win on Friday.
If Virginia Tech can get past Pitt, it would move to 5-0 for the first time since 2005.
In Other News...
James Franklin Sends Hokie Nation A Clear Message Before Huge Friday Night
Virginia Tech kept rolling through a messy night in Blacksburg, beating Boston College 21-14 to move to 4-0 despite the kind of weather that can turn a football game into a survival test. It was the sort of win that can say plenty about a teams early season resilience, and it also set up a bigger stage for what comes next at home.
James Franklin has already made it clear the Hokies are looking ahead to a Friday night visit from undefeated Pittsburgh, a matchup that figures to bring plenty of attention and even more energy inside Lane Stadium. The Panthers arrive with sophomore quarterback Mason Heintschel driving the offense and a hot start that includes 13 touchdown passes against just one interception, so the backdrop is set for a test that should tell a lot more about where Virginia Tech stands. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Just Answered A Big Question Before ACC Play
Virginia Tech got one of those early-season wins that can shape the rest of a fall, leaning on depth, patience and a breakout performance from Jeffrey Overton Jr. to knock off Boston College 21-14 and move to 4-0 for the first time since 2017. With several key players unavailable, the Hokies had to piece together enough offense and enough resistance to stay afloat until the game turned late.
Overton, a sophomore running back, was the difference when it mattered most, rushing for 209 yards and breaking free for a 76-yard touchdown that helped fuel the fourth-quarter comeback. For a team about to enter ACC play, the bigger takeaway was not just the record but the way Virginia Tech handled a shorthanded afternoon and found answers from reserves when the pressure started to build. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Faces A Huge Early Test Against Pitts Defense
Virginia Techs next ACC test comes with a little extra weight, because Pitt arrives in Blacksburg with both teams still unbeaten in league play. The Hokies have been one of the conferences most productive offenses so far, ranking second in the ACC in scoring, while Pitt has built its early success on a defense that has not allowed a point in the first or third quarter this season.
Those are the kinds of numbers that tend to make a game feel like a chess match before kickoff, especially with key players and injuries shaping the matchup on both sides. For Virginia Tech, the challenge is clear: get its offense moving early and avoid letting Pitt dictate the games rhythm, because the Panthers have shown they can squeeze space, force long drives and make every possession matter. [Read more 🡒]