By Garin Turner
The Pittsburgh Panthers (3-2, 0-1 ACC) are at home for the third straight week as they face the Virginia Tech Hokies (2-3, 1-1 ACC) Saturday at 3:30 pm EST on the ACC Network. Both teams are coming off of losses last week with the Hokies looking to avoid a third straight loss.
The Hokies lead the series record 11-10. They’re coming off a 41-10 loss to North Carolina. Pitt lost to Georgia Tech 26-21. Virginia Tech has struggled so far this year scoring points. They’re averaging 18.2 a game and have only scored 10 in back-to-back games. The defense has allowed 22.2 points a game.
DL’s Cole Nelson, TyJuan Garbutt, and C.J. McCary each have two sacks for the Hokies. LB Dax Hollifield leads the team with 40 tackles.
On offense, Grant Wells has thrown for five touchdowns and six interceptions. He comes into the game with 983 yards in the air. Keshawn King has 231 yards rushing on 38 attempts and a touchdown. Kaleb Smith is the leading receiver with 250 yards and two scores. He’s second on the team with receptions with 16.
For Pitt, QB Kedon Slovis has 997 yards passing with five touchdowns. Israel Abanikanda has 93 carries for 510 yards and six touchdowns. Four different receivers have double-digitcatches on the season. Jared Wayne ( 19 rec, 354 yards, 1 TD), Konata Mumpfield (24 rec, 257 yards, 1 TD), Gavin Bartholomew (11 rec, 188 yards, 2 TDs), and Bub Means (14 rec, 141 yards) lead the way.
SirVocea Dennis and Calijah Kancey both have three sacks for Pitt. David Green has 2.5.
