Out of all of Virginia Tech’s prior opponents this season, in the big picture this edition of the Pitt Panthers reminds me most of Georgia Tech. With all due respect to Bill Parcells, Pitt is one of those teams that’s better than its record indicates. It’s also a veteran team with a tricky offense and a defense that’s inconsistent from week to week.
Offense
Pitt is yet another team that relies on the ground game. You’ve heard of “three-headed monster” running games—well, Pitt has a five-headed hydra or something. Hokie fans know well how shifty bruisers Qadree Ollison (#30) and Darrin Hall (#22) at tailback and fleet receiver Maurice Ffrench (#2) have picked up yards over the years. The bonus is that this year, QB Kenny Pickett (#8) has evolved from statue to deft, dangerous scrambler, and true freshman V’Lique Carter (#19) moved over from scout DB to suddenly become a homerun threat on the perimeter.