Virginia Tech has now passed its three toughest ACC Coastal tests with wins over North Carolina, Miami and now Pittsburgh after taking down the Panthers by winning a 39-36 shootout on the road Thursday night.
The Hokies leaned on the arm of quarterback Jerod Evans and the hands of wide receiver Isaiah Ford, who on multiple occasions made spectacular catches to help out the Hokies. Against the aggressive Pitt defense, which leaves its corners in single-man coverage on the outside, Virginia Tech consistently attacked over the top as Evans threw for 406 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Virginia Tech took advantage of mismatches with its big targets -- Ford and Bucky Hodges -- and uneven ACC officiating. Ford finished the game with 10 receptions for 141 yards and one touchdown, while Hodges had six catches for 145 yards.
Pitt's offense did its best to keep pace with the Hokies, who left a lot of points on the board by kicking six field goals deep in Pitt territory. The Panthers did their damage on the ground with star James Conner leading the way with 141 rushing yards and three touchdowns, but the Virginia Tech passing attack got the job done to maintain the Hokies spot on top of the ACC Coastal division.
Virginia Tech now owns the tiebreaker over North Carolina and Pittsburgh in the Coastal division race. Its final three ACC games are against Duke, Georgia Tech and Virginia, all of which the Hokies will be favored by more than a touchdown.
If they are able to win those three games, the Hokies will earn a trip to the ACC title game for the first time since 2011. The turnaround under first-year coach Justin Fuente this season has been remarkable for a team that struggled to reach bowl eligibility a year ago and many felt lacked the depth to compete in the Coastal.
A first-year coach winning the Coastal division would not shock too many, but that it could be Fuente at Virginia Tech -- not Mark Richt at Miami -- is an outcome few saw coming in 2016.
