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Virginia Football Claws back to upset Pittsburgh on the road 24-19

Online Niel November 10, 2024

The Charlottesville senior was the hero for the Hoos on Saturday night. Down 13-7, Pittsburgh was set to attempt a field goal to put the game away from Virginia. In response, Jonas Sanker blocked a Pittsburgh field goal, sparking a touchdown drive that put Virginia ahead, a lead the Cavaliers held for the rest of the game.

The blocked goal changed the face of the game, sparking a massive 24-19 win for Virginia Cavaliers (5-4, 3-3 ACC) over the No. 18 Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2, 3-2 ACC) on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The upset win puts the Cavaliers within a game of bowl eligibility as Tony Elliott is now 4-0 as Virginia’s head coach.

The game started well for the Cavaliers with a punt return by Ethan Davies putting the Virginia offense in Pittsburgh territory to start the drive. The Hoos managed two first downs before Malachi Fields made an easy catch that led to an interception in the red zone, a painful mistake for the Cavaliers.

A stalemate ensued after that, ending early in the second quarter as the Cavaliers found momentum with 20-yard gains from Kobe Pace and Andre Greene Jr. After that, a trick play saw Suderian Harrison throw a 27-yard pass to Anthony Colandrea. to put Virginia on the one-yard line. Xavier Brown scored a touchdown one play later.

In response, the Panthers rattled off 13 straight points to end the first half, which was aided by an interception thrown by Colandrea directly to a Pitt linebacker, putting Pitt in prime field position.

In the half, Virginia’s offense struggled until Jonas Sanker sparked the Hoos. Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein suffered an injury on a late snap, forcing him to leave the game. The 15-yard penalty, which also resulted in Trey McDonald being ejected from the game for targeting, helped put the Panthers in field goal range as they looked to close out the game.

Sanker had other ideas, blocking the field goal, which sparked a 73-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown reception by Xavier Brown. On the ensuing Pittsburgh drive, backup quarterback Nate Yarnell was picked off by Sanker, who returned the ball to the Pitt 20-yard line, setting up another Cavaliers touchdown, giving the Hoos a 21-13.

In the fourth quarter, Yarnell found some confidence, leading the Panthers down the field for a score to cut the lead to two as Pittsburgh failed the two-point conversion. After that, Colandrea led a 16-play, 60-yard drive that chewed eight minutes and 26 seconds off the clock, with the drive ending with a Will Bettridge field goal to make it 24- 19.

With less than two minutes left, Yarnell tried to rally for a game-winning touchdown drive, which fell short as Pittsburgh native Corey Thomas Jr. came up with a huge interception, sealing the upset win for Virginia.

After snapping a three-game losing streak and with bowl eligibility back in sight, Virginia turns its attention to a road matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 16 at 3:30pm ET.

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