The ACC’s second-leading receiver, Tyler Boyd (274 yards, 1 TD), will be on display when the Pittsburgh Panthers meet the Virginia Cavaliers. The Panthers currently hold a 3-1 record, and the Cavaliers have gone 1-3. Players will take the field Saturday, Oct 10 at 12:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESP3 and ACCN.
Pittsburgh beat Virginia Tech 17-13 last week. J.P. Holtz had a solid game in the win, totaling one reception for 23 yards and one TD. Qadree Ollison also had a big game with 122 rushing yards and a TD on 19 attempts. Virginia didn’t have the same success as Pittsburgh, getting blown out by Boise State 56-14. T.J. Thorpe had a good game for the Cavaliers, registering one reception for 75 yards and one TD.
The Panthers, a 10-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Virginia visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable at the moment.
The Panthers enter the game with a record of 3-1 Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS) this season. The Panthers have an efficient passing attack that has a completion percentage of 66.3%, good enough for 21st in the country. Transitioning to the Pittsburgh defense, there are a few things to keep in mind when it is on the field. Expect the fifth-ranked Panthers run defense to cause headaches for the Cavaliers run game. The Panthers give up 72.5 rushing yards per game. A pivotal part of the game will be whether the Cavaliers can protect their quarterback from Pittsburgh’s hungry defense. It averages the most sacks in the nation with 4.5 per game. The Panthers could be able to pounce on Virginia’s struggles during the third quarter, when they give up 11.2 points per game. Don’t anticipate many blunders and oversights from Pittsburgh. The Panthers are one of the least penalized teams in Division I (25th), averaging only five penalties per game.
On the other side, the Cavaliers have 1-3 SU and ATS records this season. The Cavaliers need to capitalize on opportunities against the porous pass protection of Pittsburgh, which ranks 119th in the country in sacks allowed with 3.2 per game. The Cavaliers can take advantage of Pittsburgh’s bad habit of giving up points heading into halftime. They allow 9.5 points during the second quarter, ranking 101st in Division I.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pittsburgh, ATS Winner – Pittsburgh
Notes
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Pittsburgh’s last 10 games.
Pittsburgh is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home.
Virginia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road.
Virginia is 1-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Pittsburgh is 3-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Dating back to last year, Virginia is only 3-5 SU against ACC opponents, while Pittsburgh is 5-4 SU against in-conference foes.
