Cavaliers knock off No. 18 Panthers on the road, 24-19

By Scott Ratcliffe

Virginia overcame some self-inflicted damage and boosted its postseason hopes with a 24-19 ACC road upset over No. 18 Pitt Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in the Steel City.

The Cavaliers (5-4, 3-3 ACC) scored a pair of touchdowns late in the third quarter and grabbed the lead for good in the process, as the Panthers (7-2, 3-2) went for two to tie it up at 21-21 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t come through.

UVA’s Will Bettridge added some insurance with a 32-yard field goal with just over two minutes to go, pushing the advantage to five points.

Pitt had a chance to win it with a touchdown on the ensuing drive, but Pittsburgh native Corey Thomas Jr. came away with a game-sealing interception with 1:40 to play, and the Wahoos were able to run out the clock, pick up their third road win of the year and take one more step towards a possible bowl appearance.

“We believe that we can win any game that we play,” said Virginia head coach Tony Elliott, “and so it’s just good for these guys to come out and play well, find a way to win in an environment like this on the road.”

Trailing by six at halftime, Virginia’s offense continued to struggle to start the third quarter, producing a pair of three-and-out punts on its first two drives of the half. Anthony Colandrea engineered the go-ahead score when he got it back.

The second-year quarterback started the march with a 12-yard pass to Tyler Neville, then found Chris Tyree for nine more before hustling 29 yards himself, setting up a 24-yard toss on the next play to Xavier Brown — his second TD of the game — to make it 14-13 Hoos with 5:39 left in the third.

A crucial Jonas Sanker interception deep in Pitt territory on the Panthers’ ensuing possession set up a Kobe Pace 3-yard score, making it 21-13 with 3:34 left in the third.

Pitt lost both starting quarterback Eli Holstein and leading receiver Konata Mumpfield to injuries during the game, but rallied together and fought hard until the final whistle.

The Panthers cut it to two, 21-19, with 10:52 left on a 4-yard touchdown pass from backup QB Nate Yarnell to tight end Gavin Bartholomew, then decided to go for the two-point conversion. Yarnell found Bartholomew again on the try, but Pitt was flagged for holding, the retry was unsuccessful, and the Hoos clung to the slim lead, ultimately hanging on for the win.

Pitt fans were visibly and audibly upset with the re-do of a critical fourth-and-1 on Virginia’s next drive. Grady Brosterhous entered the game for his “Grady Bunch” tush-push play hooing to keep the chains moving, and he appeared to be stopped just short of the line to gain.

However, it was announced — to a loud chorus of boos — that the officials were “not in position” on the play, and Pace took advantage of his second opportunity, picking up the first down en route to the Bettridge boot, all to the home crowd’s dismay.

Virginia will now have three chances to collect its sixth victory of the season and qualify for bowl eligibility, but it won’t be easy. Those three remaining opponents have a combined overall record of 21-7 (.750 winning percentage).

It was a slugfest across the opening 30 minutes of Saturday’s game, with neither team scoring in the opening quarter, but it was the Hoos who got on the board first.

Suderian Harrison completed a 27-yard double-reverse toss back to Colandrea, setting up a Brown touchdown plunge from a yard out with 14:17 until halftime to make it 7-0.

The Panthers’ offense sputtered with a trio of three-and-outs over their first four possessions, but tied the game on a Daniel Carter 1-yard run with 4:48 left in the second quarter. Ben Sauls tacked on a pair of field goals in the final two minutes and Pitt took a 13-7 lead into the break.

On the day, UVA posted 340 yards of total offense (170 passing, 170 rushing), while holding the Panthers — who averaged 444.8 total yards and 38.9 points per game coming in — to 292 yards and 19 points.

Colandrea was 16 for 24 for 143 yards and a touchdown (two interceptions) while rushing 14 times for a net of 40 yards. Brown and Pace provided a solid one-two backfield punch, combining for 170 yards of total offense on 33 touches.

Tyree led the team in receiving with 42 yards on four grabs, while Malachi Fields was bottled up but still managed to keep his consecutive games-with-at-least-one-catch streak alive (2 receptions, 11 yards), now up to 23 games. Andre Greene added 30 yards on three catches.

Sanker, who also blocked a Sauls field-goal attempt midway through the third quarter, racked up 5 tackles (4 solo) and made a couple of other humongous stops throughout the contest to contribute to the much-needed victory, which snapped a three-game losing skid. Fellow safety Antonio Clary was injured again in the third quarter and was spotted on crutches on the sideline.

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• The Cavaliers improved to 5-10 all-time against Pitt and 3-7 against the Panthers as members of the ACC.
• Virginia is now 2-5 all-time at Acrisure Stadium with its only other victory coming in 2019 (30-14).
• Virginia has won two of its last three games against AP top-25 opponents. Under head coach Tony Elliott, UVA improved to 2-2 against ranked foes.
• UVA is 4-0 under Tony Elliott coming off a bye week, including last year’s victory over then-No. 10 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
• UVA is 3-1 on the road this season. The three road wins are the most by Virginia since 2011.
• UVA is 3-1 in night games this season and has won four of its last six night contests dating back to 2023. UVA is 4-2 all-time against the Panthers in night games.
• The Cavaliers improved to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in ACC play. It marks the first five-win season since 2020 and most league wins since earning four in 2021.
• Virginia recorded its first win in an NFL stadium since 2021, when it won at Hard Rock Stadium over Miami. UVA is 4-7 in NFL stadiums since 2018.
• Pitt entered Saturday’s contest 10th in scoring offense (38.9) among FBS teams, and UVA held the Panthers to only 19 points. Pitt’s 19 points are its second-lowest scoring output this season, and fewest in a loss since its 2023 season finale against Duke, when the Panthers also scored 19 points.
• Virginia improved to 3-2 this season when trailing at the half. The last time the Cavaliers trailed at the half and won was against Boston College (Oct. 5) after trailing 14-6.
• With UVA trailing by six in the third quarter, Jonas Sanker blocked a Pitt field goal attempt. It was the first blocked field goal by the Cavaliers since 2021 against William & Mary.
• UVA did not allow the Panthers’ defense, which entered Saturday’s game second nationally in defensive touchdowns (four) and pick sixes (four), to score.
• For the second time this season, the Cavalier secondary came up with two interceptions. This year, UVA also recorded a pair against BC. The last time the Hoos recorded two interceptions on the road was against Miami in 2023.
• UVA tied its season high of seven QB hurries. The Cavaliers also recorded seven QB hurries in its 31-30 win on the road at night against Wake Forest.

Player Notes

• Pittsburgh native Corey Thomas Jr. came up with an interception with 1:42 left in the game on Pitt’s final drive. It is Thomas Jr.’s first interception of the season and first interception since his freshman year (2019) at Akron.
• With two receptions for 11 yards, Malachi Fields extended his streak with at least one reception to 23 games. Fields now has 119 career receptions, only one shy from cracking UVA’s top-15 career receptions list.
• Fields passed Heath Miller (2002-04) on UVA’s all-time receiving yards list. Fields now has 1,706 career receiving yards, good for 11th all-time in school history.
• Kempton Shine made his 34th consecutive career start dating back to his tenure at Eastern Michigan. Entering Saturday’s contest against the Panthers, Shine was one of only seven FBS defensive backs with at least 30 consecutive starts.
• Terrell Jones made his first career start at defensive end. Jones finished with a career-high six tackles, including four solo and 1.5 for-loss.
• Chico Bennett Jr.’s 18-game start streak came to a close, which began with the Cavaliers’ 2023 home opener against James Madison. Bennett Jr. Finished with two tackles, including 0.5 for-loss, and one QB hurry.
• With a 24-yard catch in the first quarter, Andre Greene Jr. recorded the longest reception of his career. Greene also finished with a career-high 30 receiving yards on three catches.
• On the first play of the second quarter, quarterback Anthony Colandrea hauled in a 27-yard reception on a pass from wide receiver Suderian Harrison. It was the first reception by a UVA QB since Brennan Armstrong’s 18-yard reception against Illinois on Sept. 11, 2021.
• Immediately following the Colandrea reception, Xavier Brown scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and second of his career from Pitt’s 1-yard line. His other rushing TD came on Nov. 5, 2022, against North Carolina.
• With a 66-yard boot in the third quarter, Daniel Sparks now has 15 career punts (13 at UVA) of 60 yards or more. He eclipsed the 11 career 60-yard punts by Russ Henderson (1975-78) for the most ever by a Cavalier. It’s also Sparks’ furthest since his career-long 70-yard punt against BC in 2023.
• Chris Tyree recorded season highs in both receiving (42) and rushing (13) yards.
• Jam Jackson was credited with a half-sack in the second quarter, his first career takedown of a quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.
• With one made field goal and three successful PATs, placekicker Will Bettridge (2022-pres.) cracked UVA’s top-15 career points list. Bettridge now has 190 career points and passed Bill Dudley (1939-41) on the all-time list.

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers will remain on the road next weekend, as they travel to South Bend to face 10th-ranked Notre Dame on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on NBC.