Pitt soundly defeats Virginia Tech 28-7 in Blacksburg

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports Pitt and Virginia Tech met at Lane Stadium on a blustery day in Blacksburg, and although a close matchup between the rivals was expected, the Panthers defied expectations by blowing out the Hokies 28-7 on their home field and improving to 5-1 on the season.

After an exchange of stalled drives to start the game, Pitt drew first blood, as Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett led the team down the field on its second drive of the day and capped off a 94-yard trek with an eight-yard play-action pass to Panthers tight end Gavin Bartholomew. Bartholomew would ramble into the end zone past Hokies defensive back Nasir Peoples for the first touchdown of his career, and…