Football

Week 5 Friday Preview: Unbeaten Pitt, Virginia Tech Kick Off ACC Football Action

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Week 5 of Atlantic Coast Conference football kicks off under the Friday night lights, as undefeated Pitt travels to undefeated Virginia Tech for a 7 p.m. ET showdown on ESPN. Both teams enter the matchup at 4-0, making the ACC clash one of only two games nationally in Week 5 featuring a pair of undefeated FBS teams and the only such matchup on Friday night.
 
The Friday night showdown opens a nine-game ACC weekend that continues Saturday with No. 3 Notre Dame visiting North Carolina at noon ET on ESPN before the weekend culminates with No. 4 Miami traveling to Clemson for a 7:30 p.m. ET primetime matchup on ABC.
 

Friday, October 2
Pitt at Virginia Tech | 7 p.m.  ET
Series: Virginia Tech leads series, 12-11
Last meeting: Virginia Tech, 38-21 (2023)
TV: ESPN
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 169 / SiriusXM 173 / SiriusXM 234
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 169 / SiriusXM 958
  • Pitt and Virginia Tech both enter 4-0 overall and 1-0 in ACC play, making Friday night's ESPN matchup one of just four games nationally in Week 5 featuring two undefeated FBS teams. Pitt and Virginia Tech are two of the ACC's four remaining unbeaten teams.
  • Friday marks the 24th all-time meeting between the programs. Pitt holds a 6-5 edge in ACC meetings and has won three of the last four matchups, including a 28-7 victory in its most recent trip to Blacksburg in 2021.
  • Both teams have been disruptive defensively. Pitt ranks No. 3 nationally in scoring defense at 8.5 points per game, while Virginia Tech leads the nation with 11.3 tackles-for-loss per game and ranks third with 4.25 sacks per contest.
  • Pitt has outscored its first four opponents 157-34 (+123), holding every opponent to 14 points or fewer this season. The Panthers have yet to surrender a point in either the first or third quarter this season.
  • Pitt ranks second in the ACC in total defense (244.5 ypg) and allows just 53.3 rushing yards per game. The Panthers are coming off a 59-0 shutout of Bucknell in which they surrendered only 136 total yards.
  • QB Mason Heintschel threw for 403 yards and six touchdowns last week, becoming the first quarterback in ACC history with multiple six-TD passing games in the same season. He has 1,191 passing yards and 13 touchdowns through four games.
  • Virginia Tech has opened 4-0 for the first time in nine years, highlighted by Power Four road victories at Maryland and Boston College. The Hokies are one of only five teams nationally with multiple Power Four road wins.
  • Virginia Tech enters Friday averaging 43.3 points and 463 yards per game, ranking second in the ACC in scoring offense.
  • QB Ethan Grunkemeyer has thrown for 1,012 yards and eight touchdowns while completing 74.3 percent of his passes.
  • RB Jeffrey Overton Jr. rushed for 209 yards at Boston College, including a 76-yard go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. He has 409 rushing yards at 6.8 yards per carry this season and was named ACC Running Back of the Week following the performance.