Hokie ClubThe 13th-ranked Virginia Tech football team will travel to old nemesis Pittsburgh for a non-conference game with the Panthers at Heinz Field. Kick-off is set for 12:01 p.m. on Saturday and the game will be televised on ESPNU. The announcers will be Tom Hart and John Congemi.
The Series
• Saturday’s game will be the 12th football meeting between Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. Tech holds a 7-4 lead in the series, but Pitt has won the last three in the series, including both games played at Heinz Field.
• The schools met for the first time in football at Pitt Stadium during the 1993 season with the Hokies taking a 63-21 win. Tech defeated the Panthers by a score of 45-7 in Blacksburg in 1994 and followed with a 26-16 come-from-behind victory at Pittsburgh during the 1995 season. The Hokies won the 1996 meeting 34-17 at Lane Stadium.
• The Panthers’ first win in the series was a 30-23 decision at Pitt Stadium in 1997. Tech won 27-7 in Blacksburg during the 1998 season, took a 30-17 victory at Pittsburgh in 1999, then edged the Panthers 37-34 at home in 2000. Pittsburgh won 38-7 at Heinz Field in 2001 and 28-21 in Blacksburg in 2002.
• The two teams last played in 2003, Tech’s last season in the BIG EAST, with the Panthers taking a 31-28 win at Heinz Field. Despite 241 yards rushing from Tech’s Kevin Jones, Pitt’s Lousaka Polite scored on a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 47 seconds left to lift the 25th-ranked Panthers to the win over No. 5 Tech.
Strong on the Road
• The Hokies have won a school- and ACC-record 13 consecutive true road games, the longest active streak in the country, ahead of Oregon (11).
• Tech’s last loss on the road came on Oct. 17, 2009 with a loss at Georgia Tech. Only three of those wins during the 13-game road winning streak have been non-conference victories.
• Oregon’s last road loss was on Nov. 7, 2009 at Stanford. The Ducks open up with four home games this year.
#TweetItOut
A few game notes in 140 characters or less
This will be the 12th meeting on the gridiron between @GoPittFootball and @VT_Football. #VTPitt
@VT_Football is 0-2 at Heinz Field, losing in 2001 and 2003 and the #Hokies have lost their last 3 contests to @GoPittFootball.
#Hokies play-by-play radio announcer Bill Roth (@VTVOICE) is from nearby Mt. Lebanon, PA.
The #Hokies have 3 players from PA: starting rover Kyshoen Jarrett (Tannersville), senior Scott Demler and frosh Jack Willenbrock.
@GoPittFootball will join @VT_Football in the #ACC next season. The two were in the Big East together from 1992-2003.
The #Hokies have the longest active road winning streak in the FBS at 13 games, two ahead of Oregon’s streak of 11 straight.