In a back-and-forth battle that saw two lead changes and plenty of momentum swings, it was Pitt which entered intermission on top of Virginia Tech 17-16.
The Hokies outgained the Panthers 235-181 over the first 30 minutes, doing most of their damage through the air with 156 passing yards. Pitt was 4-of-8 on third down while Tech completed two of its seven third down tries. The Hokies went a perfect 3-of-3 in the red zone while the Panthers held a slight edge in the time of possession battle.
After Tech appeared set to open the scoring on its first two drives, Pitt would be the one to strike first on its second possession, going the length of the field over 11 plays in a drive that ran more than five minutes off the clock. The Panthers' junior running back Israel Abanikanda finished the drive with a 38-yard rushing touchdown to get the hosts on the board with less than four minutes left in the first quarter.
The Hokies responded with a touchdown drive of their own on the ensuing possession. Quarterback Grant Wells connected with wide receiver Kaleb Smith down the right sideline for a 37-yard catch on a play that saw Pitt penalized for roughing the passer, tacking on 15 more yards. On his first carry of the season, running back Malachi Thomas punched it in from five yards out for his fourth career score.
Tech would add to its lead thanks to an 18-yard field goal from kicker William Ross early in the second quarter, extending his streak of made field goals to eight.
On the next Pitt possession, a pass from Panthers quarterback Kedon Slovis bounced off the hands of a receiver before Tech linebacker Keonta Jenkins came down with the interception. It was the first interception of Jenkins' career and gave the Hokies great field position at the host's 25-yard line.
Two plays later, running back Keshawn King scored from 19 yards out to give Tech a 16-7 edge. It was King's second touchdown of the season and fifth of his career.
Pitt answered with another touchdown followed by a field goal on its next possession to retake the lead. The Hokies closed the first half with another impressive drive, advancing to the Panthers' 23-yard line before a penalty and sack pushed them out of field goal range. A last-second hail mary from Wells was picked off at the goal line, resulting in the halftime margin.
