Virginia would be catching Pitt overlooking them in a perfect world, but as we know, this isn’t a perfect world.
The Cavaliers take a three-game losing streak to the Steel City to face a Pitt team coming off its first loss of the season.
The Panthers still have dreams of making the ACC Championship game, while Virginia is still trying to become bowl-eligible.
Keys:
Big Plays: If Virginia can protect Anthony Colandrea, then this should be the Malachi Fields show. The Cavaliers should target Fields at least ten times, if not more. Pitt’s offense is too good for Virginia to win a three-yards-and-a-could-of-dust type of game. Virginia must embrace the possibility of making this a shoot-out.
Turnovers: Pitt lost the turnover battle in its 48-25 loss to SMU. The Cavaliers’ offense would benefit from a short field or two. That means dialing up pressure and forcing the Panthers to throw off-schedule. Virginia must protect the ball. The Cavaliers have five turnovers during its three-game losing streak.
Play From Ahead: This might be the most challenging key for the Cavaliers. Can head coach Tony Elliott do something to get this team off to a fast start? The North Carolina loss was a bad one, and unless you’re in the locker room, who knows where the players’ minds are? This is the hidden part of coaching. Saving the locker room is a skill and Virginia has Pitt Saturday and then Notre Dame, SMU, and Virginia Tech to close out the season.
