Pitt puts top-25 voters on blast to after huge win…
Pat Narduzzi has a message for school soccer top-25 voters: wake up.
The Pittsburgh head coach called out voters after the Panthers improved to 5-0 with a dramatic 35-33 street victory over beforehand unbeaten Virginia Tech (4-1) on Friday evening in Blacksburg, Va.
“We got a hell of a football team,” Narduzzi said during his postgame interview with ESPN. “Any of those voters, if they wake their ass up, they might figure it out.”
Narduzzi brings forth an attention-grabbing level, at least when it comes to Pitt’s resume remaining excellent to this level.
“We got a hell of a football. Now, any of those voters out there, if they wake their ass up, they might figure that out.” – Pittsburgh HC Pat Narduzzi pic.twitter.com/HoTqEjhBg9— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 3, 2026
The Panthers entered Friday as one of the nation’s remaining undefeated groups but have been still sitting exterior the Associated Press Top 25, receiving just 52 factors in the most latest ballot.
Virginia Tech wasn’t ranked either, though the Hokies have been notably nearer with 86 factors.
Pitt then went into one of school soccer’s more tough street environments and pulled off the victory.
And the Panthers had to survive a wild one to do it.
Virginia Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead before Pitt acquired on the board with 10 seconds to go in the first quarter. Pitt practically trailed by 10 heading into halftime but scored with 30 seconds to go, cutting the Hokies lead to 24-21 before the end of the half.
Pitt took its first lead less than 5 minutes into the third quarter and prolonged the benefit to 35-24 with 13:55 left in the fourth before the Hokies responded with a security less than two minutes later.
Virginia Tech went back on the board with 10 minutes to go, and the sport remained 35-33 the remaining of the way in which — though not without motion.
Pitt’s protection also compelled 4 Virginia Tech turnovers, serving to the Panthers survive despite being outgained 499 to 295.
Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi reacts after a landing in the second half of unbeaten Pitt’s 35-33 win over Virginia Tech on Oct. 2, 2026 at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va. Getty Images
In the waning seconds, Hokies kicker John Love went up for a game-winning subject objective that was ruled to have gone huge left, though some — including Love — initially believed the kick was good.
“To be honest with you, from my angle, I don’t know,” Virginia Tech coach James Franklin told reporters about the kick. “I think John Love is the best kicker in the country. I had so much confidence that that thing was going to go through. From my angle, I couldn’t tell you one way or another. … [At] the end of the day, they said it didn’t go through so everything else, doesn’t really matter a whole lot.”
Ja’Kyrian Turner led the Panthers on the ground with 65 dashing yards and a landing on 14 carries. Cataurus Hicks, who paced the crew with 65 receiving yards in the passing recreation, added two touchdowns on three catches.
The victory gave Narduzzi’s crew its first 5-0 start since 1991, and it’s already three wins within its 8-5 file from a 12 months in the past.
Pitt has already crushed UCF and Syracuse this season, while its offense exploded for 59 factors against both Miami (Ohio) and Bucknell.
Stay up to date with the latest trending topics! Visit our web site daily for the freshest Sports news and content, fastidiously curated to keep you informed.
