Pitt Exposed as a Pretender After Ugly Loss to Virginia Tech

Pitt football failed to score in an ugly loss to Virginia Tech in a game that showed just how overrated Pitt has been.

Another week is in the books for Pitt football, and once again, Pitt’s offense was horrific. In the team’s 28-0 loss to Virginia Tech, this team was no only bad on offense, they were completely inept. After last week’s win over North Carolina saw the offense put up four touchdowns, it seemed as though Pitt has finally started to find their footing on offense. After this week, however, it’s clear that wasn’t the case. Though they have seven wins on the season, this loss proved one huge point – Pitt is not as good as their record.

After a mid-season stretch that saw Pat Narduzzi’s team win games against UCF, Delaware and Duke by a combined seven points, Pitt was viewed as a resilient team, not as a team that was simply getting lucky in close wins. After winning two of their next three, Pitt looked like they were back on the right track, though their wins came through dominant defensive efforts that masked their offensive woes. Unfortunately, as Saturday showed, that strategy can only take them so far. The defense, though still decent this week, simply cannot continue to compensate for one of the worst offenses in the nation.

Give credit to Virginia Tech, as their defense has developed into one of college football’s most effective groups. In pitching two straight shut-outs, they deserve recognition. But at the end of the day, Pitt scoreless day is more of a statement on their offense than a reflection of Virginia Tech’s defense. Kenny Pickett was ineffective once again and the running game, as has been the case all year, failed to show up. Nobody on Pitt’s offense looked interested in playing, and it showed on the scoreboard.

Now sitting at 7-4 after a thoroughly embarrassing loss, it’s clear that this Pitt team is not as good as their record indicated. The offense is simply too ineffective and the coaching is too inconsistent. A once-hopeful season will still end in a bowl game, but it’s clear – Pitt was a pretender this whole time.