Pittsburgh at #23 Virginia Series:
- Game will be at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia
- Game will start at 7:30 PM ET
- Series is led by Pittsburgh 7-3
- Pittsburgh holds current win streak of 3
Offensive Players to watch:
Pittsburgh: Qadree Ollison is the starting running back for Pittsburgh and can cause problems for Virginia. Virginia’s blind weakness on defense has been their front-four, which never have many break out years. Pittsburgh will try to use Ollison to expose this and hopefully rack up rushing yards to spread out their pass attack. Ollison has 795 yards on 126 carries with 7 touchdowns in between.
Virginia: Bryce Perkins has been the Cavaliers new-found leader this season and has shown us why. Perkins has a great ability to rush and pass equally, which makes him a pain among defenses. Perkins has amounted 1,623 passing yards and has tossed 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. With this in mind, UVA will continue to try to use Perkins to win.
Defensive Players to watch:
Pittsburgh: Elijah Zeise is a vital part of the Pittsburgh linebacker core because he provides experience. Pittsburgh will lean on this tackle machine to keep Bryce Perkins in check during the game. 29 tackles have been a result of Zeise’s game and I am sure that Pitt will attempt to boost this number Saturday. If Zeise shuts down Perkins, it could mean success for Pittsburgh.
Virginia: Richard Burney is a main part of the UVA defensive line and controls a good portion of the line. With Burney’s aggressive play style on the inside, offenses try to swing everything outside. Virginia will put a great deal of pressure on Burney to disrupt inside running lanes and to get to the quarterback.
The Basics:
Pittsburgh is on a train to get to the ACC Championship and sits comfortably in the division’s standings. On the other hand, UVA is proving many wrong with their incredible season, so far, and looks to stay atop the Coastal. Usually I like to take numbers into heavy consideration with my picks, however something is nagging me this week. I see a improving Pittsburgh team that almost knocked off Notre Dame and beat Syracuse on the road. Then I look at Virginia that has under-preformed against bad defenses. I see Virginia overlooking Pittsburgh and not being in the moment, give me the Panthers in an upset.
Prediction:
29-20 Pittsburgh
Photo Credits: https://herosports.com/college-football-100/virginia-football-preview-2017-ahah
