No. 23 UVA Hosts Pitt In Key ACC Clash on Friday Night

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UVA ANd Pitt set for acc coastal clash
• Virginia continues its three-game homestand when the Pitt Panthers come to Scott Stadium on Friday night.
• Friday’s ACC clash between UVA and Pitt is a matchup between the only two ACC Coastal teams that did not receive at least one first-place vote in the preseason ACC media poll in regards to order of finish for the Coastal Division.
• UVA is playing a Friday night home game for the third time in four seasons. UVA hosted Boise State in 2015 and Virginia Tech in 2017.
• The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

“Friday Night Lights” at Scott Stadium
• UVA is hosting only its fifth regular season Friday game at Scott Stadium. It is only the second Friday home game at Scott Stadium that isn’t falling on the day after Thanksgiving.
• UVA is 6-3-1 all-time in Friday games that do not fall on “Black Friday.”
• UVA’s last win on Friday came at Boise State last year, defeating the Broncos, 42-23, on Sept. 22.

Five Top Storylines
•  The series between UVA and Pitt began in 1953, but until the Panthers joined the ACC in 2013, these two teams only met twice in the regular season between 1956 and 2012.
• This week Virginia is ranked No. 23 in the nation by the Associated Press and No. 22 by the USA Today Coaches Poll. It is the first time the Cavaliers have been ranked in either poll since Nov. 20, 2011. That week UVA was No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 25 in the coaches poll. Ranked Bronco Mendenhall teams are 29-9 all-time.
• QB Bryce Perkins is only the second Cavalier quarterback to pass for 200+ yards and rush for 100+ in the same game after he recorded 217 passing yards and rushed for 112 yards against North Carolina last time out. Bob Davis was the first Cavalier to accomplish the feat in 1965 against Georgia Tech when he passed for 252 yards and rushed for 124 yards.
• With a 17-yard reception on the final play of the third quarter against UNC last Saturday, 
Olamide Zaccheaus passed Billy McMullen (210) to become UVA’s all-time reception leader.
• Zaccheaus is the only active player in the nation with at least 2,000 career receiving yards (2,385) and 500 career rushing yards (526). There is no other active player that even has 1,500 career receiving yards and 450 career rushing yards.

The Series vs. The Panthers
•  Pittsburgh leads the all-time series by a 7-3 margin.
•  Between 1956 and 2012 UVA and Pitt only met twice in the regular season and once in a bowl game. Once Pitt joined the ACC in 2013, the two programs have met every season as members of the ACC Coastal Division.  
• Until UVA’s 44-14 win in the 2007 Scott Stadium meeting, Pittsburgh had won all three regular-season meetings. The Panthers won 26-0 in Charlottesville in 1953, 18-7 in Pittsburgh in 1955 and 38-13 in Pittsburgh in 2006.
• Virginia’s 23-16 win over Pittsburgh in the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., was one of the most closely contested games of the series.
• UVA’s Tony Franklin played a big role on defense in the bowl game to end Larry Fitzgerald’s 18-game streak with a touchdown reception. 
• The teams seesawed back and forth in the first half with Virginia holding a 17-13 lead at halftime. The second half featured only field goals in UVA’s seven-point win. Matt Schaub closed his stellar career by capturing MVP honors after passing for 244 yards. Former Pittsburgh Steeler tight end Heath Miller had a big day for UVA with four receptions for 84 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown reception from Schaub late in the first quarter for the game’s first score.

More on the Pitt Series Durig the Lean 1950’s
•  The 26-0 loss in 1953 remains one of the worst offensive performances in the modern era of UVA football. The Cavaliers recorded three first downs, an all-time low, and had just 43 yards of total offense, their second-lowest modern-day total.
• Pittsburgh scored on its first possession 5:52 into the contest and scored in every quarter to win.
• In 1955, UVA ended more than 80 scoreless minutes against Pitt when halfback Ralph Kneeland scored UVA’s first touchdown in the series on an eight-yard run at the 9:39 mark of the second quarter. That score gave UVA a brief 7-6 lead, but Pitt halfback Lou Cimarolli scored the game-winner on a 32-yard dash midway through the third quarter.

UVA In the Midst of a three-game Winning Streak
• UVA is enjoying its first three-game winning streak in ACC play since winning four in a row in 2011. That win streak included wins at Miami, at Maryland, at home vs. Duke and at then-No. 23 Florida State.
• The three-game winning streak is UVA’s longest since winning four in a row in 2017 (UConn, Boise State, Duke, North Carolina).

UVA Is Bowl Eligible for the second season in a row
• At 6-2 UVA is off to its best start since starting the 2007 season 7-1.
• UVA is bowl eligible in back-to-back years for the first time in 14 seasons when the Cavaliers went to bowl games in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Peace Leads ACC Linebackers in Sacks/TFLs
• OLB Chris Peace leads the ACC’s linebackers with 6.0 sacks and is tied for No. 4 among the nation’s linebackers.
• Peace also shares the ACC lead for TFLs by a linebacker with 10.0. He is tied with Miami’s Shaquille Quarterman.
• Peace led the ACC’s linebackers in 2017 with 7.5 sacks.
• Peace is the only Cavalier who has started all 33 games of the Bronco Mendenhall era at UVA.
• Peace is No. 14 all-time at UVA with 15.5 career sacks.

Defense Strong during Current three-game winning streak
• During UVA’s current three-game winning streak, the defense has been strong.
• UVA has held its last two opponents, Duke and UNC, under 100 yards rushing. UNC’s 66 yards of rushing was 95 yards less than its previous season low. Duke and UNC combined to rush 49 times for 124 yards and one touchdown. They averaged 2.5 yards per rush.
• If you add Miami’s efforts in the first game of the current three-game winning streak, UVA’s defense has yielded 3.5 yards per rush.
• Miami, Duke and North Carolina quarterbacks are a combined 59-of-107 passing (55.1) for 723 yards, five interceptions, three touchdowns and has been sacked seven times against UVA.
• During the UVA winning streak, opposing quarterbacks are averaging 6.3 yards per drop back and have had 19 passes broken up and 24 passes defended by UVA’s defense.

Time of Possession has aided UVA of Late
• During UVA’s current three-game winning streak the Cavaliers have owned the time of possession category, holding the ball by an average of 11:42 more than its last three opponents combined. UVA was +3:40 vs. Miami, +13:16 at Duke and +18:10 vs. North Carolina.
• Over the past two weeks in games at Duke and at home against North Carolina, UVA has an average of +15:43 in time of possession.
• Overall, UVA is No. 2 in the ACC and No. 12 in the nation in time of possession, averaging 33:26 in time of possession.