The No. 13 Virginia Tech Hokies suffered an embarrassing defeat, 35-17, at the hands of the previously winless Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday, and the Virginia Tech defense wasn't the dominant force that many have come to expect.
The Panthers amassed 537 total yards, including 254 yards on the ground, in their win over the Hokies.
Casey Richie, of SB Nation's Gobbler Country, was disappointed in the Hokies' defensive performance:
For a defense that has been touted as one of the best the Hokies may have ever fielded, they played pretty pathetically. Bud Foster must have missed the trip to Pittsburgh this weekend because the play calls were atrocious and this is not what we've become accustomed to as Hokie fans. Players playing far too off the ball, giving Pitt players plenty of space in the secondary and then not even looking for the ball. Pitt figured out early that they could both pass and run on us and they didn't shy away. The only time it seemed that the Hokies had any success was on slow-developing pass plays, when they were able to get to Sunseri. Otherwise, Rushel Shell and Ray Graham tore it up on the ground and Sunseri through the air.
The Hokies' defense allowed Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sunseri to be efficient, as he completed 19-of-28 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns.
The loss drops Virginia Tech to 2-1 on the season. The Hokies will host Bowling Green next Saturday at noon ET. After Bowling Green, they will face one more non-conference opponent in Cincinnati before getting into ACC play for the remainder of the schedule.
For more on this game, please be sure to check out our blogs Gobbler Country and Cardiac Hill along with our College Football Hub and SB Nation DC for all the latest news and updates.
