Virginia Football Claws Back to Upset Pittsburgh on the Road 24-19

A blocked field goal by Jonas Sanker sparked the Virginia comeback.

With the win the Cavaliers are now one game away from bowl eligibility. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The senior from Charlottesville was the hero for the Hoos on Saturday night. Down 13-7, Pittsburgh was set to attempt a field goal to put the game out of reach for Virginia. In response, Jonas Sanker blocked the Pittsburgh field goal, sparking a touchdown drive that propelled Virginia into the lead, a lead the Cavaliers held for the remainder of the game. 

The blocked field goal changed the game's complexion, sparking a massive 24-19 victory for the Virginia Cavaliers (5-4, 3-3 ACC) over the No. 18 Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2, 3-2 ACC) on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The upset victory brings the Cavaliers one game away from bowl eligibility as Tony Elliott is now 4-0 off the bye as the Virginia head coach. 

The game started well for the Cavaliers with a punt return by Ethan Davies putting the Virginia offense in Pittsburgh territory to start the drive. The Hoos picked up two first downs before Malachi Fields bobbled an easy catch, resulting in an interception in the red zone, a painful mistake for the Cavaliers. 

After that, a stalemate ensued, which concluded early in the second quarter as the Cavaliers found momentum with 20+ yard gains from Kobe Pace and Andre Greene Jr. After that, a trick play saw Suderian Harrison throw a 27-yard pass to Anthony Colandrea to put Virginia on the one-yard line. Xavier Brown punched in the touchdown a play later. 

In response, the Panthers rattled off 13 straight points to end the first half, which was helped by an interception thrown by Colandrea directly to a Pitt linebacker, setting up Pitt in excellent field position. 

Out of the half, the Virginia offense struggled until Jonas Sanker sparked the Hoos. Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein suffered an injury on a late hit, forcing him to exit the game. The 15-yard penalty, which also resulted in Trey McDonald being ejected from the game for targeting, helped set up the Panthers in field goal range as they aimed to close the game. 

Sanker had other ideas, blocking the field goal, which sparked a five-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Xavier Brown 24-yard touchdown reception. On the ensuing Pittsburgh drive, backup quarterback Nate Yarnell was picked off by Sanker, who returned the ball to Pitt's 20-yard line, setting up another touchdown for the Cavaliers, giving the Hoos a 21-13 lead. 

In the fourth quarter, Yarnell found some confidence, driving the Panthers down the field for a score to cut the lead to two as Pittsburgh failed the two-point conversion. After that, Colandrea led a masterful 16-play 60-yard drive that chewed eight minutes and 26 seconds off the clock, with the drive ending in a Will Bettridge field goal to make it 24-19. 

With less than two minutes, Yarnell tried to rally the troops for a game-winning touchdown drive, which fell short as Pittsburgh native Corey Thomas Jr. came up with a huge interception, sealing the upset victory for Virginia. 

Having snapped a three-game losing streak and with bowl eligibility back in sight, Virginia turns its attention to a road matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 16th at 3:30pm ET.

More Virginia Football News

Virginia vs. Pittsburgh Live Updates | NCAA Football

Virginia Football Schedules Games vs. West Virginia in Charlotte in 2026 & 2032

Hoos in the NFL: Recapping NFL Week 9 for Former Virginia Football Players