CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- How does the old saying go? You can't win a game off of the first two plays from scrimmage, but you can sure lose it?
Safe to say, that was proven as favorable on Pitt's end on Saturday at Scott Stadium. And it only took 16 seconds.
In an unheralded sequence of plays, the Panthers jumped Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong for pick-sixes on the first two plays from scrimmage of the game, which would set the table for unsurmountable circumstances and give way for a 37-7 victory for the visitors, in their largest margin of victory this season.
First came M.J. Devonshire's beautifully timed jumping of a pass intended on the left flat to tight end Sackett Wood Jr., as he took the house call 29 yards with 5 seconds off of the game clock.
It was then Marquis Williams' intercepting of a pass flown for Lavel Davis, who tried a deep-out route from the slot. Williams cut in front of him, intercepted it, and ran it 39 yards down the far sideline for the Panthers' second defensive score in as many plays from scrimmage.
"It was a dream come true," Williams said. "Getting the preparation down with the coaches and stuff like that, it takes all 11 players. Everybody's doing it. One to 11 at one time, and we were able to accomplish that."
With 16 seconds off the clock to begin the game, Pitt led 14-0.
PITT PICK SIX! PITT PICK SIX!
β Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) November 12, 2022
FIRST TWO PLAYS OF THE GAME!
Pitt deferred and kicked off.
Then led 14-0 after 16 seconds.@Mjdevonshirejr x @Williamsisland4
πΊ @ACCNetwork #H2P Β» #WeNotMe pic.twitter.com/g0DXbwdQXt
It was the first time Pitt recorded two pick-sixes in a single game since Darrelle Revis and Clint Session did so on Sept. 2, 2006, against Virginia. It was also the second pick-six of the season for each of Devonshire and Williams, who joined Revis (in 2006) as the most recent Panthers to return to interceptions to the house in a season.
"It was fun, getting out there to ball out with my teammates," Devonshire said, when asked by Calijah Kancey in the postgame press conference. "My teammate Calijah got on me about the one I dropped last week, so I had to make up for it. I told him, 'I got him.' So I had to show him I got him."
That sequence defined everything, and it took Virginia out of the game for good. The Cavaliers tallied 15 yards on 16 plays in the first quarter, while the Panthers' offense looked as good as it has all season, at least in the early-goings with virtually zero pressure on them to produce.
βI couldnβt believe it," Kancey said of the pick-sixes. "I was in the quarterbackβs face twice, and Iβm like, βAh, man, I didnβt get the sack, but Iβm glad we got the points.ββ
Kedon Slovis completed 6 of 7 passes for 90 yards, and included a 31-yard touchdown to Bub Means in the first quarter. The Pitt offense, just like its defense, scored touchdowns on its first two possessions. First came a one-yard run from a returned Israel Abanikanda, followed by the strike to Means as Slovis evaded pressure and found his man in the center of the endzone.
Abanikanda's TD in the first quarter was his 17th rushing score of the season, which tied him for fourth-most in a single season with Dion Lewis (2009). James Conner has the record with 26 rushing TDs in 2014. He rushed for 100 or more yards for the seventh time in the nine games he has played this season.
By the end of the first quarter, Pitt held a 28-0 lead, which it coasted on until halftime. Here is Virginia's drive chart from the opening 30 minutes: INT, INT, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, Punt, missed field goal.
In the first half, Pitt out-gained the Cavaliers 199-60, went 4-for-7 on third down to Virginia's 2-for-8, and it accrued four sacks on Armstrong -- two from John Morgan, one from Deslin Alexandre, and one from safety Judson Talliander II.
For the game, Pitt sacked Armstrong eight times for 69 yards. The All-American probable Kancey got to Armstrong a career-high three times, including on consecutive plays to book-end the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter. Kancey became the first Pitt player to accrue three sacks in a game since Patrick Jones II got three against Boston College in 2020.
"I think we're just feeding off of each other's energy," Kancey said. "It's motivation. We're all talking about how we're going to celebrate and what we're going to do when we get sacks. So I just think it's feeding off each other."
Over its last two games, the Pitt defense has totaled 14 sacks for 96 yards. Haba Baldonado earned a sack, after notching one-half of one last week against Syracuse.
MORE FROM THE GAME
β’ Pitt is bowl eligible for the fifth consecutive season under Pat Narduzzi. The Panthers are 1-2 in bowls in those four prior seasons, while electing not to participate in a bowl game following the 2020 season. Narduzzi has led Pitt to bowl eligibility in seven of his eight seasons as the Panthers' head coach.
"Doesn't mean anything," Narduzzi said. "It means we've got one more game left. We've got Duke -- a really, much-improved Duke, coach (Mike) Elko's done a great job -- my focus goes on to Duke. We're not worried about being bowl eligible. That was not our goal going in. Figured we would get there. Nobody's in the locker room talking about, 'oh, yay, we're bowl eligible!' We want to go undefeated in November, and we start next week with being 1-0 against Duke."
β’ Aside from the opening two drives, Pitt's offense wasn't as tremendous as perhaps perceived. The Panthers committed three penalties on offense and five in total (for 48 yards) in the opening half alone. It didn't need to be spectacular because of the defense's dominant effort, but there were still some plays and points left on the field. Slovis beautifully dropped in a couple of deep balls, but he also under-threw a few.
Means, meanwhile, had his best game as a Panther. He had three catches for 90 yards and the TD. His previous best game was a 53-yard outing two weeks ago at North Carolina. Forty of those yards, however, came on one play to begin the game.
"Just consistency at practice," Means attributed the performance to. "We just go out there and execute what we do at practice. I don't really look at it too much at my individual stats, as long as we get a win. As long as I get to help the team win, that's all that matters to me."
If not for that rock-solid first quarter, this game would have been chalked to the Pitt offense underperforming while the defense continued to mash the opposition. It felt just like last week's 19-9 win over Syracuse, in terms of that split. The silver lining to draw is that Pitt did not turn the ball over for the first time since Week 4 against Rhode Island.
"That's the way you win football games, really," Slovis said regarding Pitt's zero turnovers. "Last week we got away with -- I think we gave one or two away, I don't remember exactly -- we lost the turnover battle and still got the win, and it just makes it harder on yourself. Having this week winning by two, the turnover battle, definitely makes a huge difference, and it makes you feel good as an offense."
β’ Pitt is still undisciplined as a football team. In all, Pitt committed nine penalties for 82 yards. Morgan was ejected in the third quarter for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after throwing a punch at Virginia center Ty Furnish, who was also ejected.
"Way too many penalties on offense today," Narduzzi said. "Just drive killers. We continued in the second half with some nitpicking holding calls, for whatever it's worth. We'll look at the tape. We've got to be better. We just can't kill the drives with penalties."
β’ Punter watch: Caleb Junko booted three for an average of 38 yards, with a long of 48. He also shanked one for 35 yards toward the end of the third quarter. Sam Vander Haar punted once for 37 yards, but it was dropped with precision and was downed at the Pitt 10-yard line. Cam Guess, who is the holder on field goals, did not attempt a punt.
β’ Writer's jinx! Ben Sauls missed a 54-yard field goal with 4:01 left in the half. It was his first missed field goal since Week 3 at Western Michigan. He had made five field goals in a row since missing a 27-yarder in the second quarter against the Broncos. I featured Sauls in this week's kickoff feature, so you can blame me for that miss, which would have been his longest make of the season.
Sauls did redeem himself (and the kickoff feature), though, on three consecutive makes to follow the miss. He converted from 25, 27, and 39 yards in the second half.
β’ Pitt center Owen Drexel returned to the starting lineup for the first time since sustaining a leg injury against Tennessee in Week 2.
"He was kind of getting some reps last week; just wasn't quite there," Slovis said about Drexel. "He just takes command of that line. He's really smart, he gets us in the right looks, helps me out, too. We have communication (with) trying to get us the best run look. He's been awesome, and he gets (Jake) Kradel back to where he's more comfortable, probably, so really proud of those guys. Thought Owen did a great job today."
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE ESSENTIALS
β’ Box score
β’ Live file
β’ Top 25 scores
β’ Schedule
β’ ACC standings
β’ Statistics
THE INJURIES
β’ DID NOT TRAVEL: RT Gabe Houy, LB Brandon George, WR Gavin Thomson.
β’ RETURNED: OC Owen Drexel.
β’ OUT FOR THE SEASON: LT Carter Warren, DB Rashad Battle, DE Nate Temple.
THE SCHEDULE
β’ Pitt has two games left to close its 2022 regular season. Up next is a noon kickoff on Saturday against Duke at Acrisure Stadium, followed by the season finale on Nov. 26 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
THE CONTENT
β’ Visit the Pitt team page and my Twitter page for more from Acrisure Stadium. Gary Morgan and I are recording a new H2P Podcast Sunday midday, so check for that on all platforms on Monday.
