Pittsburgh Panthers (8-2) vs Virginia Cavaliers (6-4)
Game Info: Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 3:30 pm (Heinz Field)
Betting Odds: Pittsburgh Panthers -14.5 -- Over/Under: 66.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Virginia Cavaliers will travel to Heinz Field to take on the 18th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers this Saturday afternoon in College Football action.
The Virginia Cavaliers lost their 2nd straight game and dropped to 6-4 on the season after being defeated by the 9th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 28-3, this past Saturday. Virginia’s high-powered offense had no answers for the Notre Dame defense in this one and could not fight back after the Fighting Irish went into halftime with a 21-0 lead. Virginia was outgained by Notre Dame by a 423-278 margin and committed 2 turnovers in the loss. Leading the way for the Cavaliers was WR Keytaon Thompson who had 9 receptions for 110 yards.
On the season, Virginia is averaging 35.3 ppg on 518.5 total yards per game (380.5 passing yds/g; 138.0 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Virginia has been led by QB Brennan Armstrong who has completed 64.3% of his passes for 3557 yards, 27 TD, & 8 INT while also rushing for 7 TD. Armstrong missed the game against Notre Dame due to a rib injury and is currently questionable for this matchup. If Armstrong can’t go, the Cavaliers will once again go with Jay Woolfolk who has completed just 51.3% of his passes for 231 yards & 2 INT. The top receiving threats for the Cavaliers have been Dontayvion Wicks (44 rec, 1004 yards, 9 TD), Keytaon Thompson (59 rec, 756 yards, TD), Billy Kemp IV (64 rec, 616 yards, 6 TD), & Ra’Shaun Henry (29 rec, 497 yards, 2 TD). Leading the way for the Cavaliers backfield has been Wayne Taulapapa who has 290 rushing yards & 2 TD on 55 carries.
Defensively, Virginia is allowing their opponents to average 30.5 ppg on 461.9 total yards per game (239.8 passing yds/g; 222.1 rushing yds/g).
The 18th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers won their 2nd straight game and improved to 8-2 on the season after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels, 30-23 (OT), on November 11th. Pittsburgh allowed North Carolina to fight back from an early 17-0 deficit to force OT, however, the Panthers scored on their opening possession in OT on a 11-yard TD reception by Lucas Krull and sealed the victory after UNC’s Sam Howell pass attempt on 4th down was intercepted by M.J Devonshire. Pittsburgh was outgained by UNC by a 441-384 margin and forced 1 turnover in the victory. Leading the way for the Panthers was QB Kenny Pickett who completed 25 of 43 passes for 346 yards, 3 TD, & 1 INT.
On the season, Pittsburgh is averaging 43.5 ppg on 532.9 total yards per game (373.1 passing yds/g; 159.8 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Pittsburgh has been led by QB Kenny Pickett who has completed 67.5% of his passes for 3517 yards, 32 TD, & 4 INT while also rushing for 4 TD. The top receiving threats for the Panthers have been Jordan Anderson (60 rec, 1070 yards, 11 TD), Jared Wayne (37 rec, 566 yards, 4 TD), Taysir Mack (27 rec, 461 yards, 3 TD), & Lucas Krull (27 rec, 339 yards, 6 TD). Leading the way for the Panthers backfield has been the trio of Israel Abanikanda (106 att, 561 yards, 5 TD), Rodney Hammond Jr. (62 att, 346 yards, 4 TD), & Vincent Davis (94 att, 332 yards, 4 TD).
Defensively, Pittsburgh is holding their opponents to an average of 22.7 ppg on 348.1 total yards per game (242.9 passing yds/g; 105.2 rushing yds/g).
The Cavaliers are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games overall and 22-10 ATS vs. a team with a winning record. The Panthers are 5-0 ATS vs. a team with a winning record and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
Virginia certainly has one of the more dangerous offenses in College Football, however, a large part of that success comes from QB Brandon Armstrong who at best will be less than 100% with a rib injury that forced him to sit out last week against Notre Dame. Pittsburgh is one of the few teams that statistically has a better offense than Virginia as they come into this game ranked 4th in scoring offense & 2nd in total offense and as I think the Panthers will have no trouble putting up plenty of points against a Virginia defense that has allowed 94 points over their last two games, I think the play here is to take the Pittsburgh to cover this spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Pittsburgh Panthers -14.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
