I haven’t had much of a chance to collect my thoughts as to what both sides need to do to win the game. I mean aside from the obvious: VT – run left, run right, run up the middle, and stop the pass; Pitt – throw long, throw screens, throw underneath, and stop the run. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance today or tomorrow.

From the fans view, I actually think the Hokie faithful fear Pitt more than Pitt fans fear the Hokies. Pitt has beaten VT two straight years — exposed them, and started November slides for them. In 2000, it took an end of the game field goal for VT to pull out a win; but Pitt still hung 34 points on them. This has many convinced that Pitt and Walt Harris somehow have figured out VT when no one else has.

I don’t buy that. Pitt has really been up for games against VT, which helps. Pitt, under Harris, tends to play up or down to the level of their competition. A good part of it, has been a certain level of overconfidence and looking past Pitt by VT. The Pitt game has been late in the season, when the Hokies were rolling. The team seems to start believing their own press clippings.

This will be the 11th meeting between VT and Pitt. The Hokies have a 7-3 lead. The teams only started playing each other when the Hokies joined the Big East. It is unlikely that they will play each other again after this season (except in a bowl game) — because neither team really wants to play a non-con opponent where the outcome would be so unknown. It’s a shame.