The Charlottesville senior was the hero for the Hoos Saturday night. Trailing 13-7, Pittsburgh was ready to attempt a field goal to put the game out of Virginia’s reach. In response, Jonas Sanker blocked Pittsburgh’s field goal, setting up a touchdown that put Virginia ahead, a lead the Cavaliers held for the rest of the game.

The blocked basket changed the face of the game, sparking a massive 24-19 victory for the Virginia Cavaliers (5-4, 3-3 ACC) against the No. 18 Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2, 3-2 ACC) at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The upset win brings the Cavaliers within one game of bowl eligibility as Tony Elliott is now 4-0 as Virginia head coach.

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

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

In response, the Panthers scored 13 straight points to end the first half, aided by an interception thrown by Colandrea directly to a Pitt linebacker, putting Pitt in excellent field position.

Out of the half, Virginia’s offense struggled until Jonas Sanker sparked the Hoos. Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein was injured on a late hit, forcing him to leave the game. The 15-yard penalty helped put the Panthers within field goal range as they aimed to close out the game.

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

In the fourth quarter, Yarnell regained some confidence, pushing the Panthers down the field for a score cutting the lead to two as Pittsburgh failed in the two-point conversion. After that, Colandrea led a masterful 16-play, 60-yard drive that took eight minutes, 26 seconds late, with the drive ending with a Will Bettridge field goal to make the score 24-19.

With less than two minutes left, Yarnell attempted to rally the troops for a game-winning touchdown, which fell short due to a Corey Thomas Jr. interception, sealing Virginia’s upset victory.

With bowl eligibility in sight, Virginia turns its attention to a road matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 16 at 3:30 p.m.

Virginia vs. Pittsburgh Live Updates | NCAA football

Virginia Football schedules games against West Virginia in Charlotte in 2026 and 2032

Hoos in the NFL: NFL Week 9 recap for former Virginia football players