PITTSBURGH — On the road against a ranked opponent in a stadium where they have won only once, the Virginia Cavaliers found themselves trailing by six points at halftime.

They never hesitated. UVA dominated the second half and defeated No. 23 Pitt 24-19 on Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium.

With the win, the Wahoos ended a three-game losing streak and improved to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the ACC. The Hoos haven’t won at home against the NFL’s Steelers since they first entered this city in 2019.

“This was a total team win,” third-year head coach Tony Elliott told his jubilant players in the visiting locker room. “It took all three stages.”

On offense, the Cavaliers scored three touchdowns and totaled 340 yards. They forced two turnovers on defense and held Pitt, which averages 38.9 points per game, to 292 yards. On special teams, Virginia blocked a field goal attempt that would have given Pitt a 16-7 lead in the third quarter.

tails xavier brown And Kobe Speed Scored all of the Cavaliers’ TDs: Brown 1-yard run and 24-yard pass from quarterback Anthony Colandreaand Pace on a 3-yard run.

Colandrea had two interceptions on Saturday but stepped up when needed in a game that tested Virginia’s toughness. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 143 yards and a TD, and his 29-yard run late in the third quarter set up the touchdown that put the Hoos ahead.

Brown finished with 68 yards on 15 carries and Pace rushed 12 times for 52 yards. Pace’s 9-yard gain with about 1:20 left in the game gave the Hoos a first down and allowed time to run out.

On UVA’s previous possession, Pace ran 3 yards on fourth-and-1 from the Pitt 24, extending the drive that ended with a 32-yard field goal from Will Bettridge. So the score was 24-19 and the Cavaliers’ defense did the rest.

After the Panthers (7-2, 3-2) drove to the Virginia 47, backup quarterback Nate Yarnell attempted a long pass. Safety Corey Thomas Jr.The graduate of Penn Hills High School in Pittsburgh came down with an interception to do nothing but seal the victory for the Hoos.

Another UVA safety, senior Jonas SankerHe put on a magnificent performance. He had two tackles for loss, blocking a field goal attempt and returning the interception 45 yards from the Pitt 20. Four plays later, Pace burst up the middle for a 3-yard field goal, and Bettridge’s extra point made it 21-13. 3:34 left in the third quarter.

With three regular season games remaining, Virginia needs one more win to become bowl eligible for the first time in Elliott’s tenure.

The first two games will be against ranked opponents: No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 13 SMU. The final in Blacksburg is the annual battle for the Commonwealth Cup between UVA and Virginia Tech.

NEXT: The Cavaliers’ remaining two games of the regular season are on the road. Virginia (5-4) faces No. 10 Notre Dame (8-1) in South Bend, Ind., in a game that will air next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on NBC.

The Fighting Irish defeated Florida State 52-3 on Saturday night.

Virginia is 0-4 all-time against Notre Dame. In the teams’ last meeting, the Irish defeated the Cavaliers 28-3 at Scott Stadium in 2021.

Chris Tyree, The wide receiver, who is in his first season at Virginia, is a graduate transfer from Notre Dame.