Vols Knock Off No. 17 Pittsburgh In Overtime Road Win, 34-27

PITTSBURGH — Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker found Cedric Tillman open in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown in overtime, and the Big Orange defense came up with a monumental stop as the 24th-ranked Volunteers took down No. 17 Pittsburgh on the road, 34-27, capping a thrilling edition of the Johnny Majors Classic on Saturday at Acrisure Field.

Tennessee (2-0) improves to 14-9 all-time in overtime games, breaking a tie with Arkansas for the most overtime wins in NCAA history. The victory also marked Tennessee’s first road triumph over a top-20 non-conference foe since defeating No. 6 Miami (Fla.), 10-6, on Nov. 8, 2003.

The Vols have produced top-20 road wins in back-to-back seasons after knocking off No. 18 Kentucky, 45-42, last year in Lexington.

With the game knotted at 27-27 at the end of regulation, Pittsburgh (1-1) won the overtime coin toss and deferred. Facing 2nd-and-13 after a holding penalty, Hooker danced around the pocket and fired a dart to Tillman, who stopped on a dime to pull in the game-clinching score. Redshirt senior placekicker Chase McGrath knocked through his fourth PAT of the game to put the Vols ahead 34-27 and one stop away from securing the win.

The Tennessee defense stymied the Panthers in overtime, headlined by a 12-yard sack from super senior safety Trevon Flowers on the game’s final third down. Facing fourth-and-goal from the 20-yard line, Pitt QB Nick Patti’s pass over the middle fell incomplete to solidify the Volunteer victory.

Hooker led the Big Orange aerial attack completing 27-of-42 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The redshirt senior from Greensboro, North Carolina, has a touchdown pass in 14 consecutive games, the second longest streak in program history, and posted the fourth 300-yard passing game of his career.

Tillman led all pass catchers with 162 yards on eight receptions, marking his sixth-career game with more than 100 yards receiving and the second-highest single-game receiving output for the fifth-year senior. Junior wideout Jalin Hyatt had a career-high and game-high 11 receptions for 73 yards, while redshirt junior receiver Bru McCoy pulled in his first touchdown as a Vol and finished the game with four catches for 58 yards.

Sophomore running back Jaylen Wright led the Vols on the ground with nine carries for a team-high 47 yards, while junior Jabari Small took 10 carries for 17 yards, including a pair of one-yard scores for his third-career…