Blacksburg, Va. ? Pittsburgh did it again to Virginia Tech, taking the team they want to emulate out of championship contention.

Brandon Miree ran 53 yards for a touchdown with 4:11 remaining Saturday night, completing Pittsburgh’s comeback from a two-touchdown third-quarter deficit and lifting the Panthers past No. 3 Virginia Tech, 28-21.

“You need to pinch me right now,” Miree said. “I’m still in awe of everything. Virginia Tech is a great program. I’ve been watching them for years, and like coach said, we do idolize this team and this program.”

With the victory, the Panthers (7-2, 4-0 Big East) moved ahead of the Hokies (8-1, 3-1) in the conference race. Pitt is 4-0 in the league for the first time since it was formed in 1991, and maybe there are bigger things in store for the rest of the season.

The Panthers play Temple next weekend, then have 10 days to prepare for a showdown against No. 1 Miami for the Big East lead on Nov. 21.

“We’re working our way up the ladder,” Pitt coach Walt Harris said. “To win here with this crowd, this atmosphere, to be down 14-0 … to still come back and win the game, it’s almost more than I can fathom.”

The victory was the Panthers’ first against a top-five team since they beat No. 4 Notre Dame in 1987, and it was as impressive as last year’s game when they won 38-7, handing the Hokies their worst loss in five years.

Pitt got three touchdown passes from Rod Rutherford to freshman sensation Larry Fitzgerald, and 275 yards rushing against the nation’s best defense against the run (40.75 yards), including Miree’s big run.

Miree finished with 161 yards on 23 carries.

No. 1 Miami 42,

Rutgers 17

Piscataway, N.J. Despite injuring his non-throwing hand, Ken Dorsey threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, and the Hurricanes added two more TDs to rally for the victory. But the ‘Canes (8-0, 4-0 Big East) might slip in the polls after falling behind 17-8 and trailing 17-14 until Dorsey hit Andre Johnson for a 20-yard TD with 13:56 to play.

Florida 20,

No. 5 Georgia 13

Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia might still get to celebrate a championship this season. Just not Saturday night, and not against Florida, the team that befuddles the Bulldogs like no other.

Rex Grossman threw for 339 yards to help the Gators breathe life back into their on-and-off season with a victory over the Bulldogs.

Proving they don’t need Steve Spurrier to own Georgia (8-1, 5-1 SEC), the Gators (6-3, 4-2) won the game known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party for the 12th time in 13 years, this time with Ron Zook as coach.

The Bulldogs could have clinched the SEC East their first significant title since they won the conference in 1982 and made headway in the national-title race on a day in which three other undefeated teams lost.

No. 6 Ohio State 34,

No. 23 Minnesota 3

Columbus, Ohio Without injured tailback Maurice Clarett, the Buckeyes got two rushing touchdowns from Lydell Ross, and their defense held Minnesota to 112 yards rushing. The Buckeyes (10-0, 5-0) played strong defense, holding the Golden Gophers (7-2, 3-2) to 53 yards rushing on 36 carries. Ohio State outscored the Gophers 17-0 in the third quarter.

No. 8 Wash. State 44, No. 16 Arizona State 22

Pullman, Wash. Jason Gesser threw three touchdown passes, and the Cougars took over sole possession of first place in the Pac-10. Jermaine Green added TD runs of 13 and 10 yards, and Jerome Riley caught two scoring passes for Washington State (8-1, 5-0).

No. 9 Iowa 20, Wisconsin 3

Iowa City, Iowa Brad Banks threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns as Iowa (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) snapped a five-game losing streak against Wisconsin. Iowa’s defense, ranked second in the nation against the run, held the Badgers (6-4, 1-4) to 74 yards and 133 overall.

Georgia Tech 24,

No. 10 N.C. State 17

Raleigh, N.C. Gordon Clinkscale’s 14-yard touchdown run with 9:23 to play helped Georgia Tech hand North Carolina State its first defeat after a school-best 9-0 start. A.J. Suggs had a fourth-quarter touchdown pass and 2-point conversion to tie the game for the Yellow Jackets (6-3, 3-3 ACC), who have won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams. N.C. State (9-1, 4-1) fell behind Florida State for the lead in the conference.

No. 12 Alabama 30, Vanderbilt 8

Nashville, Tenn. Tyler Watts threw for 176 yards and ran for a touchdown, and Alabama used a strong defensive effort to beat Vanderbilt for the 18th straight time. The Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-1 SEC) also assured Vanderbilt (2-7, 0-5) of its 20th consecutive losing season.

No. 15 Michigan 49, Michigan State 3

Ann Arbor, Mich. John Navarre threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score as Michigan (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) handed Michigan State (3-6, 1-4) its worst loss since 1947.

No. 18 Florida State 34, Wake Forest 21

Winston-Salem, N.C. Adrian McPherson threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in his first start and Nick Maddox added 122 yards on the ground as Florida State (6-3, 5-0) took over sole possession of first place in the ACC.

No. 19 Oregon 41, Stanford 14

Eugene, Ore. Jason Fife threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score as Oregon (7-2, 3-2 Pac-10) bounced back from two straight defeats.

No. 20 Penn State 18, Illinois 7

State College, Pa. Larry Johnson ran for 279 yards to break his own school record and scored on an 84-yard run as Penn State (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) became bowl-eligible for the first time since 1999.

No. 21 Bowling Green 45, Kent State 14

Kent, Ohio Joe Alls ran for a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns as Bowling Green (8-0, 5-0 Mid-American Conference) remained unbeaten.

No. 25 Tennessee 18, South Carolina 10

Columbia, S.C. Playing without injured star Kelley Washington and in danger of losing three straight for the first time in 10 years, Casey Clausen threw for one touchdown and ran for another for the Vols (5-3, 2-3 SEC).