PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage grabbed his helmet and tried to walk onto the field late in the fourth quarter on Saturday against Virginia when wide receiver Devin Street stopped the woozy quarterback and told him maybe it wasn’t the best idea.

“He was a little dazed and confused,” Street said. “He was trying to stay in there. I told him to think about the big picture. We need him for the rest of the season.”

One that’s starting to look brighter by the game.

A week after getting shredded by Duke, Pitt’s defense keyed a 14-3 win over the Cavaliers in a victory that in brute force made up for what it lacked in aesthetics. The Panthers (3-1, 2-1 ACC) limited Virginia to 188 total yards and converted a pair of first-quarter turnovers into touchdowns to put together their first three-game winning streak since 2010.

Savage is flourishing this fall after missing two seasons while transferring from Rutgers to Arizona to Pitt. He broke loose for a 14-yard scramble when he slid to the ground. Virginia’s Daquan Romero slammed into Savage anyway. Their helmets collided and Savage grabbed his head immediately.