Ballyhooed Wahoos flop against Hokies

on
Virginia Tech 33, Virginia 15 

The Hokies smacked the Cavaliers on Saturday night at Lane Stadium, and I’ve had a case of writer’s block ever since.

I had a busy Sunday and Monday, but of course, it really was more of a lack of motivation to write about such a disheartening loss. I couldn’t wait to pen a piece last year when the ‘Hoos snapped their 15-year losing streak in the series. This time around, not so much.

I felt as good as I ever have going into the Battle for the Commonwealth Cup, but afterward, my cup runneth over with “blahness.”

Virginia (5-5, 4-5 ACC) -- riding a four-game winning streak and predicted to win by just about everyone from every publication and news outlet that I saw with the exception of Condoleezza Rice on “College GameDay” -- picked a bad week to revert to the sort of play that characterized its four-game losing streak earlier in the season.

I mean really, why couldn’t the ‘Hoos have done this against Boston College? They had to wait until this past weekend to look like this?

The Hokies (5-6, 5-5), despite having lost four in a row coming in, looked hungrier and looked like they wanted to get the Cup back more than the Wahoos wanted to keep it. They played with more vigor and more energy. Despite rumors of the opposite, they looked like they loved their coach and were fighting for his job (and he did keep it, though it is tough to know how much this victory helped).

It did make me uneasy how many people thought we’d win. But I figured Virginia was hot, Tech was cold and its coach maybe a lame duck, the talent was comparable, and the coaching was on UVa’s side. And I thought the Hokies no longer had a psychological-type hold on the Cavaliers after 2019’s big victory in Charlottesville.

But I turned off the TV -- yes, I watched until the closing moments -- with a dismal reminder of other recent games in this rivalry. No matter what trouble besets the Hokies, no matter how average and downright bad they may look in some other games, they usually save a hell of an effort for their despised enemies to the north and east. Often, it is tough to say the same for the ‘Hoos. And on top of that, the ball usually bounces Tech’s way, too.

The game started out satisfactorily enough. Tech drove down the field rather easily, which wasn’t unexpected — Virginia’s defense had been leaving a lot to be desired, and I figured the Cavaliers would need to score at least 28 points if not more than 30 to win. But the Hokies shot themselves in the foot with a penalty and had to settle for a field goal.

When UVa got the ball, it got right to work and finished off a beautiful 14-play, 75-yard drive in 5:39 when Brennan Armstrong found Keytaon Thompson across the middle for an 11-yard TD reception. The drive featured three third-down conversions, and Armstrong connected on 5 of 8 passes to three different receivers. I thought we were on our way to another 30-plus point effort.
But maybe the players let their guard down and thought it would be a romp, because everything went sideways from that point forward.

Tech one-upped Virginia by converting four third downs on its next drive and ate up almost eight minutes of clock on its way to its first TD. The Hokies never trailed again.

UVa failed to move the ball on its second drive but caught a break when James Mitchell muffed the punt return (an example of the ball actually bouncing Virginia’s way). But the Cavaliers did nothing with the golden opportunity, and then Brian Delaney missed a 39-yard field goal.

There were a pair of back-breakers. First, Khalil Herbert ran untouched up the gut of the defense for a 76-yard score. Second, Braxton Burmeister found Tayvion Robinson along the sideline, and De’Vante Cross made a tackle attempt not even worthy of JV football. Robinson took off for the end zone and a 27-7 lead.

The second-quarter score was Tech 24, UVa 0.

In the second half, just as there was a glimmer of hope with Virginia driving near midfield down 30-15 with plenty of time left, Armstrong added an interception that looked eerily like one he threw against N.C. State. Maybe there was miscommunication with a receiver, or it was just a really bad throw, but the pass went right to Dorian Strong. That interception seemed to douse that spark of hope quickly.

Armstrong’s line looked reminiscent of those early-season losses: 25 of 46, 259 yards, two TDs, but also two INTs. The run game never got going. Wayne Taulapapa and Shane Simpson had just four carries combined, and even Armstrong finished with only 23 yards on the ground as the Cavaliers were forced to pass.
Billy Kemp IV led the receiving corps with nine grabs for 73 yards, Lavel Davis Jr. tallied three catches for 75 yards, and Tony Poljan had a nice night with five receptions for 76 yards, including a 23-yard TD in the second half that encouraged Wahoos’ hearts for a few minutes. Terrell Jana recorded three catches for 24 yards.
Safety Coen King led the way with a career-high 10 tackles. CB Nick Grant had 1.5 tackles for losses, including one in the second half when he did a nice job of blowing up a wideout screen. LB Noah Taylor had 1.5 tackles for losses as well, and LB Nick Jackson had one.

Virginia had no picks and no sacks. It was the first time since the N.C. State game that the Cavaliers failed to get the opposing QB on the turf. On the other side, the Hokies got Armstrong down behind the line four times.

UVa recorded only 322 yards, its lowest output of the season. Tech gobbled up 464 yards. Burmeister, who came in as a 53% passer, looked very accurate against the Wahoos’ secondary. He went 15 of 22 for 212 yards and one TD, and added 36 yards rushing. Herbert racked up 162 yards, and Jalen Holston added 58 on the ground. Robinson had five catches for 98 yards.

It was a disappointing way to end a season that wasn’t wholly disappointing despite some ugly moments. It would’ve been really, really sweet to cap off a 6-4 season with a five-game winning streak and a second straight victory over the Hokies. The defeat leaves a sour taste in the mouths of everyone associated with the program.

The UVa players and coaches said the right things after the game about being gutted about losing. But after having almost every advantage going into this edition of the series and all of the momentum, with a chance to top Tech twice in a row for the first time since 1997-98 (in addition to capturing the first win in Blacksburg since ’98), Virginia came out flat -- at least after its first drive -- and played one of its worst games of the season. The second quarter had to be the worse quarter in 2020. It came at the absolute worst time. 

“It’s immediate motivation to get it right the next time. It’s our goal and desire to win the state, every single year,” coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Not every other year or less frequently than that. It doesn’t happen unless it’s intentional. It doesn’t happen if it’s just a regular game. So, yeah we’re motivated already to get back to work.”
There were scuffles throughout the game, and some pushing and shoving as everyone exited the field. That’s nice to see, but it feels hollow (and almost like an insult) to UVa fans when it isn’t backed up by solid play on the field.

I know the players care about beating the Hokies. I do not want to doubt their heart. But does that mission burn in their soul? To quote championship-winning basketball Wahoo Kyle Guy, do they “hate losing” to them? Guy said the UMBC loss taught him to hate losing. Does it make their blood boil when they do? The lack of focus and execution says that might not be the case. Where is the determination and willpower during the plays and between the lines?

I just wish the ‘Hoos could always act like they care about this rivalry as much as they say they do, and as much as the Hokies do.

Photo credit: Virginia Tech Athletics

Comments

Post a Comment