The Result: A disastrous second quarter proved too much to overcome as Virginia dropped its regular-season finale 33-15 in Blacksburg on Saturday night, giving the Commonwealth Cup back to the Hokies after one year. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Wahoos and they end the regular season at 5-5, 4-5 in ACC play.
The Turning Point: When UVa didn’t take advantage of James Mitchell’s muffed punt in the second quarter. The Cavaliers were down 10-7 at that point and had the ball 1st and 10 at the VT 24. They went three-and-out and Brian Delaney missed a 39-yard field goal to tie the game. Tech would go on to score 17 more points to close out the half and never looked back.
The Stat That Tells the Story: Brennan Armstrong finished the game with 23 rushing yards on 15 attempts after rushing 17 times for 130 yards last week against BC. UVa never got him going on the ground and it proved costly.
Wahoo of the Week: It’s Billy Kemp, who had a really nice game, recording nine catches for 73 yards in the losing effort.
Bronco’s Winning Formula:
24+ Points?: Yes (15)
+1 Turnover Margin?: No (-1)
+5 Average Starting Field Position?: Yes (+9)
Keys to Victory
1) Make VT throw to win
UVa was not able to make Virginia Tech throw to win. In fact, Tech had built such a formidable lead by halftime that they barely had to throw at all in the second half. Virginia’s run defense wasn’t terrible against the Hokies but falling behind early and allowing Khalil Herbert to do enough to move the chains kept the Cavaliers from putting the Hokies in too many tough spots after the first quarter or so.
Grade: D
2) Don’t make the “big mistake”
For a moment, it looked like the Hokies may have made the critical error, when Mitchell fumbled the punt and UVa’s Hunter Stewart pounced on it. But UVa didn’t take advantage and Tech wouldn’t turn it the ball over again. UVa, on the other hand, made a few too many costly errors. A bad run fit led to a 76-yard TD run for Herbert. A poor tackle attempt by De’Vante Cross led to a back-breaking 60-yard TD for Tayvion Robinson just before halftime. And Armstrong’s first interception was a killer, with the Cavaliers on the move having cut it to 30-15 with plenty of time to go. The Hoos didn’t play as clean as they could have, or as the Hokies did, and the result showed.
Grade: D
