UVa coaching staff has lost all equity following Tech debacle

It’s a loss that will live in infamy.

Virginia’s defense again gave up too many big plays. A crucial mistake on special teams swayed momentum back in Virginia Tech’s favor when the Wahoos had a chance to take complete control. A pair of turnovers helped the Hokies stick around and eventually move in front in the fourth quarter. But the Hoos still had a chance—until the play call.

Whatever remaining equity head coach Bronco Mendenhall and his coaching staff had left with the Virginia fanbase got trampled by the small sea of maroon-clad fans who flooded the field at Scott Stadium on Saturday night.

The image will haunt UVa fans for Novembers to come. Virginia Tech came into the game as a touchdown underdog led by an interim head coach. The Hokies headed back to Blacksburg bowl eligible after capitalizing on UVa mistakes in all three phases of the game.

As Tech claimed its latest Commonwealth Cup victory, those stunned UVa fans still in the stands were left to wonder why.

Why were the Hokies the latest team to carve up Nick Howell’s defense? Why did Ricky Brumfield’s special teams unit have a punt block on with the offense in position to potentially seize control of the game? And why in the world would Robert Anae call for a throwback to an offensive lineman on arguably the most pivotal play of the season?

Bronco offered little more than an all-too-familiar refrain in the aftermath.

“We battled back and we had a chance with four plays at the end of the game to win it,” muttered a visibly disappointed Mendenhall. “And a lot of times, that's what happens in a close game or a rivalry game, and the team that makes the plays is the winner.”

Saturday’s performance was more of the same from the UVa defense. The Hokies finished with a season-high 320 rushing yards, joining North Carolina and BYU as teams to break the 300-yard mark on the ground against Howell’s unit this season. Tech joined the Tar Heels and Louisville as teams to break three plays of 50-plus yards against the Wahoos; entering the game, the Hokies had just one offensive play longer than 50 yards all year.

“You’ve got to be more consistent to play assignment sound football when it comes to these kinds of games. And when you're not, against a good team with a lot on the line, then big plays occur,” Mendenhall said. “And we were inconsistent.”

Still, the defense did put UVa in position to possibly extend a one-score lead going into halftime. When West Weeks dropped Braxton Burmeister for a 14-yard loss on his first career sack with about three minutes to play in the second quarter, it gave the defense a 3-and-out deep in Tech territory. The Wahoos had scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions. With another score before the half and then set up to get the ball again coming out of halftime, Virginia could have potentially put the game out of reach by early in the third.

But the Wahoos came after that punt—and it was Weeks who hit Tech punter Peter Moore. The penalty gave the Hokies a fresh set of downs, and they never gave the ball back. Instead of a possible two-score lead for UVa at the half, Virginia Tech’s field goal as time expired made it a four-point game.

Virginia made its mistakes offensively as well. Brennan Armstrong’s interception in the second quarter stalled another chance for the Hoos to take a two-score lead; Tech turned that turnover into a game-tying touchdown five plays later. With the game tied late in the third quarter, a potential go-ahead UVa drive abruptly ended on Keytaon Thompson’s red zone fumble. The Hokies turned around and drove 63 yards to take their first lead on a field goal. Dontayvion Wicks and Ra’Shaun Henry both struggled with drops, combining to catch just five of their 16 targets. A Tech safety on Armstrong’s fourth-quarter fumble seemed to seal the Wahoos’ fate.

But Connor Blumrick’s fumble with about three minutes to play gave UVa new life. With a shade under a minute-and-a-half left, the Hoos found themselves with a fateful 3rd-and-7 from the Tech 8.

Previously on the drive, Armstrong had become the first UVa quarterback to ever throw for 400 yards against the Hokies. Despite his drops, Wicks broke the school’s single-season record for receiving yards earlier in the game. Billy Kemp had eight catches for 102 yards. Thompson and Jelani Woods each had seven. All four targets and Henry had at least 598 receiving yards on the year.

Yet Anae chose to throw to left tackle Bobby Haskins.

It’s a play the Hoos had run before—while trying to rally late against Florida in the 2019 Orange Bowl, when a Haskins touchdown was called back by a penalty. The throwback had been sitting in the UVa playbook all season, Mendenhall revealed afterward, waiting for the proper critical moment.

“I like the chances,” Bronco said. “Defensively, it’s tough. I’ve had it work against me before.”

“It's one of those plays where in those games, if you make that play and that works, it's incredible,” said Armstrong.

But it didn’t work. In zone coverage, Tech defensive back Dorian Strong read the play and wrangled Haskins for a 5-yard loss. Armstrong’s fourth-down throw to Henry in the end zone sailed high and, after a pair of Tech kneel-downs, the celebration at ‘Lane Stadium North,’ as one fan’s sign branded it, was underway.

“Yeah, I didn’t like them storming the field,” Armstrong admitted afterward, “but it is what it is.”

“Terrible feeling,” said UVa linebacker Elliott Brown. “I know a lot of players were upset about that.”

A month ago, Virginia was 6-2, riding a four-game winning streak and in control of its fate in the Coastal Division. With Saturday’s outcome, the Wahoos ended the regular season at 6-6 and losers of four straight. They’ll learn their postseason destination next weekend.

But Saturday’s debacle felt like a tipping point with much of the Virginia fanbase. Howell had been the primary target of the message board and social media derision for most of the season; with one play-call, Anae put himself right next to his fellow coordinator on the firing line in the eyes of many members of the frustrated fanbase.

And Mendenhall is now 1-5 against the Hokies, 36-38 overall at Virginia. The 'unbroken growth' touted by UVa's head coach—after a 2019 season that saw the Hoos beat Tech to clinch the school's first-ever division title and eventually reach the Orange Bowl—has clearly stalled. After going a combined 17-10 in 2018 and 2019, UVa is just 11-11 in the two seasons since.

Justin Fuente didn’t even make it to his sixth Commonwealth Cup; he was fired earlier this month with a 43-31 record at Virginia Tech. JC Price earned his first win as interim coach at his alma mater at Scott Stadium.

Said Price after that victory, "We just wanted it more than they did tonight."

Tech was the team in turmoil heading into Saturday’s clash. Virginia was supposed to end the season of its biggest rival. And just like two years ago, the game ended with fans storming the field at Scott Stadium.

But this time, it was the Hokies celebrating another Commonwealth Cup victory—their 21st in the last 23 meetings—while UVa fans were left to watch their home field turn maroon. The disappointment and anger mounted as they headed home or changed the channel, as they took to the message boards or social media. Or worse, the apathy set in and seeped deeper into the fanbase.

At this point, those feelings have been earned, not given.