Virginia Tech (8).... 13 7 3 10 - 33 Virginia (16)........ 7 7 7 0 - 21 Scoring Summary: 1st Quarter 12:12 VT - Taylor 9 yd run (Dunlevy) 05:47 VT - Dunlevy 20 yd FG 02:37 VA - Simpson 27 yd run (Gould) 00:34 VT - Dunlevy 37 yd FG 2nd Quarter 06:35 VA - Sewell 8 yd run (Gould) 00:12 VT - Royal 39 yd pass from Glennon (Dunlevy) 3rd Quarter 07:51 VT - Dunlevy 29 yd FG 02:51 VA - Sewell 2 yd run (Gould) 4th Quarter 11:50 VT - Taylor 5 yd run (Dunlevy) 04:56 VT - Dunlevy 26 yd FG
Book your trip to Jacksonville. Virginia Tech is the 2007 ACC Coastal Division Champion. The Hokies used a high powered passing game and a resurgent Branden Ore to defeat in-state rival UVA 33-21 in Charlottesville on Saturday afternoon. The Hokies finished the regular season 10-2 overall, and 7-1 in the ACC. The Hoos dropped to 9-3 overall and 6-2 in ACC play.
With the win, this Virginia Tech senior class has won 10 or more games in all four of their seasons and have defeated UVA all four years. Virginia Tech has now won 10 or more games every year since 2004. They have won 10 games or more in five of the past six seasons, and seven of the last nine.
Sean Glennon had a big game throwing the football to Tech’s athletic group of wide receivers. Glennon was 13-of-19 for 260 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. He has not thrown an interception since the September 8 game at LSU.
Eddie Royal, Glennon’s former high school teammate, was the top receiving target. He caught six passes for a career-high 147 yards, including a huge touchdown late in the second quarter that gave the Hokies the lead and the momentum heading into halftime.
Josh Morgan and Josh Hyman also had big games. Morgan had four catches for 75 yards, while Hyman added four receptions for 63 yards.
Branden Ore finally broke the 100 yard mark for the first time this season. He ran for 147 yards on 31 carries, an average of 4.7 yards per carry. The Hokies finished the game with 430 yards of total offense, including 299 though the air.
The Tech defense limited UVA to just 241 yards of total offense. The Cavaliers got just 121 yards passing from quarterback Jameel Sewell, 87 of which came in the first half. UVA’s wide receivers combined for just three catches.
Virginia Tech recorded six sacks on the day. Defensive end Orion Martin had two, while Vince Hall and Barry Booker added 1.5 apiece. Chris Ellis chipped in with one. Booker had a monster game from his defensive tackle position, finishing with 4.5 tackles for loss.
Cornerback Brandon Flowers also had a big day. He finished with seven tackles, one interception, and one pass broken up. Flowers now has five interceptions on the season, and 10 for his career.
Recap
Virginia Tech got off to a good start in this game. UVA got the ball first and was forced to punt after picking up just one first down. Eddie Royal fielded the punt, but Frank Beamer had a trick play up his sleeve. Royal flipped the ball to Justin Harper on a reverse, and Harper ran it up the right sideline for a 43 yard return to the UVA 41.
The Hokies found the end zone in just four plays. Glennon hit Eddie Royal for a 16 yard gain on the first play, and Branden Ore rumbled for eight yards on his first carry of the game. Tyrod Taylor finished the drive off, first with an eight yard pass to Royal, and then scrambling for a nine yard touchdown. Jud Dunlevy’s extra point was good, and the Hokies led 7-0 with 12:12 left in the first quarter.
The Hoos didn’t get much accomplished on their second possession, quickly going three and out. The Hokies took over on their own 33 following a 10 yard holding penalty on Eddie Royal’s punt return. Tech promptly marched 65 yards in 12 plays for another scoring drive.
The Hokies dominated on the drive, and did not face a third down situation until they reached the UVA 5. On third and four from the 5, Tech went with a simple running play up the middle with Ore that did not pick up the first down. They settled for a 20 yard Jud Dunlevy field goal that made the score 10-0 with 5:28 left in the first quarter.
UVA got on the scoreboard on their next possession. The key play of the drive was a 22 yard completion to Maurice Covington to the 50 on third and 10. UVA kept driving, and tailback Mikell Simpson hit the Hokies with a 27 yard touchdown run off the right side, making the score 10-7 Tech with 2:37 left in the first quarter.
The Hokies answered quickly on their next possession. On the first play of the drive, Sean Glennon hit Eddie Royal on a 56 yard deep ball right down the middle, giving Tech the ball at the UVA 23. However, Tech couldn’t manage to punch it in the end zone, and they settled for another Dunlevy field goal. This one came from 37 yards out, and it made the score 13-7 with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
UVA went three and out on their next drive, and the Hokies began their next possession at their own 22. They drove the ball to the UVA 45, where they faced second and three. Tech elected to try a trick play. Glennon threw the ball in the left flat to Eddie Royal, who pulled up and threw a deep pass to Branden Ore, who was streaking down the right sideline. The pass was under thrown, and UVA cornerback Chris Cook picked it off, killing a promising Tech drive.
UVA took over at their own 48, and with a short field, they made the Hokies pay. The Hoos took their only lead of the game following the turnover, with Jameel Sewell taking it in from eight yards out, giving UVA a 14-13 lead with 6:35 left in the second quarter.
UVA had the momentum, but Tech took it back late in the half. With under a minute to go, UVA had the ball at the Tech 41, and Sewell dropped back to pass. He went for the quick hook pattern, but Brandon Flowers stepped in front of the pass and intercepted it at the Tech 35 with 40 seconds left in the half.
Tech’s offense took over, and Sean Glennon hit Josh Morgan on the first play of the drive for a 26 yard gain over the middle to the UVA 39. Two plays later he hit Eddie Royal on a deep post for a 39 yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the second quarter. Dunlevy’s extra point was good, and the Hokies took a 20-14 lead into halftime.
Neither offense could get much done in the early stages of the third quarter, but Frank Beamer’s pride and joy team came through with a big play. True freshman Davon Morgan came flying in from the left side and blocked a UVA punt, and the Hokies fell on the ball at the Cavalier 26.
Once again, despite good field position, Tech couldn’t get a touchdown. They advanced the ball to the UVA 11, but had to settle for a 29 yard Jud Dunlevy field goal. That made the score 23-14 Hokies with 7:51 left in the third quarter.
UVA wasn’t getting much done offensively in the third quarter, but their defense got them another short field. Chris Long sacked Sean Glennon, forcing him to fumble, and linebacker Antonio Appleby recovered it at the Tech 28, giving the Hoos a chance to make it a one possession game.
As they’ve done all year, UVA took advantage of the opportunity. Facing third and 12, Jameel Sewell made a great throw to a diving Jonathan Stupar at the Tech 2. Stupar came up with the catch, and Sewell ran it in from there on the next play, making the score 23-21 Hokies with 2:51 left in the third quarter.
That was as close as the Hoos came to beating the Hokies. In their first drive of the fourth quarter, Tech marched 68 yards for a touchdown. Glennon hit Josh Morgan for a 25 yard gain on the second play of the drive, setting the Tech offense up at the UVA 41. Tech then gave UVA a steady diet of Branden Ore, and advanced the ball to the UVA 5.
After an unsuccessful fade route in the corner to Justin Harper, Tyrod Taylor entered the game and made a big play with his feet. Taylor beat the UVA defense to the outside and took it in from five yards out. Dunlevy’s extra point made the score 30-21 with 11:50 remaining in the game.
Tech later iced the game with a field goal. The key play of the drive came on third and five from the 50. Glennon was under pressure, so he threw up a jump ball to Josh Hyman, who was facing single coverage with no safety help. As UVA cornerback Chris Cook fell down, Hyman went up and made the catch for a 32 yard gain to the UVA 18.
Although Tech couldn’t crack the end zone, they did get a 26 yard field goal from Dunlevy, extending the lead to 33-21 with 4:56 to play. The Hoos had to score two touchdowns to win the game, and they couldn’t do it against Tech’s stout defense. Jewell was sacked twice in UVA’s final possession, and the Hokies walked out of Scott Stadium still in possession of the Commonwealth Cup.
Virginia Tech will get their much-anticipated rematch with Boston College for the ACC Championship next Saturday. The ACC Championship Game will be held in Jacksonville, FL, and the game will kickoff at 1pm. It will be televised nationally by ABC.
STATISTICS
VT VA
---- ----
First downs 20 15
Rushed-yards 46-131 36-97
Passing yards 299 144
Sacked-yards lost 6-39 6-34
Return yards 126 110
Passes 17-26-0 17-28-1
Punts 4-48.2 8-36.8
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 5-44 3-35
Time of possession 32:17 27:43
Att: 61,711
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-VT, Ore 31-147, Taylor 9-17, Morgan 1-7, TEAM 2-(-13),
Glennon 3-(-27). VA, Simpson 16-81, Sewell 17-13, Pearman 3-3.
PASSING-VT, Glennon 13-19-260, Taylor 4-6-39.
VA, Sewell 15-24-121-1, Lalich 2-4-23.
RECEIVING-VT, Royal 6-147, Morgan 4-75, Hyman 4-63, Harper 2-11,
Ore 1-3. VA, Simpson 6-17, Santi 3-41, Stupar 3-40, Jobe 2-22,
Covington 1-22, Zidenberg 1-2, Phillips 1-0.
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