In Wednesday’s game preview, we talked about Virginia Tech needing to play four quarters of football in Charlottesville on Saturday, and that’s exactly what they did. The Hokies bombed UVA from start to finish, winning 38-0 and locking up a trip to the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte next weekend. The Hokies finished the regular season 11-1, with a 7-1 mark in ACC play, while the Hoos dropped to 8-4 and 5-3 in the conference.
This game was a blowout from start to finish. The Hokies began the game by going deep on UVA star cornerback Chase Minnifield, who was flagged for pass interference while still giving up a 36 yard gain down the right sideline to Marcus Davis. Logan Thomas capped the drive with a 14 yard run on an option play to make the score 7-0, and the rout was on.
Thomas finished the game 13-of-21 for 187 yards with two touchdowns, to go along with the rushing touchdown. His counterpart, UVA quarterback Mike Rocco, was 16-of-27 for 211 yards, but he threw two interceptions. The Tech defense limited the UVA offense to just 241 yards, and despite the fact that the Hoos had the ball in Tech territory six times, they failed to score.
A critical stop came on UVA’s second drive, when they went for it on fourth and three from the Tech seven, but Kevin Parks was stopped for a two yard gain. The Hokie defense limited a very good UVA rushing attack to just 30 yards on 26 carries, while sacking Rocco four times. James Gayle had two sacks, while Luther Maddy and Kyle Fuller added one each.
Detrick Bonner and J.R. Collins came up with interceptions for the Tech defense. The interception by Collins was a masterpiece by Bud Foster, who called a zone blitz with the Hokies up 28-0. Collins dropped back into pass coverage, and Mike Rocco threw the ball right into his chest, and he returned it to the UVA five yard line, setting up a touchdown pass to Marcus Davis.
Davis had a huge game for the Hokies, catching two deep passes and hauling in a total of five receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. Jarrett Boykin added four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.
Tailback David Wilson was stopped early, but had a huge second half, carrying the ball 24 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson had touchdown runs of 21 yards and 38 yards, both in the second half.
UVA had the best third down defense in the ACC heading into this game, but the Hokies were 6-of-13 on third downs. UVA was just 3-of-11, and they were also stopped on that critical fourth down in the first quarter. Overall, the Hokies forced four turnovers, and that was a big factor in their blowout victory.
UVA running backs Perry Jones, Kevin Parks and Clifton Richardson, who had been so effective all season for the Hoos, combined for just 35 yards on 16 carries.
This game marked the first shutout of the season for the Tech defense. It was the first time UVA has been shutout in Scott Stadium since 1984. On a final note, Danny Coale assumed the punting duties against UVA, and he had four punts for a 47.5 yard average, with a long of 52 yards. It was a great punting performance, and the Hoos managed just nine yards on four total punt returns.
Virginia Tech will get a chance for revenge against the Clemson Tigers next Saturday night in Charlotte for the ACC Championship. The game will be televised by ESPN at 8pm. Clemson has lost three of their last four games, including a 34-13 whipping at the hands of South Carolina on Saturday night.
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