The days leading up to this latest edition of the Commonwealth Cup rivalry
game had a very different feel from recent years. From the time Virginia beat
FSU the previous week, this game took on a new urgency for both sides. This had
the feel of a watershed game in the rivalry, with Virginia anxious to test their
surging team against the standard bearer of the ACC, and many wondering if the
Cavaliers were ready to close the gap. Some time around 6:30 PM Saturday, the
Hokies were taking a knee deep in Virginia territory to put the finishing
touches on a 38-0 blowout, and the answer was crystal clear: not this game, not
this season, and maybe not for a while.

Watching the game from the end zone of Scott Stadium, caught up in the
moment, I failed to realize exactly how dominant the Hokies were. That may sound
silly, given that the game was 38-0, but that’s the nature of watching a game
live; while the game is in process, every little success the opponent has is
magnified, as is every failure of your own team. But later, after the emotions
were removed and I perused the box score and watched the game on DVR, the
magnitude of this whipping sunk in on me.

As your faithful scribe, in my attempts to document my impressions in Monday
Thoughts, I’m left with a huge challenge. Namely, how do I write about this game
without lapsing into eight pages of cheerleading? This was as dominant a game
from start to finish as I have ever seen the Hokies play. There is very little I
can add in the way of analysis and commentary that will shed any new light on
what went down Saturday. It was epic, it was timely, it made a statement, and
the shockwaves will resonate for a while.

Perhaps it’s easy to shrug off the importance of this game. Maybe you’re
thinking, “Same ole UVa.” Or maybe you’re thinking, “Sure, the
Coastal championship was on the line, but … was it really? Was it any more in
doubt than it was in 2007? Not really.” Or maybe you’re thinking,
“They suck.”

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