The Virginia football team’s final game of 2015 – and likely the final game of the Mike London era as well – read much like many scripts before it. A close game with some bright spots sprinkled in ultimately was spoiled by defensive breakdowns in key moments, untimely turnovers, regular penalties, and special teams miscues.
As a result, the Cavaliers’ ongoing nightmare against Virginia Tech continued for another season. The Hokies rallied twice from second half deficits and then moved ahead on a field goal with 1:38 remaining to dispatch the Hoos, 23-20. It left London winless in six years against rivals Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
“That’s a tough way to lose a football game,” London said. “I’m disappointed for our guys and our seniors who are leaving. I thought we gave it an unbelievable effort. We dealt with adversity all season long and we were put in another situation where we had to overcome some things, but we weren’t able to do it at the end. I’m proud of our guys and I’m humbled to be the coach of this team. It’s always tough when you lose close games to your rival, but I want to congratulate them and Coach Beamer. He’s a class act. It’s back to the drawing board for us.”
UVA lost five games this season by one score, leaving an ‘oh so close’ cloud hanging over the season.
“Too close, I would say” Virginia quarterback Matt Johns said when asked how close this year’s team was to getting over the hump. “We are very close. It’s one of those things where we just have to get over that hump and we’re going to keep working and fighting until we get over it.”
Against the Hokies on Saturday, the Hoos found a way to move the ball and piled up 433 yards of offense, including 262 rushing yards. Johns had 58 yards, while Olamide Zaccheaus added 50. The big day belonged to Albert Reid, who gained 103 yards and scored a 57-yard touchdown that gave the hosts the lead in the third quarter.
Johns balanced the ground attack with 171 passing yards. Taquan Mizell made 7 catches for 50 yards, giving him the ACC single season record for receiving yards by a running back with 721. T.J. Thorpe added 3 receptions for 26 yards. Canaan Severin chipped in 2 catches for 34 yards, including a toe-tapping touchdown from 27 yards out that gave UVA the lead with 10:04 to go. Severin played through significant shoulder pain and estimated that he logged 20 to 25 plays in the game.
“My shoulder hurts, but I knew it would get better down the line, I just knew,” Severin said. “A week wasn’t ideal for me to come back but I’m a competitor. I know my guys are competitors and they needed me. I’m a captain, one of the captains of this team, and I was trying to do what I could for the team.”
Despite picking up yards and taking the lead two times in the second half on those two explosive touchdown plays, the Hoos could not seize full control of the game. Each time they took the lead, in fact, the Hokies had an immediate response.
After Reid’s sprint to score, it took just 1:04 for Tech to even things at 13-13 when Sam Rogers caught a 3-yard pass for a touchdown. That 3-play drive was sparked by the first snap, a 71-yard catch-and-run play for tight end Ryan Malleck. He caught the ball uncovered in the seam and then avoided the tackle attempt of Quin Blanding (10 tackles) to quickly put VT inside the 5-yard line.
After Severin’s touchdown in the front corner of the end zone, the Hokies had another swift scoring drive to answer. This time, it took just 1:24 to knot the score at 20-20. Tech receiver Isaiah Ford caught one pass for 38 yards and then got free on 3rd-and-15 for a 32-yard touchdown reception to end the drive. Ford finished with 6 catches for 121 yards.
VT quarterback Michael Brewer completed 15 of 29 passes for 237 yards and those two touchdowns. After being under heavy pressure for much of the first half, the Hokies gave him more time plus a mix of quick hitters to keep UVA off balance and that helped the visitors keep up on the scoreboard.
“I think we just had some mental mishaps,” Virginia tackle David Dean said. “Virginia Tech guys just stepped up and made plays. We didn’t play our responsibilities and when you do that in games like these you pay for it, and we ended up paying for it.”
“It’s funny how that works,” Ford said. “Me, [Michael Brewer], and [Cam Phillips] talk about that a lot – when a team scores and we react and counter right back. We have done that quite a few times this season actually.”
Virginia couldn’t capitalize on Brewer’s one mistake, a third quarter interception by Tim Harris that set up the Hoos at the Tech 31-yard line. The Cavaliers gained just 3 yards on the ensuing drive and Ian Frye missed a 45-yard field goal try.
That special teams miscue was one of three significant ones on the day. On the first kickoff of the game, DerWoun Greene returned the ball out of the end zone for 41 yards and that led to a quick field goal. The Hoos also failed on a fake punt when punter Nicholas Conte gained 14 yards on 4th-and-16 with 2:09 remaining in the first half. The Hokies took over at the UVA 48-yard line and turned that possession into a field goal that tied the score 6-6 at halftime.
Throw in two interceptions by Johns, including one on UVA’s final possession, and 9 penalties for 65 yards and that’s just enough to lose close games. That’s the all-too-familiar script for the Hoos in the recent games with Tech.
“At the end of the day, a loss is a loss, but how close it is – we’re right there every year,” Severin said. “I told the offense when we’re coming out for that last drive, 12 months later, the same spot. We’re going to drive down the field and beat these dudes. It’s tough being right there.”
12 months later is now 12 years later. The Hoos have lost 12 straight games in the series as VT’s Beamer wrapped up his career with a victory this year. UVA has endured defeats of 3, 4, and 3 points in three of the last four years. UVA led in the second half of all three of those games – 14-7 in 2012 before Tech hit a field goal to win 17-14, 20-17 last season in Blacksburg before Bucky Hodges caught a 9-yard touchdown pass for a 24-20 win, and then Saturday’s disappointing finish.
“It was emotional,” Reid said. “We lost. Virginia Tech is a rival school. We have a lot of seniors that had an emotional game because it was the last game they will play in college, so of course it was emotional. Guys have got to go on and have other opportunities in life. It was just a tough loss for us.”
