Hokies Humble ‘Hoos, 52-14

Nate Lyles looks at the scoreboard as time expires.

Final home games are always unforgettable. For Virginia’s seniors, this one will be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Thoroughly dominated on both sides of the ball, from start to finish, in every which way, Virginia fell to #7 Virginia Tech, 52-14, today at Scott Stadium. It was UVa’s second-worst loss and the most points scored by the Hokies in the 87-game series. It was also the most-lopsided defeat for the Wahoos in Al Groh’s five years as head coach.

“This can be a very humbling game,” Groh said. “Today we certainly experienced that.”

The Hokies (9-1, 6-1 ACC) humbled and humiliated the Cavs (6-4, 3-4) in a manner rarely seen in this rivalry. At home, where UVa had won 21 of its previous 23 games, including the 2003 matchup with Tech, the crowd of 63,344 started as a sea of orange with a smattering of maroon. By the end of the third quarter, with the score 52-7, most of the sea had departed.

“I never in a million years thought the game would turn out like this,” said quarterback Marques Hagans, one of eight senior starters for Virginia. “There’s nothing you can do but feel embarrassed.”

Marcus Vick threw two touchdown passes in the first half as Virginia Tech seized a 24-0 lead. After Virginia scored on its opening drive of the third quarter, the Hokies pounded away with their running game, scoring four TDs – all on the ground – in the final 8:16 of the period. Brandon Ore and Cedric Humes each finished with over 100 yards as Tech rushed for 333 yards and five touchdowns.

Vick passed just five times in the second half after picking apart Virginia’s defense early on. His eight-yard pass to Josh Morgan opened the scoring and his 24-yarder to Eddie Royal made it 24-0 just before the half. The game really began to get away from the Cavs midway through the second quarter when Michael Johnson muffed a punt and the Hokies recovered at the 1-yard line. Humes scored on the next play.

Wali Lundy rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

Hagans threw two interceptions in the third quarter and Tech converted both into TDs.

“We just got on a roll, and I know how those things go,” said VT coach Frank Beamer. “We got on a roll, then we got a couple of turnovers in the third quarter, and we kind of got `em.”

Two weeks after getting whipped at home by Miami, the Hokies kept alive their hopes of playing in the Bowl Championship Series. Virginia, already bowl eligible going into next week’s regular-season finale at Miami, is likely to end up in a lower-tier postseason game, possibly the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on New Year’s Eve.

“They played a great game. They came out with a lot of energy,” said senior tailback Wali Lundy, the lone bright spot for UVa with two rushing touchdowns. “We knew what kind of game it was going to be – a lot of emotion. They just came out and took it to us. Hats off to them.”