Game Preview 2009 – Virginia Tech


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Essentials

Game Preview

Regardless of what happens in the matchup between Virginia and Virginia Tech this Saturday, the Cavaliers will finish with their fewest wins in a season in 23 years. How ironic, then, would it be if Virginia beat its biggest in-state rival in the season finale, a feat it has accomplished just once in the last 10 years? The only Virginia win in the Al Groh era against the Hokies came in 2003: a 35-21 win in Charlottesville. No one on the current Virginia roster has beaten Virginia Tech; the fifth-year seniors have lost by an average score of 29.75 to 12.25 in their previous four meetings.

“One word: badly,” said linebacker Denzel Burrell when asked about how much he wants to beat the Hokies. “No one on this team has beaten Virginia Tech since we’ve been here, and I’ve been here for five years, so that says a lot.”

For the No. 14 Hokies, a win would likely launch them into the top 10 nationally, and would give them an opportunity for a 10-win season with their bowl game. And, though Georgia Tech has already wrapped up the Coastal Division, the Hokies are very much on the fence between the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where they would play the best SEC team not in a BCS bowl, and the lesser Gator Bowl, where an opponent from the Big East or Big 12 would await. Competing with the Hokies for a bid to the Chick-fil-A is Clemson, who has an identical overall record and the same number of conference losses. This Saturday, the Tigers have a challenging road game against South Carolina.

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