2 weeks Ago
BLACKSBURG — Once again, a Virginia Tech football game against rival Virginia ended with the Hokies celebrating with the Commonwealth Cup. And once again, the Tech win in the teams' regular-season finale made the Hokies eligible for a bowl game. And once again, there will be no bowl game for the Cavaliers.
The Hokies cruised to a XX win in a meeting of two mediocre teams in front of a sellout crowd on a chilly Saturday night at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech, which led 20-3 at halftime, retained the Commonwealth Cup. Tech has now won 23 of the last 25 meetings in the series, including the past four.
The Hokies (6-6, 4-4 ACC) snapped a three-game losing streak, winning for the first time since Oct. 26 Thanks to getting its sixth win Saturday, Tech will play in a bowl for the second straight season. This will be the first time Tech has made back-to-back bowls since the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
This was the seventh time in the last 13 years that Tech won its regular-season finale to qualify for a bowl. Tech also beat UVa in its 2012, 2014, 2015, 2021 and 2023 regular-season finales to become bowl eligible. Tech beat Marshall in its 2018 regular-season finale to become bowl eligible.
Tech will learn its bowl destination on Dec. 8. The Hokies ended UVa's season.
UVa (5-7, 3-5) was seeking to became bowl eligible for the first time since 2021, when Bronco Mendenhall was the Virginia coach. UVa has now failed to make a bowl in all three of coach Tony Ellliott's seasons at the school. Virginia fell to 0-4 in games against Tech that determined whether or not the Cavaliers made a bowl, including losses in UVa's 2006, 2008 and 2014 regular-season finales.
Virginia, playing in Blacksburg for the first time since 2020, lost at Virginia Tech for the 12th straight time. UVa has not won at Lane Stadium since 1998. Redshirt freshman Pop Watson made his first start at quarterback for Tech, which was without signal-callers Kyron Drones and Collin Schlee because of injuries.
UVa, coming off back-to-back losses, started Tony Muskett at quarterback for the first time this season. Bhayshul Tuten scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to give Tech the lead for good at 7-0 with 9:06 left in the first quarter. Watson threw a 42-yard pass to Da'Quan Felton on that drive.
John Love kicked a 44-yard field goal to extend the Tech lead to 10-0 with 1:16 left in the first quarter. Watson had a 15-yard run on that drive. Will Bettridge kicked a 37-yard field goal to cut the Tech lead to 10-3 with 2:46 to go in the second quarter.
Muskett threw a 24-yard pass to Suderian Harrison the drive. A wide-open Jaylin Lane hauled in a Watson pass at about the UVa 20-yard line and sprinted to the end zone for a 66-yard TD catch that extended the Tech lead to 17-3 with 1:50 to go in the first half. It was the longest pass of Tech's season.
Tech's Jaylin Jones picked off a Muskett pass at the Tech 27 and returned it 27 yards to the UVa 46 before fumbling the ball out of bounds at the UVa 42. Five plays later, Love kicked a 31-yard field goal to extend the cushion to 20-3 at the end of the first half. Watson scored on a 5-yard run to extend the lead to 27-3 with 10:05 left in the third quarter.
Muskett scored on a 2-yard run and threw a 2-point conversion pass to cut the lead to 27-11 with 5:23 left in the third. He had a 16-yard pass and a 15-yard run on that drive. Love kicked a 28-yard field goal to extend the lead to 30-11 with 3:08 to go in the third.
Watson threw a 40-yard pass to Ali Jennings on that drive. Muskett scored on a 5-yard run to cut the lead to 30-17 with 13:12 left in the fourth. He had passes of 19 and 18 yards on the series.
Tuten scored on a 58-yard run to extend the lead to 37-17 with 6:12 to go. Mark Berman (540) 981-3125 mark.berman@roanoke.
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