Cavs feel low
Virginia players are abashed after being smashed at home
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Nov 20, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- University of Virginia coach Al Groh didn't use the word "embarrassing" to describe his team's performance yesterday, but several of his players did.

With the second-largest crowd in Scott Stadium history looking on -- not to mention an ESPN audience -- seventh-ranked Virginia Tech manhandled U.Va. 52-14 on a cool, clear afternoon. This is in an ACC game that the Hokies entered as seven-point favorites, on a field where Virginia had won 21 of its previous 23 games.

"I don't think they're that many points better than us," U.Va. quarterback Marques Hagans said, "but when you look at the score, the proof is there."

Not since losing 55-0 to Clemson in the 1984 season opener had Virginia been beaten so badly at home. Not since losing 63-21 to Illinois in the 1999 MicronPC Bowl had Virginia allowed so many points.

Never had the Hokies scored as many points against U.Va. as they did yesterday.

"We had a couple good outings that were noteworthy preceding this one," U.Va. coach Al Groh said, "but as I said before, it's a very humbling game, and we experienced that today. . . . I always say, you are what you are, and it was what it was today. You can't turn it into anything else."

The game, believe it or not, started well for U.Va. The Hokies had the ball first, and Virginia forced them into a three-and-out. After a poor punt, U.Va. took over at its 46-yard line. What followed was a sign of frustration to come for Virginia's attack.

The Cavs lost 2 yards on first down, 1 yard on second down and 4 yards on third down. They had to punt the ball away, and by the time they got it back, Tech was ahead to stay.

"You get the ball on the 50-yard line, you got to expect to get at least three points," U.Va. tailback Wali Lundy said, "because if you jump out on a team like Virginia Tech, it can give you confidence."

Whatever confidence the Wahoos carried into yesterday's game evaporated in the second half. Tech outscored U.Va. 28-7 in the third quarter and led 52-7 going into the fourth. The Hokies finished with 333 yards rushing -- 83 more than Virginia had allowed in a game this season and 170 passing.

"I'm not going to pinpoint it on the corners or the safeties or anybody," junior cornerback Marcus Hamilton said. "We as a team, as a Virginia defense, didn't get the job done. . . . It's very disheartening. It's embarrassing."

On offense, meanwhile, the Cavs totaled a modest 254 yards, most in the second half after the outcome was effectively decided.

"What can you do but feel embarrassed?" said Hagans, who was sacked thrice and threw two interceptions. "We got it handed to us."

The ball went to U.Va. to start the second half, and Hagans led his team on its most impressive drive. On fourth and 9 from Tech's 40, he scrambled 10 for a first down. A penalty moved Virginia inside the Hokies' 10. Lundy scored on a 9-yard run with 11:44 left, and Connor Hughes' PAT made it 24-7.

"That was a critical point in the game," U.Va. safety Tony Franklin said. "If we get a stop there, it's a manageable score."

A stop? No way. The Hokies answered with a ruthless drive that ended with bruising tailback Cedric Humes' 9-yard touchdown drive. Three more Tech TDs -- all on the ground -- followed before the quarter mercifully ended for Virginia.

Lundy's TD "should have had everybody in a good frame of mind," Groh said. "I'm sure that it did. Really the next drive was like so many that preceded it or followed it. We just weren't able to be strong enough or physical enough at the point of attack.

"Most particularly, we did not do a good job on the edge of the defense today. It wasn't a scheme thing. We were in the right places. We just got blocked more than you can get blocked if you want to stop the running game."


 

PERFECT STORMING
Hokies' offense, defense and special teams raze their rivals at Scott Stadium Tech controls ga
BY MIKE HARRIS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Nov 20, 2005

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer motions to Tech fans as he leaves the field after beating University of Virginia 52-14 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. (MARK GORMUS/TIMES-DISPATCH)
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In their 1998 album, the Dixie Chicks sang about wide-open spaces. Yesterday, the Virginia Tech Hokies played in them.
By air in the first half and by ground in the second, seventh-ranked Tech did almost whatever it wanted in a 52-14 whipping of archrival Virginia.

Most of the crowd of 63,344 was long gone before the game ended. The 52 points were the most the Hokies have scored against the Cavaliers and the most Virginia has given up at Scott Stadium since Clemson got 55 in 1984.

Tech improved to 6-1 in the ACC, 9-1 overall and kept alive its hopes of slipping into the ACC championship game and earning an at-large spot in the Bowl Championship Series. The Hokies will close the regular season Saturday at home against North Carolina and need a win there and one Miami loss to reach the ACC title game.

Virginia fell to 3-4, 6-4 with its final game Saturday at Miami. The Hurricanes handed the Hokies their only loss on Nov. 5 in Blacksburg, Tech's most recent game before yesterday.

"The question I've been asked for two weeks is what is the state of your football team, are they going to have a collapse?" said Tech coach Frank Beamer, whose team has yet to lose a league game on the road.

"I thought this football team showed some great stuff today. . . . It kind of just shows this crowd has a little something to them. It has some talent, and it has a lot of good, solid, tough people."

Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans was one of several Cavaliers who said they were "embarrassed" by their performance.

"I never in a million years thought the game was going to turn out like this," Hagans said.

Said Virginia coach Al Groh: "This can be a very humbling game, and we certainly experienced that. . . . Today, they were a strong and powerful team."

The field at Scott Stadium was vandalized early yesterday morning. A large orange "T" was painted next to the V logo in the center of the field. A small "VT" was painted under the "i" in Virginia in the south end zone.

Everything was cleaned by the time the game started. That's when the Hokies left their indelible mark.

They finished with 503 yards. They passed for 155 in the first half, with quarterback Marcus Vick completing 13 of 16 passes.

They rushed for 257 in the second. Tech came into the game with only two 100-yard individual rushing games this season. It got two yesterday, with redshirt freshman Branden Ore picking up 115 and senior Cedric Humes gaining 113.

"I thought we were pounding pretty good," Beamer said. "There was some good blocking. We got a couple new wrinkles in there to get the ball outside a little more; they had a solid plan that Marcus did a good job executing."

One play in the second quarter pushed the Cavaliers to the edge, and the Hokies' third quarter pushed them over.

Down 10-0, Virginia forced a punt only to see it bounce off Michael Johnson's chest. Tech's Roland Minor recovered for the Hokies, who started the drive on Virginia's 1 and needed only one play for Humes to score.

"You see the ball, you grab it, you get on it. Instinct," Minor said. "That last little rock fell from under them, and then the offense turned it on and they started piling on the points. That's what we needed."

Tech got another touchdown late in the second quarter when Vick found Eddie Royal for a 24-yard score to make it 24-0 at halftime. The Cavaliers mounted their only drive of the day to start the second half by going 71 yards in nine plays. Wali Lundy got the touchdown with a 9-yard run.

The good feeling didn't last long.

Humes went 41 yards on Tech's first play after the kickoff. By the time the quarter ended, the Hokies had scored four touchdowns and the stands had started to clear. Aaron Rouse, Tech's rover, helped the cause by intercepting Hagans on successive passes.

Tech rushed for 185 yards in the third quarter.

"To come out confident, that was a difference for us," Rouse said. "I think after the Miami game, the world kind of took a step back and put us on the back burner. We had to come out confident and make a statement against your in-state rival. That's huge. We wanted to let the world know that we're still a powerhouse team, that we can play with anybody, anywhere, any time."

The Hokies have won the past two and six of the past seven meetings against Virginia. This was just the third loss at home for Virginia in its past 24 games.

"We knew there were things we could do, and we went out and did them," Humes said.

 

Tech's surge in third quarter well-grounded
JOHN MARKON
POINT OF VIEW Nov 20, 2005
Contact John Markon at (804) 649-6892 or jmarkon @timesdispatch.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE College football locker rooms are closed to the press at halftime, which deprived the world of what must have been quite a scene yesterday at Virginia's Scott Stadium.
Virginia Tech had spent the first 30 minutes having its way with the home team, so it must have been slightly unexpected when coach Frank Beamer popped out of an offensive skull session and said something like, "Guys, we're scrapping what we're doing and going back to the drawing board!"

Tech had built its 24-0 lead primarily on the arm and eyes of junior quarterback Marcus Vick, who'd thrown for 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Virginia's depleted secondary was offering only minimal resistance and the good times seemed likely to continue rolling in the second half.

Recent election results aside, however, there will always be room for conservative thought in Virginia as long as Beamer and longtime offensive assistant Billy Hite are patrolling the Hokies' sidelines.

Beamer wasn't going to be happy until he'd run the ball. Maybe he had little to risk, but yesterday's outcome appeared just a little less than definite after the Cavaliers took the third-quarter kickoff and drove 71 yards in no-huddle, hurry-up style to slice into the Hokies' lead.

"I wasn't happy they'd scored," admitted Tech safety Aaron Rouse, "but I wasn't really concerned, either. This is Division I-A football. You're going to give up some points and yards.

"Besides, we hadn't really started running the ball on offense yet."

When they did, it was the end of the Cavaliers. In the 11:44 remaining in the third period, the Hokies, who had a modest 79 ground yards at halftime, would score four additional touchdowns and rush for 185 yards.

Tech's first third-quarter snap resulted in a 41-yard run by Cedric Humes. Before triple zeroes would appear on the clock, Humes would pile up 93 third-period yards and his freshman understudy, Branden Ore, would add 80. Each would score two touchdowns.

On the final four plays of the quarter, Ore carried four times for 22, 7, 5 and 31 yards. The length of the last run was limited only by the goal line.

After passing Virginia silly in the first half, Tech would throw for only 15 yards in the second. It was like discarding three aces in a poker game and still raking in the pot.

"We did feel there were things we could accomplish with the running game," Beamer said. "And, after we got a few of those touchdowns, there was no reason to keep on throwing."

Tech's failure to crack 200 yards in the third quarter could be attributed entirely to Rouse, whose two interceptions of Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans gave Tech a short field on two of its scoring drives. A buck-eighty-five in less than 12 minutes, however, conjures up visions of Nebraska or Oklahoma vs. Iowa State, circa maybe 1974.

"Our whole offense feeds off the run," Ore said. "We'll take yards and points any way we can, but there's a feeling you get when you're running the ball that's special."

Beamer had it. Well after the final gun, you could almost sense his pulse racing as he talked about "That time there when our lineman were really getting after it and our backs were really slamming it in there and running it. It was something."

For the Cavs, it was something else entirely. Not many defenses, particularly one that had previously surrendered 520 yards in an October loss at Maryland, could survive yesterday's stampede with egos and confidence intact. Virginia's did not. Game films at U.Va. this week will be rated "S" for submission.

Coach Al Groh, who's been known to be tough on his players after a loss, was measured and restrained yesterday. Additional criticism would have been only piling on.

"You just hate being associated with this kind of game," said cornerback Tony Franklin. "We didn't hit, we didn't tackle in that third quarter, we barely played. I think all 11 of us have to re-examine our effort after something like that."

"They're a big, powerful football team," allowed Groh, "and that's the kind of plan they put together."

Even if it was Plan B.

 

Tech shows separation in 'rivalry'
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW Nov 20, 2005
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or e-mail blipper @timesdispatch.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE What if they gave a rivalry and only one football team came?
This is not a rhetorical question, mind you. This is a just state- ment-of-fact question among several that unbalanced Scott Stadium's scoreboard yesterday.

As in: What if one revitalized rival shows up with a nasty disposition, and the other barely shows up at all? What if one rival accumulates its normal weekly rushing output in a single quarter alone, and the other turns its opponent's off-tackle grinders into 25-yard bursts? What if one rival zeroes in on the slam-bang player who could make a difference, and the other has no counterpunch?

Answer: 52-14.

Fifty-two to 14 is the shorthand version of the whuppin' Virginia Tech laid on Virginia yesterday. Never in 86 previous matchups between these two, umm, contestants had the winner hit the big 5-0. Tech hurdled the barrier yesterday with a couple of extra points to spare.

It's now claimed six of the past seven meetings - all by double-figure margins. Some of its players sought nothing less on this occasion.

"I expected something high and low," said Tech linebacker Vince Hall. "That's what it was."


Tech is better. Better players. Better team. Better program. That could change someday, of course, could tilt in U.Va.'s direction, could shift in the blink of a recruiting class or two. But Al Groh recruits well year after year and is now 1-4 against Tech and losing traction.

He'll go to Blacksburg next year with a new quarterback and an old problem. And the memory of this rout.

"Give it up to them today," acknowledged U.Va. nose tackle Kwakou Robinson. "They were the better team in every aspect."

Yards rushing? Tech rambled for 333 to U.Va.'s 114. Total real estate? Tech piled up a 2-to-1 bulge. Sacks? Tech had three, U.Va. none. Possession time? Of 60 minutes, Tech owned the ball for nearly 38½.

State of readiness at kickoff? Not even close.

Virginia was coming off a fairly dramatic win over Georgia Tech and was playing among friendlies. Tech was two Saturdays removed from a dismal loss at home to Miami and was dogged by reminders of stretch-run collapses from its recent past. Plus, by definition it was the visiting team.

Advantage U.Va.? Uh-uh. Coached up by Frank Beamer and his staff and ramped up by speechifying from the likes of senior defensive tackle and Varina High alum Jonathan Lewis, the Hokies gathered themselves and came to town with show-them pugnacity. Three hours and 52 points later, Beamer was lobbying for Fiesta Bowl consideration.

Shows you what a little backbone-stiffening can do for a team.

"We really wanted to make a statement after what happened two weeks ago," said cornerback Jimmy Williams. "This is a big win, but it's what we expected. We don't like to lose to them, and if we get the chance, we like to shove it down their throats."

The Hokies introduced U.Va.'s gullet to leather with 185 yards rushing in the third quarter. They led 24-0 heading into that period. They were on top 52-7 coming out of it. Understand, Beamer didn't run it up, he just ran it. And ran it. And ran it. And U.Va. was powerless to blunt the assault. And turned the ball over. And became the bottom layer of an avalanche.

"I didn't think it'd be that big a difference," Marcus Hamilton. "I didn't think we'd lose, but I didn't expect anything like that."

Marques Hagans maybe didn't expect company when he sprinted from danger. That's how he roasted Florida State for 306 yards passing a month ago. He's terrific. But on this day, he couldn't escape the Vince Halls and Carlton Powells and Orien Martins who tracked him down like heat-seeking missiles.

"Yeah, he probably was surprised," said Hall. "He breaks down the defense when he gets outside the pocket. We had to keep that to a minimum."

Done. Behind 17-0 and sensing doom, Groh was moved to go for it on fourth and 7 from Tech's 37 in the second quarter. Didn't work. He ordered a no-huddle motif. Ditto. The Hokies kept coming, kept attacking, kept scoring, kept putting distance between themselves and the guys in orange and blue, kept their end of the bargain.

"It's a big rivalry," observed Lewis.

Well, if he says so.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Nov 20, 2005

GOING TO GRACELAND? The Atlantic Coast Conference has tie-ins with six bowls, including the Bowl Championship Series. The Liberty is not among those six, but an official from the Memphis, Tenn., bowl was at Scott Stadium yesterday.

After a conversation with ACC Commissioner John Swofford, Liberty officials decided Friday to send a representative to scout Virginia.

"These guys are high are our list," said Harold Graeter, the Liberty's associate executive director. "We decided we needed to be here."

Graeter met with U.Va.'s president, John Casteen, and its athletic director, Craig Littlepage, yesterday. Is the Liberty's interest in U.Va. (6-4) legitimate?

"We wouldn't be here if it wasn't," Graeter said.

The Liberty will match Conference USA champion's against an at-large team Dec. 31 at 1 p.m.

Graeter didn't catch one of the Cavaliers' finer efforts. Seventh-ranked Virginia Tech humbled U.Va. 52-14.

Nonetheless, Graeter said afterward, the outcome "doesn't change our thought process about Virginia at all. We're as excited about them as we were three hours ago. And again a lot of that is because of what we've heard from their fans. They all have a Memphis story, whether it's the Peabody or Beale Street or the barbecue. Maybe some of the stories can't be told."

Graeter said there are "a lot of Memphis connections with Virginia," noting that the city is home to John Paul Jones, for whom U.Va.'s new basketball arena is named.

The Liberty's selection committee will meet tomorrow to discuss at-large possibilities. The bowl's director scouted Fresno State last night.

Asked if the Liberty might extend an invitation to U.Va. in the next week, Graeter was noncommittal. "As far as the ACC, we'll have to work with [Swofford] and see what timetable John is on."

The ACC has seven bowl-eligible teams, and the winner of next weekend's Maryland-N.C. State game will qualify, too. The conference still hopes to get an at-large team in the BCS.

HOLLOW FEELING: Senior tailback Wali Lundy scored both of Virginia's touchdowns yesterday, on runs of 9 and 11 yards in the second half. He now has 300 career points and is only the third player in ACC history to score 50 touchdowns. N.C. State's Ted Brown (1975-78) scored 51, and North Carolina's Leon Johnson (1993-96) scored 50.

"It doesn't matter," Lundy said of his milestone. "You get 300 points and lose, it means nothing."

STAND-UP GUY: Among the U.Va. players who showed up for postgame interviews was junior Michael Johnson. It would have been understandable had he declined to meet the press.

Johnson's muff of a punt inside U.Va.'s 10-yard line midway through the second quarter led to the Hokies' second touchdown, which made it 17-0.

He probably shouldn't have tried to field the punt so close to the goal line. But with his team down 10-0, Johnson said, he was "trying to make a play."

A gust of wind blew the ball off course, he said, but such things happen.

"I can make up a thousand and one excuses, but I dropped it, obviously," Johnson said. "It hit my thumb and I muffed it."

He later said: "It's the worst feeling, the reason being it's Virginia Tech and the whole world's watching, your family's watching, your friends are watching. You hate to make mistakes. Unfortunately, nobody's perfect, and you got to live with it."

SPECTATORS: Sophomore defensive end Vince Redd suited up and went through warmups but never got into the game. The other three Cavaliers who were suspended for last weekend's game against Georgia Tech started yesterday: junior Tony Franklin at safety, senior Ottowa Anderson at wideout and senior Kwakou Robinson at nose tackle.

Also watching yesterday was sophomore nose tackle Keenan Carter, who started last weekend against Georgia Tech. Carter, who sprained an ankle against the Yellow Jackets, was in uniform yesterday but didn't play.

IN THE MIX? Liberty University football coach Ken Karcher resigned under pressure Thursday. Don't be surprised if Liberty looks at U.Va. assistant Danny Rocco in its search for Karcher's successor.

Rocco, who works with the Cavaliers' outside linebackers, also has the title of associate head coach. He has ties to Liberty. His brother Frank Rocco Jr., now the head coach at private-school power Lynchburg Christian Academy, was the Flames' offensive coordinator for four seasons (2000-03). Their father, Frank Rocco Sr., was Liberty's director of football operations in 2000 and '01.

SOUTHBOUND: Virginia (3-4, 6-4) closes the regular season Saturday against Miami at the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes were 5-1, 8-1, heading into their game against visiting Georgia Tech last night.

U.Va. never has won a football game in Florida. - Jeff White

 

Hokies hammer, humble Cavs in showdown
By Jay Jenkins  / Daily Progress staff writer
November 20, 2005

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, Virginia's football team decided on Saturday to get creative and add a new dish to its holiday spread - humble pie.
With in-state rival Virginia Tech in Charlottesville for the annual battle for the Commonwealth Cup, the Cavaliers not only lost 52-14, but they were whipped into submission during a third quarter that saw the Hokies score four unanswered touchdowns.
By the time the final seconds ticked off the clock, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer had been splashed with Gatorade, a collection of Hokies had danced their way up the steps toward the lower-level seats at Scott Stadium and a majority of Virginia fans (in the crowd of 63,344) were at home or well on their way.
The seventh-ranked Hokies passed at will in the opening half and ran the ball even better in the final 30 minutes. For the game, Virginia Tech (9-1, 6-1 ACC) gained a season-high 333 rushing yards, passed for 170 more and amassed a season-best 503 yards of total offense.
Not bad for a team that saw its National Championship hopes fade with a 27-7 loss at home against Miami in its last outing on Nov. 5.
"The question I've been asked for two weeks is 'What's the state of your football team? Are you going to have a collapse?,'" VT coach Frank Beamer said. "I was asked that after the Miami game. I thought this football team showed some great stuff today.

"I thought we were pounding pretty good, and our backs were running well. There was some good blocking and I give credit to our offensive staff. They put a few wrinkles in there to get the ball outside a little bit more."
The 52 points scored by the Hokies were the most ever in the 110-year history of the rivalry, and the 38-point loss was the worst home loss for Virginia since getting whitewashed, 55-0, against Clemson in 1984.
"I never in a million years thought the game was going to turn out like this," said Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans, who was one of 13 seniors to play in their final home game. "[Virginia Tech] played a good game. I don't exactly know what the score was, but I don't think they are that many points better than us. But, you look at the score and the proof is there.
"They beat us, but I never thought the game would end up like this."
Having lost to the Hokies for the fourth time in five tries, Virginia coach Al Groh was in no position to argue with the thoughts of his senior quarterback.
"[Football is] a humbling game, certainly today we experienced that," said Groh, whose team dropped to
6-4 overall and 3-4 in the ACC.
"I said last week that I thought [Virginia Tech] was going to be one of the best teams to come in here to play. I thought they were strong and powerful.
"We had a couple good outings that were noteworthy preceding this one, but as I said before, it's a very humbling game, and we experienced that today."
Virginia had a chance to make a statement early in the game. After the Cavaliers' defense forced the Hokies to go three-and-out on their first possession, UVa got the ball in great field position - its own 46.
"You get the ball on the 50-yard line," UVa running back Wali Lundy said, "and you got to expect to get at least three points. If you jump on a team like Virginia Tech, it can give you confidence."
Virginia Tech made sure that didn't happen, forcing UVa to lose yardage on each of its first three plays from scrimmage - a two-yard loss on a carry by Lundy, a sack of Hagans for a one-yard loss and a three-yard loss on a pass from Hagans to Lundy.
"Virginia Tech's defense bounced back," Lundy said.
Virginia punted the ball away and the floodgates opened for the Hokies, as they scored on eight of their next nine possessions, with seven of those turning into touchdowns.
The first score, an 8-yard pass from quarterback Marcus Vick to Josh Morgan, capped an 11-play, 78-yard drive that took five minutes off the clock.
Virginia got the ball back, but looked out of rhythm, giving it back to the Hokies after gaining just 19 yards on five plays.
When asked if the lengthy time his offense had been on the sidelines played a factor, Groh avoided making excuses.
"If we would've done a little better with the ball when we had it," Groh said, "we would have had it for more than eight plays."
After a 32-yard field goal from Virginia Tech's Brandon Pace with 11:31 left in the opening half made it 10-0, both teams exchanged punts.
On Virginia Tech's punt, however, the ball bounced the Hokies' way - glancing off the shoulder pads of UVa punt returner Michael Johnson, who was trying to catch the ball inside the 10-yard line, and into the hands of Virginia Tech's Roland Minor at the 1.
One play later, Cedric Humes rumbled into the end zone, giving the Hokies a 17-0 advantage.
"That's a big turning point in the ballgame," Beamer said.
Virginia moved the ball on its ensuing drive, but when faced with a 4th-and-7 from at the Virginia Tech 37, Groh elected to go for it. It was not to be. Hagans' pass for wideout Fontel Mines over the middle was incomplete.
"We were not trying to keep from losing the game. We were trying to win the game and the game was running away from us," Groh said. "It was going to take points to win the game. It wasn't going to take the status quo at that particular point.
"I am sure on the other side of the coin, if we would've punted the ball away everybody would have said that we were giving up."
Virginia Tech added another late touchdown in the second quarter, a 24-yard pass from Vick to Eddie Royal, but Virginia did not give up. The Cavaliers opened the second half with a 71-yard, nine-play drive that concluded on a 9-yard TD run by Lundy, who had 15 carries for 67 and two touchdowns.
Opportunity knocked for Virginia's defense.
"If we get a stop there, it's a manageable score," said UVa safety Tony Franklin.
Instead of shutting the door, however, UVa opened it wide and invited the Hokies' ground game in. Humes, who finished with 113 yards on 17 carries, broke off a 41-yard gain on the drive's first play and eight plays and 39 yards later the Hokies scored again - Humes ran untouched on a 9-yard run.
Virginia Tech added three more rushing touchdowns in the third quarter as they turned 20 carries into 185 yards.
Leading 52-7 entering the fourth quarter, Virginia had little to play for except pride. Lundy, a senior, found the end zone for the final time at Scott Stadium on an 11-yard run.
For the game, Virginia gained 254 yards of total offense but 90 of that was gained in the fourth quarter as Virginia Tech played many of the players on its second string. Hagans completed 17 of 30 passes for 140 yards, but tossed two third-quarter interceptions.
Vick paced the Hokies in the pocket, going 15 for 21 for 170 yards and two TDs.
As thrilling as routing its rival must have been, Virginia Tech's mood had to get even better late Saturday. Why? Because Georgia Tech pulled off a 14-10 upset in Miami to give the Hokies the lead in the Coastal Division. Now, VT only needs to win on Saturday at home against North Carolina to secure the right to play Florida State in the inaugural ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville on Dec. 3.
The Hokies could also get a bid to Bowl Championship Series if representatives from the Fiesta Bowl, which is held in Phoenix, desired to pass out an at-large berth to a team from the East Coast.
"I hope our friends from the Fiesta Bowl, who I know were here ? I hope they left impressed," Beamer said.
Things don't get any easier for the Cavaliers. They get No. 3 Miami in the Orange Bowl on Saturday. Thanks to the Hurricanes' loss to Georgia Tech, Miami should come out hungry in that game. The Canes would need to win and get a North Carolina victory at Virginia Tech to make the ACC title game.
"They're probably one of the best teams we've had to go play," Groh said.
 

Virginia notes vs. Virginia Tech
By Jerry Miller and Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writers
November 20, 2005

LUNDY LEAPS INTO NEW ECHELON. Virginia senior tailback Wali Lundy broke the 50 career touchdown plateau with an 11-yard TD run, his second of the game, with 8:29 left in the fourth quarter. Lundy is the third player in ACC history to tally 50 trips to pay dirt. N.C. State's Ted Brown (1975-78) scored 51 touchdowns and North Carolina's Leon Johnson (1993-96) posted 50 TDs.
The two scores also gave the Willingboro, N.J., native 300 career points. After two extra points on Saturday, kicker Connor Hughes has 317 career points, making the Cavs the first team in ACC history with two active 300-point scorers.

SPECIAL TEAMS BLUNDER. Junior Michael Johnson was credited for one punt return for minus five yards after muffing a punt deep in Virginia territory, which led to a 1-yard Cedric Humes touchdown and a 17-0 Virginia Tech lead.

"All the techniques that we practice in terms of catching punts were missing on that particular play," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "One of the things you've got to learn in this game is that no matter what the previous play brings, whether it's good, bad or indifferent, you've got to get ready to play your best on the next play. There were plenty of plays that followed that particular play that we wished we played better on."

The muffed punt was just Johnson's second return attempt (he had one return for two yards against Georgia Tech) in the last five games following a two return, 9-yard performance against Boston College.

Emmanuel Byers, who entered with seven punt returns for 73 yards in the last three games, did not return a punt against the Hokies.

DISAPPEARING DEYON. Deyon Williams, who posted his best game (10 catches, 107 yards, 1 TD) as a Cavalier in last weekend's win over Georgia Tech, closed Saturday's loss with just two catches for 10 yards. The 10 yards are a season-low for Williams while the two catches also tied a season-low. The junior logged two catches for 39 yards in a win over Florida State.

Byers, 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, led all Virginia receivers with five catches for 54 yards. Fullback Jason Snelling had four catches for 26 yards while Fontel Mines closed with three catches for 40 yards.

"We couldn't get [the receivers] free very much, certainly not in the early going," Groh said. "We had difficulty really getting our wide receivers into the game, and that's a good way to take Marques [Hagans, 17 of 30, 140 yards, 3 INTs] out of the game when there's nobody to throw the ball to."

SLOBBERKNOCKERS. Marques Hagans joined the captains for the coin toss before the game. The Hampton native usually stays in the locker room with his teammates prior to charging out of the tunnel. ? The crowd of 63,344 was the second largest crowd in Cavalier history. In 2004, 63,701 attended a

31-21 loss to then-No. 18 Miami. ? Nate Lyles, who is out for the season with an injury sustained in the Georgia Tech win, carried the flag and led the Cavs onto the field. ?

Tech's 52 points scored were the most allowed by Virginia since allowing 63 to Illinois in the 1999 Micron PC Bowl. The 52 points were also the most scored by an opponent in Scott Stadium since a 55-0 loss to Clemson in 1984. ? An ankle injury kept Keenan Carter, who dressed, from playing in Saturday's game. Defensive end Brennan Schmidt played some nose tackle as a result of the Carter injury.

QUOTABLE. Al Groh: "I always say 'you are what you are.' And it was what it was today. You can't turn it into anything else."

SUSPENDED PLAYERS START. Three of the four players suspended last week due to a violation of team rules played in Saturday's loss. Senior Ottowa Anderson lined up at wide receiver but failed to catch a pass. Junior safety Tony Franklin registered eight tackles in the game while senior nose tackle Kwakou Robinson logged six tackles.

Sophomore defensive end Vince Redd dressed but did not play.


 

Liberty Bowl eyeing UVa
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
November 20, 2005

Al Groh has already seen part of a Rolling Stones concert this year, so why not take a trip near Graceland to catch a few tunes from the Beach Boys?
That might be a December option, since the Beach Boys will perform at halftime of this year's Liberty Bowl. An official from the Liberty Bowl, which is held annually in Memphis, Tenn., was at Virginia-Virginia Tech contest at Scott Stadium on Saturday and said his bowl has "strong interest" in bringing in the Cavaliers as an at-large team to face the champion of Conference USA, which could be Central Florida or UTEP.

The 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be held on Dec. 31 with kickoff at 1 p.m.

Virginia is "high on our list," said Harold Graeter, the associate executive director of the Liberty Bowl. "We needed to be here for this game."

It was only natural that after Virginia was thumped 52-14 by the Hokies that Graeter was asked if his bowl still had interest.

While standing in the end zone at Scott Stadium, Graeter looked down at his Liberty Bowl logo watch, nodded and said, "We're as excited about [UVa] as we were three hours ago."

Proving how serious he was, Graeter pointed out that he met on Friday with several high-ranking executives at UVa, including President John Casteen and Craig Littlepage, the director of athletics.

Virginia has a connection with Memphis. It's the home city for John Paul Jones, who had the school's new basketball arena named after him and remains a major financial supporter of Virginia's athletic department.

"There a lot of Memphis connections with Virginia," Graeter said. "We've heard from [UVa] fans. They all have a Memphis story, whether it's the Peabody or Beale Street or the barbecue."

Liberty Bowl executives were also at the Southern Cal-Fresno State game on Saturday watching Fresno State, a team that many consider the bowl's top choice. An invitation to Virginia might come in the next eight days, Graeter said.

Or maybe not.

"As far as the ACC goes, we will have to work with [ACC Commissioner John Swofford] and see what timetable John is on," Graeter said.

The ACC has six bowl tie-ins, one of which is a BCS game, and seven teams have already qualified to play in the postseason. The winner of the N.C. State-Maryland contest next weekend will also become eligible with a 6-5 record.
 

Virginia Tech stomps all over Virginia
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
November 20, 2005

Virginia coach Al Groh has always subscribed to the ancient axiom that power football wins. Just in case anyone wants to dispute that theory, call Frank Beamer.
Beamer's seventh-ranked Hokies, still in the hunt for a BCS bid, swaggered into Scott Stadium at high noon on Saturday, scoffed at UVa's lopsided homefield advantage and steamrolled the

Cavaliers en route to a humbling, 52-14 win.

The victory, Virginia Tech's ninth in 10 games this season, served up some redemption for its only blemish, a convincing loss to Miami two weeks ago in Blacksburg.

The loss, which leaves Virginia 6-4 going to the Orange Bowl to play Miami this coming Saturday, left the Wahoos in disbelief. Well, at least some of their players and fans. Groh knew what could happen if the Cavaliers didn't take their game up a notch.

The UVa coach forewarned followers after last week's win over No. 24 Georgia Tech when he said that Virginia Tech would be the best team to come into Scott Stadium, where the Cavaliers had won 21 of their last 23, in the last five years.

Groh was right.

While fans have been jumping on and off and back on the UVa bandwagon with each swing in momentum this season, Groh was not one of them.

"Sometimes it might seem like I'm a little reticent to jump on the bandwagon and that's because I do realize this is a very humbling game and until you prove it over a long period of time, you have no story," Groh said. "We've had a couple of good outings that were noteworthy preceding this one, but it's a humbling game and we experienced that today."

Groh has known all along that this particular edition of Wahoo football had its shortcomings and there was probably nothing that could be done about it until more quality players are brought into the system.

Virginia was physically manhandled from wire-to-wire, particularly on defense where the Cavaliers surrendered 503 yards of precious Charlottesville real estate, 333 of that on the ground.

Two Hokie running backs (Tech was minus starter Mike Imoh), Cedric Humes and Branden Ore, rushed for more than 100 yards and combined for five rushing TDs in the humiliation.

Did we say running attack? Heck, it was more like a

stampede.

"There were just too many plays where we were blocked well and they did a real good job with it," Groh said. "They're a big, powerful team. We knew that's their style of play this year. Every time we had an opportunity to maybe get a stop, Marcus Vick came up with both the right decision and the accurate throw. We couldn't get him off the field."

Colossal breakdowns led to a 52-point afternoon for Tech, which scored the most points by an opponent in Scott Stadium in 30 years.

"They ran the ball and they dictated the terms of the game to us," said UVa cornerback Marcus Hamilton. "They ran the ball when they wanted to and we weren't able to stop it."

But the monumental landside wasn't limited to just one side of the football.

The Cavalier offense was so physically manhandled that it had to resort to desperate measures, electing to go with its "Two Minute Offense" with 37 minutes remaining in the game. Virginia couldn't move the ball otherwise, and still couldn't inflict much damage on Tech's defense in one of the most deflating losses in the storied history of this rivalry.

Virginia mustered only

73 yards the first half to Tech's 231 as the Cavs trailed 24-0. That was before the Hokies'

28-point scoring blitz in the third quarter sucked all the air out of any dreams of a Hoo comeback.

We're talking total domination here as Virginia Tech displayed just how far behind Virginia really is in this two-team race for state supremacy. The Hokies have now won six of the last seven, as the 52 points were the most UVa had ever given up to their orange-and-maroon rivals.

"I'm embarrassed," said UVa tailback Wali Lundy, who scored both of the Cavs' touchdowns, making him only the third player in ACC history to reach

50 career TDs. "Tech played a great game."

No excuses from Virginia's camp. They all said they were emotionally prepared for the game. No surprises in what Tech brought to the field.

"We knew what type of game this was going to be," Lundy said. "They came out and brought it to us. Hats off to them."

Some of UVa's offensive players seemed to be in denial or maybe just disbelief after the thumping, pointing out that Tech played a better second half and that better execution would have solved some of the problems.

Hello?

What about the first half, also completely dominated by the Hokies? Getting your butt kicked for three solid hours isn't always easy to fess up to.

"We wanted to shove it down their throats and that's what we did," said Tech senior cornerback Jimmy Williams.

It was an important day for the Hokies, who bounced back from the Miami disaster.

Now, Virginia's challenge is to try to do the same. The Cavaliers make their first visit ever to Miami with an opportunity to make a statement.

"We'll have to play the best game of the year," Lundy said. "The best game of our lives."

 

HOO, THAT HELPS
Tech's huge win over UVa gets even bigger with Miami's loss.
By Randy King
981-3126
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The 87th meeting on the football field between rivals Virginia Tech and Virginia will forever be classified under one category.

File it under old-fashioned rear-end kicking, folks -- and a timely one at that.

In what amounted to a 60-minute mugging, the seventh-ranked Hokies pounded the listless Cavaliers 52-14 at Scott Stadium.

Anyone who thought the Hokies (9-1, 6-1 ACC) were done after their crushing 27-7 home loss to Miami two weeks ago had best think again.

"We had to show everybody we're still here, we haven't gone anywhere," Tech linebacker Vince Hall said.

The step-faster Hokies had way too much for the Cavaliers (6-4, 3-4), who suffered their worst home loss since a 55-0 drilling by Clemson in 1984. Tech piled up a season-high 333 rushing yards and finished with a 503-254 edge in total yards in producing its most lopsided win in Charlottesville since a 48-0 rout in 1983.

Going into the day, Tech was hoping a big win might impress representatives from Fiesta Bowl, which is looking into potential at-large candidates for its game.

But Tech moved back into position for the ACC's automatic BCS bowl bid when No. 3 Miami was upset 14-10 by Georgia Tech and left the Hokies all alone in first place in the ACC's Coastal Division.

A win over North Carolina next Saturday would send Tech to next month's ACC championship game, where Atlantic Division winner Florida State will be waiting.

Head coach Frank Beamer couldn't have been more satisfied with his Hokies claiming their sixth in the last seven tries against UVa.

Since the Miami loss, he had heard a lot of rumblings about his team going in the tank again.

"The question I've been asked for two week is: 'What's the state of the your football team? Are you going to have a collapse?' I was asked that after the Miami game. I thought this football team showed some great stuff today," Beamer said.

On the offensive side of the ball, Tech's trio of tailbacks -- Brandon Ore, Cedric Humes and George Bell -- combined for 302 rushing yards on 44 carries for five touchdowns. Third-stringer Bell carried 12 times for a career-high 74 yards.

Quarterback Marcus Vick, coming off a nightmarish six-turnover game against Miami, rebounded strongly, completing 15 of 21 passes for 170 yards and two TDs -- one each to Josh Morgan and Eddie Royal as Tech raced to a 24-0 halftime lead.

"It's very satisfying," Vick said of the rout. "I think I'm going to sleep a lot better tonight, better than I did two weeks ago."

Defensively, the Hokies held the Cavaliers to 114 rushing yards and kept UVa quarterback Marques Hagans in check. Hagans finished 17-for-30 passing for 140 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

"We had to come out and make a statement not only to the people in Virginia, but across the country," said Hokies rover Aaron Rouse, who had both picks. "We made a statement that Virginia Tech is still a powerhouse and the best team in Virginia."

When they scored on their first drive of the second half to close to 24-7, the Cavs appeared recharged.

UVa's good mood didn't last long, however, as Tech answered with an 80-yard drive capped by Humes' 9-yard TD run to go back up by 24 points. The Hokies added three more TDs in a 4:51 span to make it 52-7 after three quarters.

That flurry of scoring made the fourth quarter a mere formality.

"Some of the their players looked like they kind of gave up," said Hall, who a team-high 10 tackles and one of the Hokies' three sacks.

Jimmy Williams, the Hokies' All-American cornerback said: "We kind of expected this. This is how we should play all the time. We put on a performance today, man.

"We don't like to lose to them. If we have the opportunity, we're going to shove it down your throat and that's what we did today."

UVa coach Al Groh, whose club had won 21 of its past 23 home games, shook his head at what he had witnessed.

"It's a humbling game and certainly today we experienced that," said Groh, who has beaten Tech only once during his five years at the helm.

"I said last week that I thought this was going to be one of the best teams to come in here and play. I thought they were strong and powerful."

Ideal ingredients for kicking rear ends.

 

Johnson's muff punts Cavs' competitiveness
Michael Johnson's muffed punt in the second quarter sets up a Virginia Tech touchdown and breaks the game open.
By Doug Doughty
981-3219
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia football fans had hoped for some big plays out of speedster Michael Johnson, and Saturday they got one.

Unfortunately for Johnson and the Cavaliers, his big play worked out like everything else at Scott Stadium -- in Virginia Tech's favor.

Virginia was clinging for its life even before Johnson muffed a punt, with the Hokies taking possession at the UVa 1-yard line.

That resulted in the shortest Hokies' touchdown drive on an afternoon when seventh-ranked Tech routed Virginia 52-14.

"It certainly was an unfortunate situation," UVa coach Al Groh said. "We were in need of something good to happen for us and give us a little bit of a lift, and, obviously the worst possible thing happened to us."

Although Tech had controlled the action, the Cavaliers were trailing only 10-0 when the Tech was forced to punt from its 49-yard line midway through the second quarter.

It was not clear whether Johnson was trying to catch the ball or let it bounce into the end zone when it hit him in the shoulder.

Tech defensive back Roland Minor caught the loose ball on the bounce and carried it into the end zone, but it was ruled dead at the 1.

"I was trying to set my feet and the wind kind of blew it to my right, which made me kind of reach for it," said Johnson, also a reserve running back. "I could make 1,000 excuses, but I dropped it. It hit my thumb and I lost it."

Johnson was motioning his arms in a crossing fashion, "telling everybody to get out of the way and letting them know I was going to catch it," he said, "I thought about letting it go, but, honestly, we were down. I feel, if I get the ball in my hands, I can make a play."

UVa head coach Al Groh said his perspective was distorted and he did not know where Johnson was when the ball hit him.

If the ball was at the 11-yard line, Groh said, Johnson should have called for a fair catch.

"If the ball was at the 4, certainly not," continued Groh, indicating that Johnson should have let the ball bounce into the end zone. "That just raises one more question for me to wonder about all night long."

After the Hokies' recovery, Johnson lay face-down on the turf for a couple of seconds before rising and returning to the bench. Groh was there to meet him.

"I didn't ask for any explanations," Groh said. "It was more what I had to say. It looked like all of the techniques that we practice in terms of catching punts were missing on that particular play."

Nevertheless, on the kickoff that followed Cedric Humes' touchdown run, Groh sent Johnson back out as a return man.

"It's the worst possible feeling, the reason being that your family is watching, the fans are watching, the whole world is watching," said Johnson, who had fumble problems earlier in the year and more recently has battled injuries. "You hate to make a mistake."

The fact that it came in a 38-point loss didn't soften the blow.

"Don't take anything from them; they really played a good game," Johnson said, "but you've got to be accountable for your mistakes. I'll probably be out there catching punts late into the night."

A sleepless Groh might be counting them.

"It certainly didn't help; that's for sure," Groh said. "I can't say what else could have been. But, we all had our chances to do better after that, me included."

 

Liberty Bowl not put off by big loss
By Doug Doughty and Randy King
The Roanoke Times
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When nobody else wanted anything to do with them, Virginia's football team had a friend Saturday at Scott Stadium.

Liberty Bowl representative Harold Graeter said the Cavaliers (6-4, 3-4 ACC) remain a viable option to face the Conference USA champion Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tenn.

"From my vantage point right now, these guys are right at the top of our list," Graeter said.

Never mind that seventh-ranked Virginia Tech had just pasted the Cavaliers 52-14, handing UVa its most lopsided home loss in 21 years.

"We're as excited about them now as we were three hours ago," Graeter said.

The Liberty Bowl is not one of the six bowl games with which the ACC has tie-ins, so the ACC would have to release Virginia before it could enter serious negotiations.

"The folks I've talked to [at Virginia] are genuinely excited about the possibility and we are, too," Graeter said. "I say that with the caveat that we've got to talk to the commissioner [John Swofford]."

The ACC has seven bowl-eligible teams, a number that will grow to eight next week with the winner of Maryland's game with N.C. State. Even if an ACC team receives an at-large spot in the BCS, the ACC will be looking for a bowl for at least one of its teams.

The Liberty Bowl originally scheduled to scout only Fresno State in its visit to No. 1-ranked Southern California, but made the decision Friday to head to Charlottesville.

"We decided we needed to be here to show the program how serious we are," said Graeter, noting the Cavaliers' fan base in Memphis includes the Jones family, benefactors of UVa's new basketball arena.

Trott in books

Tech senior Jordan Trott will never forget this game. Trott caught the first two passes of his college career in the third quarter, a pair of screens for 4 and 6 yards.

"It felt good to be able to catch a couple of balls and help the team," said Trott, who was shifted from defensive end to tight end in preseason when the Hokies moved Duane Brown from tight end to tackle.

Trott got in the game when second tight end John Kinzer injured his shoulder. Trott, who began his career as a linebacker, is the only California player to ever sign with Tech out of high school. Unfortunately for Trott, ESPN showed only the first hour of the game before switching to another game on the West Coast.

"Just my luck, isn't it?" Trott said, laughing.

Milestones

Wali Lundy scored both of UVa's touchdowns, giving him eight TDs in the last three games and 50 in his career. The ACC record is 51, set by N.C. State's Ted Brown, in 1978.

Lundy also reached 300 points in his career, qualifying UVa as the first team in ACC history with two active 300-point scorers. Place-kicker Connor Hughes is at 317.

"It doesn't matter to me if you have 300 points if you lose," Lundy said.

By the numbers

The crowd of 63,444 was the largest for a Virginia-Virginia Tech game in Charlottesville and the second-largest in Scott Stadium behind the 63,701 who turned out for last year's Miami-UVa game, the Cavaliers' last home loss (31-21) before Saturday. UVa is 1-3 in front of its four largest crowds.

Tapp man

Hokies defensive end Darryl Tapp had another monster day. Despite being double-teamed much of the game, Tapp had six tackles, 2 12 of which went for loss. Tapp had a pair of sacks, boosting his season total to a team-high seven.

Tech tidbits

Tech was 4-0 on the road in the ACC for the second straight season. The Hokies are 8-0 on the road and 5-2 at home two seasons in the ACC. ... Tech had the ball for all but 4:03 of the game's first 18:29. Tech finished with a 38:23 to 21:37 advantage in time of possession. ... Tech converted seven of 13 third-down situations and was 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions. UVa was a combined 3 of 13 in the two categories.

 

Spray paint aside, Cavs bottled up on field
Dave Fairbank
November 20 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The lingering image from Virginia Tech's pipe job against Virginia, from the vantage point of the Crossed Sabre crowd, was sprawled Cavaliers.

There was Michael Johnson, face down and wishing to be absorbed by the turf after muffing a punt that gave Tech possession at the Virginia 1-yard line.

And safety Tony Franklin's futile dive at Cedric Humes on a 41-yard carry. And defensive end Brennan Schmidt ending up horizontal on the second of Humes' three touchdown runs. And cornerback Chris Gorham tasting grass on Eddie Royal's touchdown catch.

And linebacker Mark Miller on the ground after missing a tackle against Tech wide receiver Josh Morgan that may have - may have - at least interrupted the onslaught.

"We had players that didn't get the job done," Virginia cornerback Marcus Hamilton said after Tech's 52-14 victory. "It wasn't pretty out there."

No indeedy.

The Hokies came into Scott Stadium and pretty much executed Virginia's nightmare scenario. They ran with confidence and power. They bottled up the Cavaliers' offense. They took advantage of mistakes for cheap scores.

"What can you do but feel embarrassed?" Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans said. "We got it handed to us in all aspects of the game."

Tech established control in the first half, then stepped on the Cavaliers' necks. The Hokies scored 28 points in the third quarter alone, which coincidentally would have been enough to win 52 of the previous 86 meetings in this increasingly one-sided rivalry.

"This can be a very humbling game and we certainly experienced that," Virginia coach Al Groh said after the Cavaliers lost for the sixth time in the past seven meetings. "I said last week ... we thought this was going to be one of the best teams that had come in here to play, and today they were a strong and powerful team."

Most peculiar was the extent to which the Cavaliers contributed to their own demise. The Hokies were without leading rusher Mike Imoh, yet still ran for a season-high 333 yards.

Since the return of linebacker Ahmad Brooks four games ago, Virginia opponents averaged a shade more than 100 yards per game rushing and only 3.4 yards per carry. The Hokies rushed for 185 yards in the third quarter.

"We just weren't able to be strong enough or physical enough at the point of attack," Groh said. "Most particularly, we did not do a good job on the edge of the defense today. It wasn't a scheme thing. We were in the right places, we just got blocked more than you can get blocked if you're going to stop the running game."

Case in point: The Cavaliers scored on the first possession of the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 24-7 and enticing many in the crowd to look up from doctoring their sodas.

The defense responded by allowing Humes to go 41 yards on a simple off-tackle run on Tech's first play. Eight plays later, Humes went the final nine yards to push the margin to 31-7 and open the floodgates.

Virginia's offense managed very little as well. Groh even elected to roll the dice with a no-huddle, two-minute offense to goose the tempo.

The Cavaliers had some success moving the ball, but the other edge of that sword is that a speedier tempo also gets the ball back to the opponent faster if drives stall or turnovers are committed. Hence, the Hokies' nearly 17-minute advantage in time of possession.

Adding insult to injury, pranksters infiltrated Scott Stadium and painted a "T" next to the large Cavalier "V" at midfield early Saturday morning.

Workers covered the "T" and only the barest shadow remained by game time.

Asked if he was aware of the incident, Hagans said afterward he was not.

"Did they catch the people that did it?" he asked.

No, he was told.

"Figures," he muttered.

On the bright side, however, the Cavaliers must go on the road to face a Miami team that whacked the Hokies by 27.

At least the Scott Stadium turf will remain safe.

 

Liberty Bowl still a possibility for Virginia
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
November 20 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The Liberty Bowl has its eye on Virginia. And Saturday's 52-14 loss to Virginia Tech won't change that.

At least according to Harold Graeter, the bowl's associate executive director, who was in town for the game. "It doesn't change our thought process about Virginia at all," he said.

Graeter talked to Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford on Friday, then made last-minute travel arrangements to attend the game. On Saturday, he met with U.Va. athletic director Craig Littlepage and president John Casteen. Graeter will talk with Swofford again today, and the Liberty Bowl committee will meet Monday.

Graeter would not specify when his bowl expects to extend an invitation.

The Liberty Bowl, played in Memphis, Tenn., pits Conference USA's champion against an at-large team. The game is Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. on ESPN. Conference USA's champion will be Texas-El Paso or Central Florida.

The bowl is also looking at Fresno State and had a representative at the Bulldogs' game late Saturday night against Southern California. Maryland is also in the mix, but after a loss Saturday to Boston College, the Terrapins need to beat N.C. State next week to win their sixth game and become eligible for a bowl game.

U.Va. became bowl-eligible Nov. 12 by beating Georgia Tech. The ACC is examining putting a team such as Virginia in a bowl with an at-large spot. The league will have eight bowl-eligible teams but is affiliated with just six bowls.

The Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego also has an at-large spot, but it's unlikely an East Coast team would play in that game.

Also at Saturday's game were reps from the Peach, Gator, Fiesta, Champs Sports and Meineke Car Care bowls.

MIDNIGHT HIJINKS

Littlepage was awakened by a phone call early Saturday morning. Someone had vandalized Scott Stadium's field, he was told.

Turns out, several people broke into Scott around 3 a.m. and painted an orange "T" next to Virginia's "V" logo at midfield, according to a U.Va. press release. The "T" resembled the second letter of Virginia Tech's logo.

Around 3 a.m., a U.Va. police officer - one of several watching the stadium overnight - noticed about five people on the field. When spotted, the intruders escaped. The officers also found a small "VT" painted in the south end zone.

Workers removed the paint before the noon game, though shades of the "T" were still visible. U.Va. quarterback Marques Hagans said Virginia's coaches didn't tell their players about the incident before the game.

HIT IT HARD

Virginia Tech running back Cedric Humes was disappointed last week when thinking about his running style.

"Before this game, even after the Miami game, I told myself I had to hit holes a little harder," he said. "I was hesitating a little bit before. But I wanted to really hit it harder today."

Humes did, with 113 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.

During practice last week, Humes' defensive teammates, Jimmy Williams and Aaron Rouse, noticed Humes running with more authority. "That's what I want to see from you every game," they told him after a practice.

Humes' backfield mate, Branden Ore, also played well on Saturday, carrying 15 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns. "I see a great back, an NFL first-round draft pick," Tech quarterback Marcus Vick said. "I said to myself (during the game), 'Oh man, I watched Kevin Jones make some of those cuts.'"

Jones is a former Tech back who now plays for the NFL's Detroit Lions.

OVERHEARD

An exchange between a Virginia fan and a Virginia Tech fan outside Scott Stadium:

U.Va. fan: "What's a Hokie, anyway?"

Tech fan: "Well, what's a Wahoo?"

U.Va. fan: "It's a fish that eats twice its body weight." (A Wahoo really is a fish.)

Tech fan: Silence. Curious facial expression.

THIS AND THAT

Though suspended, U.Va. defensive end Vince Redd was in uniform and participated in pregame warmups. ... U.Va. safety Nate Lyles was on the sideline, wearing a neck brace. A neck injury against Georgia Tech last Saturday ended his season. ... D'Brickashaw Ferguson is usually sturdy as U.Va.'s left offensive tackle. But he was called for a facemask and a holding penalty, though Tech declined both. ... Fifty-two points are the most Virginia has ever given up to Virginia Tech. It's also the most Virginia has allowed since giving up 63 to Illinois its 1999 bowl game. ... The crowd of 63,344 was the second-largest in U.Va. history - 357 shy of the record.

 

Hokies T-off on Cavs
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 20, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Vandals, perhaps seeking to make their Hokies feel more at home, snuck into Scott Stadium at some point Friday night and painted a “T” on the Cavaliers’ midfield V-Sabre logo. Groundskeepers spent all morning restoring the field to normal.

It was a temporary fix. The Hokies went out Saturday afternoon and took ownership of the field.

No. 7 Virginia Tech romped to a 52-14 win over archrival Virginia, dominating all facets of the game in what was the most lopsided Hokies win in the series since a 48-0 victory in Charlottesville in 1983.

“To be able to go and beat them so bad in their house in front of their fans is great,” said Tech safety Aaron Rouse, who had two interceptions. “You can walk around with your head up, ‘Hey we beat y’all this year. As a matter of fact, we kicked y’all’s ass.’ So it feels great.”

Many had questioned how Tech would respond after suffering its first loss of the season, a 27-7 thrashing to Miami two weeks ago. They got their answer.

“There won’t be any more of those November losses and teams just tanking around here no more,” Tech cornerback Jimmy Williams said. “We’re just trying to make a statement for the future.”

The Hokies (9-1, 6-1 ACC), who have won six of the last seven meetings for the Commonwealth Cup, couldn’t have played better.

Tailbacks Cedric Humes and

Branden Ore took turns running through the Virginia defense. Humes ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns. Ore added 115 and two touchdowns. The Hokies manhandled UVa up front and consistently ran to the edge, racking up 333 rushing yards, over 200 more than Virginia was giving up on average.

Quarterback Marcus Vick looked nothing like the stumbling, fumbling signal caller that was harassed by Miami, calmly and coolly completing 15 of 21 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns with one irrelevant interception. Time after time, Vick found a way to move the chains. Tech was 7 of 13 on third-down conversions.

The Cavaliers were not so fortunate. Tech didn’t give an inch on defense. The Hokies held the Cavaliers to 73 yards of offense in building a 24-0 halftime lead. UVa quarterback Marques Hagans was intercepted twice, sacked three times and faced constant pressure from an active Tech front four.

“What can you do but feel embarrassed?” Hagans said. “We got it handed to us in all aspects of the game.”

Virginia (6-4, 3-4) had won 21 of its last 23 home games prior to Saturday. The Cavaliers were 5-0 at home this season and had beaten two top-25 teams - No. 4 Florida State and No. 24 Georgia Tech. The loss was their worst at home since a 55-0 defeat to No. 3 Clemson in the 1984 season opener.

“This can be a very humbling game,” Virginia coach Al Groh said.

“Today we certainly experienced that. I said last week … that we thought this was going to be one of the best teams to come in here and play, and today they were a strong and powerful team.”

The Hokies went on scoring drives of 78 and 62 yards early on, eating over 12 minutes of clock in taking a 10-0 lead on an 8-yard Josh Morgan touchdown reception and a 32-yard field goal by Brandon Pace. Virginia’s first three drives totaled 11 plays, 29 yards and three punts.

The Cavaliers finally stopped the Hokies midway through the second quarter near midfield. But returner Michael Johnson muffed the Virginia Tech punt near the UVa 10-yard line. The ball trickled away and Virginia Tech’s Roland Minor recovered at the 1. Humes plunged in for a touchdown on the next play to make it 17-0.

“It’s the worst feeling,” Johnson said. “The reason being is that it’s Virginia Tech and the whole world is watching, your family’s watching, your friends are watching. You hate to make a mistake.”

The game was never the same after that. After UVa failed on a fourth-down attempt, Virginia Tech scored again before the half when Vick hit Royal on a 24-yard touchdown pass.

Virginia went to the no huddle with success on its first drive of the second half, moving 71 yards in nine plays before Wali Lundy scored on a 9-yard run to cut the lead to 24-7. But Humes squashed any comeback thoughts, taking the first carry of the ensuing possession 41 yards to the UVa 39. He scored on a 9-yard run eight plays later.

Rouse picked off Hagans on the Cavaliers’ next two possessions. The Hokies capitalized on both picks with touchdown runs on their way to a 28-point fourth quarter. The rout was on.

Afterward, players from both teams met at midfield for post-game greetings. Hagans approached Williams, a childhood friend, at midfield. Trash talk wasn’t necessary.

“He didn’t have to say nothing,” Hagans said. “Like my grandma always said, ‘The proof is in the pudding.’ All you’ve got to do is look at the scoreboard. There is nothing to be said.”