From the sidelines
Marty Gordon
Virginia Tech’s football team brought the Jekel side of the closet this past week as they continued the domination of UVA.
Just two weeks ago, it was Hyde that took the field in a loss to N.C. State.
It’s just getting harder and harder to understand which Hokie squad will take the field on game day.
The bottom line is the Commonwealth Cup is starting to tarnish after every player and coach on the team took a drink from it. Of course, this has been an ongoing tradition for a number of years and probably will continue as UVA is still trying to find the right road where wins come more often than losses.
Kyron Drones threw three touchdown passes, Bhayshul Tuten scored on a 32-yard run and a 94-yard kickoff return and Virginia Tech beat Virginia for the 18th time in the last 19 meetings, 55-17, on Saturday to achieve bowl eligibility. Hokie Nation can celebrate the dominant win with an exclusive Tech Triumph win shirt.
The win gives the Hokies one point in the Commonwealth Clash, presented by Smithfield. The score for the Commonwealth Clash currently is 5-1 in favor of Virginia. Drones threw touchdown passes of 44, 84 and 34 yards and the Hokies (6-6, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) also scored on two long runs. They had a 294-60 yardage edge at halftime and boosted their total to 378 on Drones’ 84-yard pass to Da’Quan Felton on their first play from scrimmage after halftime to go ahead 31-0.
Virtually nothing went right for the Cavaliers (3-9, 2-6), who were facing their top rival for the first time in two seasons because last year’s game was canceled after the fatal shootings of three Virginia players with two weeks left in the season.
Tech’s 55 points scored against the Cavaliers were the most points scored by either team in the 104-game series. Tech’s previous high was 52 – twice, once in a 52-14 win in 2005 and again in a 52-10 win in 2016.
The most points Virginia has scored is 45 back in 1950. The last time Tech scored 55 or more points was against William & Mary in 2018. The 55 points are also tied for the second most points scored by the Hokies in an ACC contest. Tech scored 55 in 2004, their first year in the ACC, against Maryland. The most points scored by Tech in an ACC game is 59 against North Carolina in 2017.
But it might have been the after game incident, which is getting the most attention.
Apparently, the University of Virginia facilities staff has a timer, which turns on the field sprinklers shortly after everyone leaves the stadium. The problem was this past week, Virginia Tech Coach Brent Pry decided it would be cool to take a team photo with the Commonwealth Cup at mid-field.
The program here was he probably should have sought advice from the facilities staff. Have way through the pic, the field sprinklers turned on and left the Hokies a little wet.
Without trying, UVA got back at the Hokies.
Of course, Hoos might have more than a bit upset. When the scoreboard hit triple-zeros, Hokie fans rushed the field like it was a home game at Lane.
Do remember, someone did change the google address search engine four years ago to say the address of Scott Stadium was really called “Lane Stadium North.”
Game staff just gave up and let the chaos happen. Sorry from some of the Hokie faithful that knows even if it was UVA, that’s just something you don’t do.
