In their final regular season game of the year, the Virginia Cavaliers took to the field against Virginia Tech with both teams jockeying for bragging rights and a better bowl game.
The Cavaliers did not disappoint their fans as Virginia dropped the No. 21 Hokies, 35-21, in come-from-behind fashion at Scott Stadium Saturday afternoon.
"That's all we hear about, that we can't beat Virginia Tech," senior Jamaine Winborne said. "Nobody expected us to beat them. I think we sent a message to a lot of people out there today, especially in the state of Virginia."
With the win, the 13 seniors on Virginia's roster knocked off the in-state rival Hokies for the first time, snapping a four-game losing streak against Virginia Tech and returning the Commonwealth Cup to Charlottesville.
"This was very important to these kids," coach Al Groh said. "To see the emotion involved with them, the camaraderie, the feeling that they had accomplished something -- this is what team sports are all about."
For senior quarterback Matt Schaub, the game meant everything, especially since it would be his last time to try and beat the Hokies.
"It means everything to end a career in this manner," Schaub said. "It's a great group of guys in here, a lot of hard work. It's just great for us that it paid off."
The Cavaliers took to the field ready to seek revenge against a Virginia Tech team that beat them 21-9 last year in Blacksburg. Virginia looked sharp on offense and tough on defense, converting 9 of 18 third downs and stopping the Hokies 60 percent of the time.
After a one-yard touchdown run by sophomore Wali Lundy for Virginia and touchdowns by junior Kevin Jones and sophomore Mike Imoh for Virginia Tech, the Hokies took a 14-7 lead into halftime. This lead, however, would not last.
The Cavaliers came out in the second half determined to win and in their first offensive play of the third quarter, they brought themselves back into the game.
On first-and-10 from the Virginia 26-yard line, Schaub dropped back to pass, looked long and completed a 49-yard pass to Art Thomas, moving the ball down to the Hokies 25-yard line.
"They were sitting on our short stuff, we had a chance to go vertical," Schaub said. "Art's a speed guy, he got past their defense and lifted the spirits of our sideline and our crowd, it really set the tone for the second half."
The drive would eventually make it down to the one-yard line and became a fourth-and-goal situation. Virginia decided to go for it all, gambling on a play that could drastically change the game by tying the score.
Schaub stepped back and quickly fired a pass to Lundy on the left side. He dodged one tackler, then found his way into the end zone, tying the score at 14 and giving Virginia new life.
This was the first of two fourth-and-goal situations that Virginia faced. Both times Groh elected to go for it instead of settling for a field goal. Both ultimately ended in touchdowns, and Groh remained confident in his decisions despite the risks involved.
"No consideration," Groh said. "We're here to win and we're going to let it all go. At a point you have to believe and trust in your players, you have to coach by the heart; they wanted to go and I wanted to go so that was easy."
Three touchdowns later, the Cavaliers finally had revenge on the Hokies and gained their seventh win this season, now standing at 7-5.
The Cavaliers had several bright spots in the victory, as Virginia's defense held one of college football's best rushers, Jones, to only 75 yards, while also only giving up 214 yards in the air. Tight end Heath Miller provided an outstanding individual performance, catching 13 passes for 145 yards.
Virginia Tech falls to 8-4 on the season after another late season collapse, but will still play in the Insight Bowl, their 11th straight postseason appearance.
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