As the clock expired on Virginia Tech’s 38-point clobbering of Virginia last November, the Cavalier fans who were still inside Scott Stadium witnessed something putrid. Thousands of traveling Hokies supporters, many of whom were students, stormed the field in Charlottesville to celebrate their win and bask in the humiliation of their archrival. Two years earlier, they did the same thing.
The Hill has always made Scott Stadium vulnerable to those types of shenanigans, as anyone who wished was able to make their way onto the grassy area behind the north end-zone and get within feet of the field. For a long time, though, that did not present a problem — in the late 20th century, Virginia was a winning football team that went toe-to-toe with Virginia Tech and made fans eager to pack the stadium. Only in the past 15 years, during the program’s stark regression, have the Cavaliers given visitors a reason to wreak havoc on the Hill.
That brings us to the present day, where Hokies fans have stormed the field during each of their past two visits and led Virginia Athletics to take unprecedented measures to prevent a third incident. Last week, the University announced that access to the Hill will be prohibited for single-game ticket holders starting this season. While debates have since ignited about whether the decision is right or wrong, what matters most to me as a Virginia football fan is what the change says about the state of our fumbling program.
After Scott Stadium was renovated to seat 61,500 people in 2000, attendance at home games reached north of 60,000 several times in the subsequent few seasons. Virginia maintained its momentum from the 1980s and 1990s as a mainstay in the national rankings, winning big games against ranked opponents and collecting bowl game appearances like they were candy. The Hill was buzzing, full of orange and blue.
But when the winning started to tail off in 2008, so did attendance at home games. The Cavaliers have one bowl victory and one win against Virginia Tech since that year, have not once reached 60,000 spectators in single-game attendance since 2011 and now fill only 65-70 percent of Scott Stadium on average. As for the Hill, fewer home fans seem to be making it down there as the football games have justifiably diminished in interest among the student body — it’s a surprise when more than half of the area is occupied by the Virginia faithful.
This dynamic led to not one but two embarrassing spectacles in Scott Stadium last year. The Virginia Tech game is the most memorable one, but James Madison fans had their fun as well. Elated Dukes took over the Hill in September when they were treated to a 36-35 comeback win that summed up just about everything Virginia football has become — oftentimes underwhelming and always susceptible to embarrassment.
I think that is why access to the Hill is being limited — the football team has gone 1-7 at home against ACC opponents in the past two seasons and simply can not protect the field on its own anymore. The University, which is installing gates at the top and leaving only five points of entry, is correct in saying that the change will “help manage capacity and improve safety issues in the area.” But years ago, when the team was consistently winning and the Hill was actually full of Virginia fans, this idea would have gained little, if any, traction.
So, to me, the decision feels like a reaction to last year’s Virginia Tech game, a sad admittance that Virginia’s performance on the field will not be enough on its own to keep opposing fans from taking over the Hill or storming the field. The newly-installed gates will serve as a reminder of that truth on every gameday.
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