Almost every year since 1895, Virginia and Virginia Tech have battled for football supremacy in the Old Dominion. The annual contest, now known as the Commonwealth Cup, always holds an extra significance for both schools. But for perhaps the first time, there is more at stake than just bragging rights and bowl positioning. On Saturday in the 89th edition of the rivalry, the ‘Hoos and the Hokies will compete for the chance to play
Boston
College in the ACC Championship Game on December 1.
The additional implications only make the impending match-up more challenging for both sides. “In our particular case, this will be an awesome challenge for us,” said Coach Groh on Tuesday. “This is certainly one of the finest teams that [has] come into Scott Stadium in quite some time. They are tremendously impressive in all areas.”
As always,
Virginia will have to contend with an elite defense, big-play special teams, and a versatile offense. “Beamer Ball,” as they call it in
Blacksburg, emphasizes takeaways, aggressive kick returns and blocks, and a punishing running game. It should come as no surprise that the 2007 Hokies exhibit most of those elements.
The 2007 defense is as good as
Blacksburg has ever seen. The unit ranks fourth in the nation, allowing only 14.9 points per game, a stat that includes a 48-point collapse against
Louisiana
State. They have allowed more than 14 points only twice in ACC play. In typical Beamer Ball fashion, the aggressive D averages 3.3 sacks and 2.4 takeaways per game. The Hokies have even returned four picks for touchdowns.
It doesn’t help the Cavs’ cause that linebacker Vince Hall has returned to the lineup. After missing four games with a broken wrist and forearm, the preseason All-America candidate collected 13 tackles last week against
Miami. With him and Xavier Adibi solidifying the second line of defense,
Virginia’s offense is sure to have its share of struggles on Saturday, especially running the ball.
Of course, the ‘Hoos need to worry about special teams, too. “A unit unto itself” according to Groh, the Hokies’ specials teams have scored three touchdowns and are first in the conference in kickoff coverage. Senior wideout Eddie Royal is the ACC’s all-time leader in punt return yardage; this year, he averages 15.8 yards per return. Normally regarded as less important than offense and defense, special teams will decide much more than mere field position on Saturday; Virginia Tech’s explosive secondary could decide the game if its offense struggles.
Unfortunately for Cavalier fans, the scenario in which Tech’s offense struggles is fairly unlikely. The Hokies rotate two quarterbacks, redshirt junior Sean Glennon and true freshman Tyrod Taylor, with effectiveness; Glennon, the purer passer of the two, owns a 61.5% completion rate, while
Taylor is second on the team with 378 rushing yards. Combined, the pair has thrown for 12 scores against only four interceptions on the season.
But the Hokies don’t need prolific stats out of their quarterbacks. They are armed with some of the best skill players in the conference. Senior running back Brandon Ore was a 1,300-yard rusher last year, and although his numbers have regressed this year, his value has not. On the outside, four senior wideouts: Royal, Justin Harper, Josh Morgan, and Josh Hyman present match-up issues with their similar athletic skill sets. Each of the four averages at least12.5 yards per reception. Though the quartet rarely takes the field all together, each receiver is “very impressive,” according to Groh. “They've got great ball skills and playmaking ability.”
Though the Tech offense struggled early in the season, it seems to have hit its stride of late. The Hokies have put up at least 40 points in four of their last six games. “We're at an all-time high in confidence level going into the biggest game of the season and one of the biggest games in this rivalry,” said Glennon. “We picked the right time to start clicking.”
So how does
Virginia go about defeating, according to Groh, the most complete VPI team in the coach’s tenure (Groh owns a 1-5 record against the rival school)? The key on defense, as usual, is pressure: get to Glennon before he can get the ball to one of his talented weapons on the outside. The quarterback struggled in the first half last year against UVA, as the various pressure schemes helped hold Tech to seven points in the first 30 minutes.
When
Taylor is in, the pass rush will likely focus more on containment and clogging his running lanes, as
Virginia has struggled with mobile quarterbacks this year. It merits mentioning that senior defensive end and team captain Chris Long has recently battled strep throat and may not be 100% on Saturday. This obviously would be a huge blow to the ‘Hoos, especially on an emotional level but also in terms of pressuring the passer.
On offense, the ‘Hoos must simply overpower the Hokies defense. Though Tech has its share of solid tacklers and strong linemen, its strength on defense is speed; Hall, Adibi, defensive end Chris Ellis, and corners Brandon Flowers and Victor “Macho” Harris all display good speed, as they play on the outskirts of the defensive scheme. As points will be difficult to come by, quarterback Jameel Sewell needs to protect the ball and avoid big losses. After last year’s 17-0 shut-out, almost any other offensive performance would be a welcome sight.
The only other year the Commonwealth Cup took on such heightened meaning was 2004, when the teams slugged it out for at least a share of the ACC Crown. Virginia Tech took that contest, 24-10, and won the conference outright in the team’s first year in the ACC. Tech has reached the ACC Title Game once, losing the game’s debut in 2005, while on the other hand, Virginia has not won the league since it shared the title in 1995, and its best conference finish under Groh was second, in 2002.
The Hokies lead the all-time series, 46-37-5, and have won seven of the last eight. While this is
Virginia’s best chance in a few years to knock off the hated Hokies, it appears as though injuries and match-up problems will make it difficult for the ‘Hoos to pull it out. Plus, home-field advantage has not helped UVA recently against VT: Tech has won three of the last four in
Charlottesville, including a 52-14 embarrassment of the Cavaliers just two years ago. It is sad to see such a magical season come to a close, especially if that season ends with the Cavs just short of their goal of an ACC Championship. Of course, no one can count the Wahoos out of a close game if the contest comes down to the wire, but I find it hard to believe Virginia has the horses against a team that has positively owned them for nearly a decade.
My prediction:
Virginia Tech 24, Virginia 13
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