CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After a back-and-forth battle in Charlottesville, the Virginia Cavaliers hold the Commonwealth Cup for the first time this decade.
The Cavaliers beat the Hokies, 39-30, on Friday afternoon.
UVA also won the ACC Coastal title for the first time in school history and will face Clemson in the ACC Championship on Dec. 7 in Charlotte.
Below is a possession-by-possession recap of the game
SECOND HALF:
1:01 Q4 - Hokies run out of time, 39-30 FINAL
1:23 Q4 - Hokies started the drive on their own 18 and Hooker fumbled in the endzone, resulting in a Virginia touchdown, 39-30
4:35 Q4 - UVA retakes the lead with a 48-yard field goal, 33-30
7:35 Q4 - Hokies drive ended with an interception by Hooker, Virginia will now take over with the ball at their own 45
10:58 Q4 - UVA makes it into the red zone, but couldn’t make it into the endzone, tying it with a 25-yard field goal, 30-30
13:30 Q4 - Hokies retake the lead again with a 37-yard field goal, 30-27
0:48 Q3 - UVA scores to tie the game again, this time, it was a 2-yard run by Wayne Taulapapa, 27-27
2:24 Q3 - Hokies retake the lead with a 61-yard TD pass from Hooker to Tre Turner, 27-20 Hokies
4:42 Q3 - UVA responded with a 79-yard, seven-play drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Billy Kemp IV, 20-20
9:00 Q3 - Hokies take their first lead of the game on a 1-yard Deshawn McClease rushing touchdown, 20-13
11:05 Q3 - UVA went 3 and out, with the punt landing out of bounds at the Virginia Tech 30
12:20 Q3 - Hokies go three and out after what was initially called a completed pass on third down was reversed.
12:52 Q3 - UVA went three and out after the punt, the Hokies will start on their own 31.
15:00 Q3 - The Hokies couldn’t have started the second half any better. Their 5-play, 75-yard drive resulted in a 34-yard Hendon Hooker TD run to even up the score at 13-13.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - NOVEMBER 29: Hasise Dubois #8 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrates beating the Virginia Tech Hokies during a game at Scott Stadium on November 29, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
FIRST HALF:
Friday’s game began with an opening drive by UVA that saw quarterback Bryce Perkins convert two third downs with his legs, racking up 70 yards rushing in just four carries.
Perkins 39-yard touchdown run with 12:14 remaining in the first quarter put the Cavaliers up 6-0, with Brian Delaney missing the PAT.
The Hokies then went three-and-out in their first possession of the game.
On the ensuing UVA drive, Perkins was hit hard while trying to pass on third down, which resulted in an interception by Chamarri Conner. Tech then drove the ball 54 yards, but failed to get into the endzone, settling for a 21-yard Brian Johnson field goal to cut their deficit in half, now trailing 6-3 with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
After allowing the field goal, UVA wasted no time scoring. A three-play, 75-yard, 54-second drive ended with a 67-yard touchdown run by who other than Perkins. The Cavs increased their lead to 13-3 with 2:32 remaining in the first quarter.
The Hokies next drive ended in the second quarter with a turnover after a Tre Turner fumble was recovered by Virginia’s Mandy Alonso.
With 14:16 left in the half, the Cavaliers took over on their own 46-yard line. And a third-down offensive pass interference call, followed by a Perkins sack, forced UVA to punt for the first time today, resulting in a touchback.
On the Hokies next drive, they went three-and-out and punted. UVA then went three-and-out on its drive. A 28-yard punt return by Tech’s Tayvion Robinson will let the Hokies start their next drive on Virginia’s 47 with 9:10 remaining in the half.
Despite starting the drive with excellent field position, the Hokies went three-and-out again, pinning the Cavaliers back on their own 10 with 7:04 left in the half.
The Hokie defense stayed strong, forcing a punt that Robinson fielded off the bounce and returned for 35 yards, letting the Hokies begin their drive on the UVA 27.
After a facemask by UVA gave the Hokies a fresh set of downs, a false start by the Hokies took a touchdown off the board. Tech would go on to kick a field goal with 2:06 left in the half, cutting the deficit down to 13-6.
The Hokies forced another three-and-out, received the punt and threw an interception of a hail mary to end the half.