Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene -- and a glimpse at what’s to come next week.
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Hokies, Cavaliers suffer disappointing setbacks
Both Virginia Tech and Virginia were certainly trending upward at this time last week. The Hokies had won three out of four games to move to .500 on the season following an eight-loss season last year, while Virginia had seemingly turned a corner with a win at North Carolina and an overtime home loss at Miami.
The mood is a lot more sour around the programs this week, however.
Virginia Tech’s progress, especially on offense, certainly was halted in an ugly 34-3 loss at Louisville. The Hokies could only muster 140 yards of total offense after seemingly breaking through the previous week in a 38-10 win over Syracuse.
Virginia came home after those two good performances on the road and struggled mightily in a 45-17 home loss to Georgia Tech.
The Cavaliers were outscored 21-0 in the second half.
We’ll see if both can bounce back this week. Virginia Tech will play at Boston College, while Virginia will play at Louisville.
Commanders officially looking ahead to 2024 with selloff
The Washington Commanders may have won 20-17 on Sunday, but what happened on Tuesday is a greater indicator of what they are focused on.
With the trades of defensive ends Montez Sweat (to Chicago) and Chase Young (to San Francisco), the Commanders essentially waived the white flag on the 2023 season.
Not even a win against the lowly Patriots will change that.
It might not be a bad strategy, assuming the Commanders start losing in bunches. Doing so might put Washington in a position to grab one of the several quality quarterback prospects that should be available in next spring’s draft, and maybe give Washington a shot at securing the franchise quarterback it so desperately needs.
Will Liberty be in the market for another coach?
Success has a price, and for the second year in a row, the unbeaten Liberty football team might discover that.
After seeing old head coach Hugh Freeze get hired by Auburn, current head coach Jamey Chadwell could be on the short list of bigger programs looking for a coach this offseason after helping the Flames to a 9-0 record so far this year.
The 46-year-old Chadwell had success at Coastal Carolina before taking over Liberty, and the Flames might have to give him a hefty raise in order to keep him after this season is over.