Virginia-Virginia Tech in-game blog
POSTGAME Cody Journell kicks a 29-yard field goal on the final play of the game, and Virginia Tech got bowl-eligible with a 17-14 victory over UVa — the Hokies’ ninth straight win in the series.
This one was never pretty. I’d agree with Barry from Ivy that the fake field goal was the turning point. The final turn came when Antone Exum intercepted a Michael Rocco pass in Virginia territory to set up the winning kick. A lot of talk about Mike London’s woeful clock management.
Doughty and Bob Molinaro will have all that covered for you in tomorrow’s paper.
Andy, Berman and I took Tech angles, with me focusing my column on Logan Thomas grinding this one out.
We’re not expecting a bowl announcement until after the BCS selection show next week.
Final: Hokies 17, UVa 14. Field goal at the gun. Back with more later.
THIRD QUARTER
Things have picked up here. The Hokies and Cavs are tied 14-14 with UVa driving near midfield.
Tech tied it with 1:25 remaining in the period on a 4-yard touchdown run by Logan Thomas. Brent Urban had given UVa the lead with a 16-yard fumble return for a score after Eli Harold and Jake Snyder sacked Thomas and dislodged the ball.
Two things to remember going forward: The Hokies have only one timeout left after two puzzling burns, and UVa passed on a 38-yard field goal attempt to run a fake, which failed.
Should be a lot better finish than the start was.
SECOND QUARTER
We go to the half with Tech and UVa tied 7-7, and really, should we have expected anything else this season?
The teams have combined for 14 punts. Logan Thomas is 8 for 22 for 55 yards and a touchdown. He’s been sacked twice and has not looked comfortable all day.
The Cavs tied the score with 42-yard touchdown pass from Michael Rocco to Tim Smith with 3:30 left in the half.
Neither team has been able to run the ball effectively. Kevin Parks lead UVa with 18 yards on seven carries; Thomas has 10 totes for 31 yards for Tech.
Should pause a moment to commend the defenses. Both have been sharp. Jack Tyler and Detrick Bonner lead Tech with eight stops apiece, while LaRoy Reynolds and Steve Greer are tied for the UVa lead with seven tackles each.
It can’t be easy throwing the ball in this chill and wind. Once again the Hokies are left wishing they could play smashmouth when the situation dictates, and they cannot.
The Hokies squandered great field position in the first quarter but it started to balance out in the second quarter.
Bottom line: Virginia has to like where it stands at this point. The Cavs will get the ball first to start the second half.
FIRST QUARTER
Mercifully, it is over. And it is 0-0. Hokies have gained 28 yards on eight plays, and despite starting field position of the 36.8-yard line, they can’t dent the scoreboard.
Logan Thomas is 2-for-7 for six yards.
Michael Rocco is 5-for-8 for 52 yards. Highlight was a successful fake punt by Tech that led to nothing.
Eh, let’s hope this thing picks up a bit.
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Hokies will go off as a 10-point favorite. Seems a little high to me. I said 24-17 VT.
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Kickoff at noon.
November 24, 2012 - 9:40 AM
Cold and windy, this favors VT with Logan Thomas doing more running than usual. Still think UVA will pull this one out though, 23-20.
UVA will win 3-0 on a three run homer by Jennings.
First time in my life I am feeling a nap comin on during a hokies- Cavs game. Has the tech offense come to this. Exciting-not! Call this one the toilet bowl.
I want to gauge my eyes out watching this game, it’s that ugly. Maryland’s offense is about as cohesive as VT’s and that’s with a linebacker playing QB.
That’s the ballgame right there. UVA had Tech on the 1 yard line and let them escape. Huge momentum swing that will be the deciding factor.
Disregard my last post!
I’ve suspected it for a long time but the problem with VT is the quarterback…Logan Thomas…..anyother QB performing like he has this season would have been benched long ago…
Absolutely pathetic offense.
Ouch…!!! Tech looks lost….!!!!
Horrible call by UVA. Take the points. They tried that last year and the momentum swing was huge.
VT appears to be generating some rythum plus UVA now has 3 key defensive players out of the game. Unless Logan Thomas gies this one away I think it is in the bank for the Hokies. Bad decision for UVA to go for the fake play earlier.
Virginia Tech’s offence is awful!! The linemen cannot block. The primary backs are too small to run up the middle and don’t have time to get to the corners. Logan Thomas is no quarterback. Put him in the running back slot and bring in another quarterback. At least we will have a dual threat of running and passing. If we happen to win, the only good thing to come out of this will be some extra practice days. We have no chance of winning a bowl game unless we play someone like Chowan.
London must really be cold and wanting to get out of town. Maybe George Allen called and told UVA to let Tech become bowl eligible.
Another victory for Jimmy Turk
When you leave for the bowl game leave those damn ugly helmets at home and at least dress like a football team.
Hard to understand why the HOOS handed this one to the Hokies; must have been some betting going on. The question now will be whether the BCS committee will select VT for another Sugar Bowl like last year or will they have to take a lesser bowl.
Glad to get an ugly win vs losing ugly. Tech’s worst team in twenty years is still better than what uva can field. Oh… Mr. London? Thank you for looking so ‘brilliant’ with the time management. 9 straight, 13 of 14.
What the heck was London doing ????? That was awful.
WOW. What a Game I had no idea that ESPN was so hard up for coverage that they have to cover James River vs. Lord Botetourt!!!! I am a Tech fan. That’s right! A fan. This is game is a primary example why as a fan I hate to watch Virginia Tech struggle for leadership on offense. Frankly, most fans have had enough of the poor coaching and play calling that Tech has to offer week in and week out. It must be exhausting to UVA fans as well to see the lack of game understanding when London didn’t take advantage of Tech’s poor coaching and clock management. Logan what the heck!!! Milk that play clock. London, what the heck! Call a time out ya dufus. This was a primary example of the lack of qualified coaching that exists on both teams. I am embarrassed to be a Tech fan, UVA fans should be embarrassed too. A sad day. I almost forgot FIRE STINESPRING & O’Cain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Hokies win on Logan Thomas’ running and Micheal Rocco’s passing.
Hokies win on Logan Thomas’ running and Micheal Rocco’s passing
Jimmy Turk wins again
“Should pause a moment to commend the defenses. Both have been sharp.”
I hate to say it, but Aaron, this is about as logical a comment as was made on ESPNU, in game, that said something along the lines of ‘there just a couple of short yardage situations that were the key to last years game.’ Duh? Huh? 38-0, a couple of short yardage situations made the difference?
The offenses today were offensive, totally inept, all either of the defenses had to do was put 11 guys out there, and on some plays, 9 or 10 would probably have worked out just fine.
This outcome of this game was decided when UVA failed on the fake field goal; first down there and probably an eventual TD would have made it 21-7. Failure to pull it off handed the momentum to VT and they took advantage of it. Just a lot of idiotic and bonehead decisions by the Virginia Coaching staff. You have to give credit to these two teams, even with their atrocious records. VT could have beaten FSU earlier (FSU is only down 13-10 to number 4 Florida) and UVA beat NC State, which is the only team to have beaten FSU so far this season. So maybe VT will do well in their bowl appearance; if the could put together some intelligent play calling and do it for 4 quarters, they might compete with anyone. For UVA it will be a good year in 2013.
Now why did somebody have to insult my Rats and Bottlecaps
Botetourt Hoo you are exactly right. Jimmy Turk won this one by getting Journell off. Cody the Convict comes through for old Frankie again. Any other team he would be history but not at Convict U. Jimmy should be coaching the offense. Thomas is horrible after all the build up. Waiting on some defensive player to take a bead on him and clean his clock.
Coach London should have been fired immediately after the game for failing to use his timeouts approriately. Virginia should have had the ball back with at least 50 seconds to do something whether tech made the field goal or not. Can’t stand poor clock management or bad use of timeouts. Went to WVU/Oklahoma games last week and WVU burned two timeouts on extra point attempts which didn’t help them.
#26 Football fan really, one player for VT won this game? The kicker single handedly won the game for VT after missing one he should have made and then made one the third string kicker could have made? Not the UVa O which generated 7, repeat 7, first downs the whole 60 mins. of the game and only 217 total yards for the game? Not the UVa coach who went for a fake field goal when a field goal would have put UVa up two scores against a team which also struggled on O? Not the squandering of two timeouts at the end of the game to “ice” the kicker when they should have been used earlier? Keep believing that stuff. I’d love it for the UVa coaches to buy into that and I’m sure London would like to sell it back in C’ville but somehow I think he knows that’s not gonna fly. One comment I heard from a Tech fan after the game pretty summed it up; we stink but they really suck.
From Andy Bitter’s board, this is Mike London’s verbatim explanation for his use of the two time outs at the end of the game:
“I felt that we were playing well defensively and you just have to make a decision of how to save timeouts with seconds left on the clock or hope your defense gets a crack and causes a turnover or knocks them back a little bit, but that didn’t occur. You try to play the game there to see if you can get into it at the last second and their kicker did a good job. He made it.”
I’m think there might be more in this explanation than what was intended, whatever that was.
All indications point to both of these teams being worse next year than this year. Please explain why you would disagree. VT might be playing USC in their upcoming bowl game.
VPI. Another bad team should have beaten them.
Roll Tide!
Maybe Tech can play Ferrum College in a bowl????
Boring to watch this year!!!!! Pray Logan enters the draft!!!! Let Leal Play.
As a long time die-hard Hokie, I have made one serious decision that will be a problem for the Hokies in 2013. Logan Thomas has done an exceptional job of leading the Hokies into mediocrity (barely). Looking at next year, we’ll be lucky to win 4 games if Thomas returns as QB. And, whoever is handling the play calling for the Hokies has burned out. “Thomas up the middle” is not a war cry. There were no shining stars this year but the Hokie defense did finally come together to save the team from an even more embarrassing season. Yes, they’ll be my team again next year, but I’m claiming the right to say I told you so.
Hey, Mike, your comment was totally unfair and rude. My grandson played for James River and was second team all district as kicker and defensive back. Comparing that fiasco in Blacksburg to a JR/LB game is just wrong and you should apologize.
o A reason unstated as to why Mike London didn’t call time outs to try to save a few seconds for Rocco to attempt some last minute heroics could have been lack of confidence in Rocco. Rocco had just thrown an interception, and two plays before that he threw another one right to a Tech defender who dropped the ball. London maybe hoped that Tech would miss the field goal, and the game could go to a sudden death OT where you start from the other team’s 25, not your own, and U Va would have a better chance of pulling it out.
Good point, Norm24. Hadn’t considered that. But even under that scenario you probably still call the timeouts, hope you block the kick and return it to midfield. If it’s just a miss and you get it at the 20, you can kneel on it if you prefer OT over the risk.
Seems to me that getting “bowl eligible” is a lot like getting a “D”… You get to continue but didn’t really do very well.