Commonwealth Crushed

With 149 seconds left to play, a collection of Virginia’s players were tangled up in a shoving match with their counterparts from No. 14 Virginia Tech.

To some, the penalty-producing skirmish appeared to be the lone time that the Cavaliers actually showed fight after halftime.

Held scoreless in the second half for the third time in a four-game window, Virginia was eventually throttled by Virginia Tech 42-13 as a season-best crowd of 58,555 watched on a picturesque afternoon at Scott Stadium.

With the loss, the worst season at Virginia since 1982 came to a close. Finishing with their first six-game losing streak in 28 years, the Cavaliers completed the campaign at 3-9 overall and 2-6 in the ACC.

Virginia Tech, however, kept its stranglehold on the Commonwealth Cup, winning it for the sixth straight year. The Hokies (9-3, 6-2 ACC) await their postseason fate.

Virginia merely awaits the fate of coach Al Groh, something that is likely to be determined today or Monday.

For one half, it appeared that Groh would walk out of Scott Stadium with his second victory over his in-state rival.

Trailing just 14-13 in the third quarter, Virginia cornerback Chris Cook intercepted Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor in the end zone.

“I am thinking, ‘We are going to win the game,’” Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell said. “‘We are going to go down there and take the lead and the defense is going to continue to do what they do — hold them, stop them — and we are just going to maintain that lead.’”

Two plays after the Hokies’ turnover and facing a second-and-4 at the Virginia 26, Sewell tried to run an option play with tailback Mikell Simpson trailing to his left.

Sewell’s pitch missed its target, clanging off Simpson’s hands and then his right shoulder. It was promptly scooped up by Virginia Tech free safety Kam Chancellor at the 25-yard line and returned 15 yards.

“I just didn’t get the ball in front,” Sewell explained. “The ball was a little bit behind. He couldn’t bring it in.”

Simpson, who finished with five carries for 16 yards, said the play is designed for him to be five yards to Sewell’s left and one yard behind him.

“I got in front of it,” said Simpson, one of 30 seniors to be honored before the game. “When he went to pitch it, he was expecting me to be another yard back and I just wasn’t.

“That’s why the ball went to my back shoulder. I couldn’t pull it in.”

Virginia Tech scored two plays later, going up 21-13, as rookie running back Ryan Williams rumbled into the end zone from four yards out.

“It was 14-13 well into the third quarter, and then that one score seemed to pull all of the dominos out of the pile,” Groh said. “After that it all fell down with scrambles and big plays.”

Simpson noticed the importance of the miscue.

“It was a turning point, but once again, we were only down one score after that turnover,” he said. “We can blame it on that, but we really can’t. It was still a one-score game, and if we would have got the ball back and went down and scored, the game would have been tied up.

“We really can’t put that one focal point on the game, but I would say it was very important.”

It was the first of 28 unanswered points for the Hokies, who rushed for 298 yards.

“I think when you make it an eight-point game instead of a one point game, in a game like this, I think it makes a big difference,” Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. “I was glad for us to be able to continue to move the football and for us to be able to stop their offense, because they came out and they were good today.”

In the fourth quarter, Williams added a 2-yard touchdown run with 12:50 remaining and appeared to have another one one possession later when he broke off a 51-yard run to the Virginia 10-yard line.

Chasing in pursuit, Virginia cornerback Ras-I Dowling punched the ball loose from Williams and it rolled into the end zone. Also trailing the play, Virginia Tech wideout Jarrett Boykin dove onto the ball in the right corner of the end zone.

Trailing 35-13, there was a mass exodus of Virginia fans from the stadium following the touchdown.

“It is just one of those things where it demoralizes the team because we worked so hard to try to make up for a bad play and turn it into a good play,” said defensive end Nate Collins. “And to see them fall on it in the end zone was kind of tough for us.

“That’s the way the ball bounces sometimes.”

Virginia Tech added its final touchdown with 2:43 remaining as back-up running back David Wilson scored on a 10-yard run.

Virginia’s seniors retreated to the locker room for the final time, only to hear Groh recite a poem, “Man in the Glass,” something he also did for reporters as he finished what could be his final press conference at Virginia.

“It was very emotional. You could see it in his face,” said Sewell, who rushed for a career-best 104 yards and passed for an additional 120. “He was having a tough time, just like we are having a tough time.

“We got each other’s back. We’re a real team. No matter what it is, we are going to stick it out together.”

In the first quarter, Virginia took its first lead as Sewell capped off the opening drive with a 15-yard touchdown run.

Williams answered on the ensuing possession, scoring the first of his four touchdowns on a 5-yard scamper.

The Cavaliers completed the opening half with a pair of field goals from Robert Randolph that sandwiched a 20-yard touchdown run by Williams.

For the game, Williams rushed 24 times for 183 yards.

Virginia, which was outscored 111-41 this season in the fourth quarter, finished with 298 yards of total offense.

“I think that I can speak for the team and say we can all look in the mirror and realize that we gave everything we could,” Virginia right tackle Will Barker said.