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Virginia Downed By No. 7 Virginia Tech, 52-14
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Nov. 19, 2005
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – Virginia Tech dominated archrival Virginia 52-14 Saturday to keep alive its hopes of gaining a spot in the Bowl Championship Series.
Two long weeks after getting beaten convincingly by No. 3 Miami, Cedric Humes ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns and Marcus Vick threw for two more scores as the seventh-ranked Hokies beat Virginia for the sixth time in the last seven meetings.
Virginia Tech (9-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) also turned three Virginia turnovers into touchdowns and shut down Marques Hagans and the Cavaliers offense. The Hokies would need Miami to lose in order to reach the ACC title game. The conference champion gets an automatic spot in the BCS, though Virginia Tech would be strongly considered for an at-large spot if it finished with just one loss.
The Cavaliers (6-4, 3-4), who had won two straight at home and 21 of their last 23, had 46 yards at halftime, and gained most of their yards after the outcome was sealed.
Virginia did give the crowd of 63,344 reason to hope at the start the second half. The Cavaliers drove 71 yards in a nine-play drive capped by Wali Lundy’s 9-yard touchdown run, pulling to 24-7.
But the Hokies answered with an 80-yard march of their own, Humes taking it in from 9 yards out, and Aaron Rouse ended Virginia’s next two drives with interceptions that the Hokies also turned into touchdowns. Branden Ore got the first on a 7-yard run, and Humes got the next one from 3 yards. Ore later added a 31-yard run to make it 52-7.
Ore finished with 115 yards on just 15 carries.
The turning point came early.
Trailing 10-0, the Cavaliers were forced to punt. Michael Johnson muffed it at his own 6, the ball bouncing off his shoulder pads, and Roland Minor recovered for Virginia Tech. Humes took it in on the next play from the 1, giving the Hokies a 17-0 lead.
Tech added another TD before halftime, and the Cavaliers never recovered.
Virginia Tech finished with 503 yards, 333 on the ground.
Vick was back to being efficient after having six turnovers in the loss to Miami. He finished 15-for-21 for 170 yards and hit Josh Morgan from 8 yards for the Hokies’ first TD and Eddie Royal from 24 yards just 1:24 before halftime.
Hagans didn’t look at all like the quarterback who beat Florida State with his feet and arm. His scrambling runs were usually cut short by the Hokies fast defensive front seven, and his six completions in the first half went for a total of just 27 yards.
He finished 17-for-30 for 140 yards and two interceptions.
Lundy did add a second touchdown run in the fourth quarter, joining North Carolina State’s Ted Brown and North Carolina’s Leon Johnson as the only players in league history with 50 career touchdowns. He finished with 67 yards on 15 carries.