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Virginia Falls to Hokies to End Season
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BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia football team wrapped up the 2010 season with a 37-7 loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. UVa finished the season with a 4-8 record while the Hokies improved to 10-2.
Ryan Williams ran for two touchdowns and No. 13 Virginia Tech won its 10th consecutive game.
Tyrod Taylor threw for 176 yards and a touchdown and became the career passing yardage leader for the Hokies. Virginia Tech also became the first team to finish the regular season unbeaten in Atlantic Coast Conference play since Florida State in 2000.
The game ended a difficult first season under coach Mike London for Virginia. The Cavaliers lost their final four games.
As Virginia’s defense grew weary, Darren Evans then led an 88-yard, 11-play drive capped by his 6-yard scoring run with 3:51 left in the third quarter. A 2-yard run by David Wilson with 4:53 to go in the game made it 37-0.
Virginia backup quarterback Ross Metheny’s 11-yard scoring pass to Keith Payne prevented the shutout with 2:59 to play. It was Payne’s ACC-high 16th touchdown of the season.
Taylor needed 153 yards to pass Bryan Randall (2001-04) as Virginia Tech’s career passing yardage leader and got that in the third quarter. He now has 6,532 yards; Randall had 6,508.
Taylor’s first-half TD pass to Wilson was his 20th scoring pass this year.
The matchup that figured to be critical – Virginia’s 106th-ranked rushing defense against the Hokies 18th-ranked rushing offense – had little bearing in the first 30 minutes. The Hokies managed just 37 rushing yards in the half, and Taylor had 19 of them on three runs.
The Cavaliers held Virginia Tech without a first down over three possessions in the first quarter, but Eddie Whitley’s interception of Marc Verica on the second play of the second quarter set the Hokies up for a touchdown before they had a first down. Whitley returned the pick 19 yards to the Virginia 5 and Williams scored on the next play.
A heads-up play by Bruce Taylor and Jeron Gouveia-Winslow on a fake punt near midfield on the Cavaliers’ next series set up Virginia Tech again.
On the fake, Cavaliers punter Jimmy Howell rolled right as if he would kick a rugby-style punt, then threw to Colter Phillips needing 2 yards for the first down. Phillips got 1 before Taylor and Gouveia-Winslow stopped his progress cold, allowing the Hokies to take over.
Three plays, including a 15-yard pass interference call against Chase Minnifield, moved the ball to the 20, and Taylor hit Wilson with a swing pass that he took down the right sideline, finally lunging with the ball in front of him to reach the end zone.
Chris Hazley’s school-record 19th consecutive field goal, from 40 yards, came 22 seconds before halftime, giving the Hokies a 17-0 cushion at the break.