UVA Concludes Season at Virginia Tech on Saturday

Nov. 21, 2016

Commonwealth Cup Up for Grabs Saturday
– Virginia and Virginia Tech will play a nationally-televised game on Saturday afternoon on ESPN2.
– The winner of this game claims the Commonwealth Cup for the next year.
– The award was started for the 1996 game between the two state foes, with the Hokies receiving the trophy for the first time with a 26-9 win.
– The Cup is made of marble and cherry wood, stands four feet high and weighs more than 100 pounds.
– The scores of all 97 games in the rivalry are engraved on the sides of the trophy.

Five Top Storylines
– ILB Micah Kiser has recorded 237 tackles in his 23 career starts, giving the junior 10.3 tackles per game over his 23 starts. Kiser’s 237 tackles since the start of the 2015 are the second-most in the nation and the most among “Power 5” players. Kiser has 252 career tackles in 35 games.
– P Nicholas Conte is No. 1 in the ACC and No. 14 in the nation with a 44.6 punting average. Of Conte’s 32 punts inside the 20, 14 punts are inside the 10, seven of those punts are inside the five and five of those punts have been downed at the one-yard line. Conte’s 32 punts inside the 20 leads the nation.
– TB Taquan Mizzell needs 38 more rushing yards to become the 19th Cavalier to rush for 2,000 yards in his career.
– Mizzell needs six receptions to become the second player in UVA program history to record 200 career catches. His 194 receptions are the most all-time in the ACC by a running back, while ranking No. 19 all-time in the ACC in receptions.
– WR Keeon Johnson needs eight receptions to become the 21st Cavalier with 100 career catches.

Commonwealth Clash Point On the Line
– The Commonwealth Clash presented by Virginia529 is a head-to-head, points-based competition between the athletic teams at University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Commonwealth Clash encourages a friendly, statewide rivalry between the two schools across all school-sponsored sports with 22 individual event points on the line. The school that accumulates 11.5 points or more will be crowned the winner and take home the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash trophy. Visit www.TheCommonwealthClash.com for more information and updated standings.
– There is one point at stake Saturday in the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash, one point for the football game. There is also a half point for the women’s volleyball game in Charlottesville on Friday. Virginia leads the Commonwealth Clash, 2.5-2. UVA has won the Commonwealth Clash both years it has been contested.

Virginia-Virginia Tech Connections
– Virginia Tech cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell spent 11 years at BYU as the cornerbacks coach from 1995-05. Mitchell was the cornerbacks coach on current UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall’s first BYU team in 2005 after there two worked together in 2003 and 2004 when Mendenhall was BYU’s defensive coordinator and Mitchell was the cornerbacks coach.
– Mendenhall isn’t the only connection for Virginia Tech cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell. He spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at East Carolina (2010-12) under Ruffin McNeil, UVA’s assistant head coach and defensive line coach. Mitchell followed McNeill to ECU from Texas Tech, where he coached with McNeil from 2006-09 as the Red Raiders’ cornerbacks coach.
– Virginia Tech wide receivers coach Holman Wiggins was a wide receiver at New Mexico (1998-2001) while UVA head coach Bronco Mendenhall was an assistant coach. During Wiggins time with the Lobos, Mendenhall was New Mexico’s defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Red-Zone Offense
– UVA has scored on 32 of its last 38 trips inside the red-zone, with 28 touchdowns and four field goals.
– UVA ranks 14th in the nation in red-zone chances that ended with a touchdown (73.7 percent).
– After Taquan Mizzell fumbled on the five-yard line against Richmond in the season-opening game, UVA scored on 29-of-31 trips inside the red-zone. Both times UVA failed during those 29 trips inside the red-zone was because of missed field goals. Alex Furbank’s 20-yard field goal attempt as time expired at UConn on Sept. 17 was the first, followed by Sam Hayward’s 30-yard attempt against then-No. 5 Louisville on Oct. 29.
– UVA’s last two trips to the red-zone against Miami the Cavaliers turned the ball over on downs and fumbled its last possession of the Miami game.
– Against Georgia Tech UVA scored two touchdowns, one field goal and missed a field goal.

Goal-to-goal Offense
– UVA has scored on 21 of its 22 goal-to-goal offensive situations with 19 touchdowns.
– UVA’s lone goal-to-goal opportunity it failed on was the end of the UConn game when the Cavaliers’ field goal attempt was wide as time expired as they tried to force overtime.
– Ten of UVA’s touchdowns in goal-to-goal situations have been via the pass and nine via the rush.