Virginia Downs Georgia Tech 48-40 To Win Fourth Straight

CHARLOTTESVILLE – The 2020 season was the first since 1981 in which Virginia and Georgia Tech did not meet in football.

The longtime ACC rivals renewed their rivalry Saturday night at Scott Stadium, and UVA quarterback Brennan Armstrong put on a show, as he’s done so many times this season.

Armstrong, who’s in his second year as a starter, passed for four touchdowns and rushed for two more as the Cavaliers stretched their winning streak to four games with a 48-40 victory over the Yellow Jackets.

On a night when the Cavaliers totaled 636 yards, Armstrong completed 29 of 43 passes for 396 yards. He wasn’t intercepted.

Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-3) scored touchdowns on each of its first two drives––UVA blocked the second PAT––and led 13-0 with 6:28 left in the opening quarter. That was less than ideal for the Wahoos (6-2, 4-2) but they responded with a 75-yard drive that ended with Armstrong’s 1-yard TD pass to wide receiver Billy Kemp.

There was much more to come from Armstrong. At the half, he was 15-for-23 passing, for 198 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cavaliers led 24-16.

Armstrong’s second and third TD passes went to wideout Dontayvion Wicks, for whom Georgia Tech had no answers.

On Wicks’ first touchdown, he outjumped two Jackets in the end zone to come down with a 13-yard pass from Armstrong. On the second, Wicks caught a short pass from Armstrong at the Virginia 30-yard line, eluded a tackle attempt and sprinted untouched to the end zone to complete a 77-yard play.

Virginia’s defense had trouble stopping Georgia Tech for much of the first half, especially on the ground. The Jackets had success throwing the ball, too, but momentum swung when UVA safety Joey Blount intercepted a Jeff Sims pass midway through the second quarter.

After that takeaway, the Cavaliers needed only three plays and 48 seconds to go 82 yards, the final 77 coming on Wicks’ second TD reception.

On the first possession of the second half, UVA stretched its lead to 27-16 with a 26-yard field goal by Brendan Farrell, but the Jackets punched back immediately. Tailback Jahmyr Gibbs ran 71 yards for a touchdown, and Georgia Tech added a two-point conversion to make it 27-24.

The pressure shifted back to Virginia, which answered with a 75-yard drive capped by Armstrong’s 4-yard touchdown run. Then, after the Cavaliers’ defense forced a punt, their offense produced more highlights. This drive ended with Armstrong’s 14-yard touchdown run, and Farrell’s extra point made it 41-24 with one second left in the third quarter.

Virginia would add one more touchdown, a 20-yard pass from Armstrong to Ra’Shaun Henry to cap the scoring for the Hoos and take the lead out to 48-27.

The Cavaliers’ cushion proved crucial, as Georgia Tech would score twice in the final 3:50 to cut the lead to 48-40. Virginia would claim the victory by knocking down a hail mary pass in the endzone as time expired after the Jackets recovered a pair of onside kicks in that last scoring run.

The victory was the Hoos’ 21^st in their past 24 games at Scott Stadium, and it evened the series at 21-21-1. Virginia is 14-4-1 all-time against Georgia Tech in Charlottesville.

TEAM NOTES

• Virginia has won four-straight ACC games for the first time since 2011.
• The Cavaliers amassed 636 yards of total offense the sixth-most in a single game in program history and the most since 643 yards against Duke in 2010.
• Saturday night was the 43^rdmeeting between Georgia Tech and Virginia, the all-time series is even at 21-21-1.
• The 48 points against Georgia Tech were the most by UVA since 1992, a 55-24 win in Charlottesville.
• Dating back to last season, Virginia has won 10 of its last 13 games.
• Virginia is 25-6 at Scott Stadium since 2017 and 16-2 at home since the 2019 season.
• UVA has won nine of its last 10 night games at home.
• Virginia compiled 454 combined yards between the second and third quarters, outscoring the Yellow Jackets, 34-11 in that span.
• UVA has scored a total of 58 points in the first half over the past two weeks (34 vs. UNC; 24 vs. Georgia Tech)
• Virginia rushed for 240 yards, its second highest total of the season and the most in an ACC contest since 262 against Boston College last season.

PLAYER NOTES

• Brennan Armstrong accounted for 495 yards of total offense (396 passing, 99 yards rushing), the second-highest single-game total in program history. He owns the single-game mark of 538 set against North Carolina earlier this season.
• Armstrong’s 99 rushing yards were the most by a Cavalier this season. His 45-yard rush in the second quarter was also the longest by a UVA rusher in 2021.
• Armstrong accounted for a career-high, six touchdowns (4 passing, 2 rushing). It marked the third time in his career he’s had multiple rushing touchdowns in a game. UVA improved to 7-0 when Armstrong rushes for a touchdown. Armstrong has 10 career rushing touchdowns, the 10^thmost by a UVA quarterback.
• Armstrong now has 3,220 yards passing on the season, the second-highest single-season total in school history (Bryce Perkins – 3,538 in 2019).
• Armstrong’s 3,397 yards of total offense only trail Bryce Perkins’ totals of 3,603 in 2018 and 4,307 in 2019 for the most in program history.
• Dontayvion Wicks recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving performance of the season, finishing with six catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns. He collected 132 yards in the second quarter. His 77-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was the longest play from scrimmage this season for UVA.
• Wicks’ had his second two-touchdown game of the season (at UNC). He has a touchdown reception in all but two games this year and leads the team with eight touchdowns in 2021.
• Billy Kemp IV caught Brennan Armstrong’s first pass of the night to extend his consecutive games with a reception streak to 23 games. He caught eight balls for 50 yards and caught his seventh career touchdown.
• Kemp surpassed former teammate Hasise Dubois for fifth place all-time on UVA’s reception list and now has 158 receptions at UVA.
• Keytaon Thompson caught nine passes, one shy of matching his career-high. He accounted for 89 yards receiving and 65 yards rushing. The 65 yards on the ground were the third-most in his two seasons at UVA.
• For the second-straight game, Joey Blount intercepted a pass. It was the second of the season and eighth of his career.
• Noah Taylor blocked a point after try on Georgia Tech’s second touchdown of the day, the first PAT block by UVA since Juan Thornhill blocked one at Indiana in 2018.
• Brendan Farrell was successful on field goal tries of 24 and 26 in the contest. He is 8-for-8 in field goals from 43 yards and in this season.