The glory of an ACC football title game and the possibility of a BCS bowl were within UVA’s grasp on Saturday as the Cavaliers battled Virginia Tech for the Commonwealth Cup. But the offense couldn’t score in the fourth quarter and Beamerball sealed the deal, the Hokies forcing two turnovers and blocking a punt in a 33-21 win.
 Defensive end Chris Long, his jersey retired before the game, provided a ray of hope for UVA when he sacked a Tech quarterback and forced a fumble in the third quarter, leading to a score that brought the Cavs to within 2 points. |
| Check out last week’s cover story for more on UVA football. |
A crowd of 61,711 came out to Scott Stadium to watch one of the highest profile Virginia-Virginia Tech matchups in recent history, with the Cavs ranked No. 16 and the Hokies ranked No. 8. The game at first looked to be yet another Tech rout, with scores on the team’s first two possessions to make it 10-0. Then Hokie wide receiver Eddie Royal threw an interception on a trick play gone bad, and UVA used the momentum shift to go up 14-13, thanks to rushing touchdowns from running back Mikell Simpson and quarterback Jameel Sewell.
All looked peachy for a Hoo upset when Sewell threw an interception with only 40 seconds left in the first half, giving Tech enough time to score a touchdown and go up 20-14, and in the third quarter, the Hokies blocked a punt that set up a field goal to take a 9-point lead. Hope returned when defensive end Chris Long sacked quarterback Sean Glennon to force a fumble that UVA converted into 7 points.
But the game ended ugly for the Hoos, with penalties and solid Tech tackling killing every fourth quarter drive. With the game all but over, UVA linebacker Clint Sintim hit Glennon with a cheap shot after Glennon had already taken a knee, and cooler heads had to hustle to keep a fight from breaking out. Sintim, a junior, was ejected from the game. The loss was UVA’s fourth straight against Tech.
Long’s No. 91 jersey was retired, along with former standout Tiki Barber’s. A senior, Long is an All-America player who is likely to be picked in the first round of the NFL draft.
The game dropped UVA to No. 22, but the Cavaliers are still looking at a decent bowl berth—possibly the January 1 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.
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