Collegiate Times

Football center

“The eyes were just bigger,” Chancellor said. “He was expecting the hit as soon as he got the ball.”

UVa head coach Al Groh called the play an “unfortunate circumstance.”

“It was more than two plays in the game, but certainly those were two where the game fell apart on us,” Groh said.

Recovering the ball at the Virginia 25 yard line, Chancellor returned the ball to the 10 yard line to put Tech in the redzone. Two plays later, Williams put in a four-yard run to make the score 21-13, and he added another score early in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run.

Williams nearly had a fifth score when he was stripped at the Virginia 10 yard line by cornerback Ras-I Dowling following a 51-yard run down the right side. However, Tech sophomore Jarrett Boykin recovered the fumble in the end zone, pushing the lead to 35-13.

Freshman tailback David Wilson ended the scoring on the evening, running in a 10-yard touchdown with 2:43 left in the game, which gave the Hokies the 42-13 edge.

The game had some late fireworks, including a brief scuffle between players on both sides with 2:29 left in the fourth quarter. A fumble recovery by defensive end Chris Drager sealed the game with 1:45 left in the game.

The loss for UVa is crushing for Groh, whose Cavalier squads have lost their last six against the Hokies. In the post-game press conference, Groh expressed disappointment for his graduating seniors.

“I feel badly that we couldn’t do a little bit more for them today,” Groh said.

He ended his press conference by reciting the Dale Wimbrow poem, “Guy in the Glass.”

Tech head coach Frank Beamer showed support for the beleaguered UVa coach, noting that after the game Groh congratulated his team on the win.

“He’s a good football coach, and he runs a good program,” Beamer said. “They do it the right way. He’s a good, good person.”

Beamer recognized the special bond he has with the team.

“This might be the most-together group I’ve ever had,” Beamer said.

He expressed excitement about the upcoming bowl game.

“Whoever we are playing against, we are going to be ready to play a great ballgame,” Beamer said.

Continue Reading:  « Previous12