Hokies regroup, center focus on clash with Cavs
Seniors engaged as they embrace role as Commonwealth Cup challengers
Still frustrated by a four-game losing streak, stinging from the spiral of a season that once held so much promise, there’s a new reality defensive tackle Jarrod Hewitt and his fellow Virginia Tech seniors are facing this week.
For the first time in 16 years, they’re the pursuers of the Commonwealth Cup as opposed to the protectors.
“All bets are off,” Hewitt said. “Definitely would have wanted things differently, but we’re just throwing all that away. Who cares? We got U.Va. Let’s go win. All bets are off.”
Not since the days of Bruton High alum and ACC Player of the Year Bryan Randall, Vincent Fuller — the first of four Fuller brothers in Virginia Tech’s football program — defensive lineman Jim Davis and cornerback Eric Green has a Hokies senior class had to process a game week against rival Virginia (5-4, 4-4 ACC) quite like this.
Sure, it was a lot different for those guys in 2004, and not only because they weren’t dealing with a pandemic.
In 2004, Tech’s players came into U.Va. game week, which was the second-to-last game of the season, on a six-game winning streak. They were eventually on their way to an ACC championship and a Sugar Bowl invite in their first year in the conference.
Yet, that 2004 class was also the first group of Tech seniors in five years to prepare for U.Va. coming off a loss to the Cavaliers the previous season. Tech, which was ranked No. 11 going into the 2004 game, beat then-No. 16 U.Va. 24-10 to begin a 15-game winning streak against the Cavaliers.
If there’s enough motivation left, Tech’s sense of urgency going into this week’s Virginia game could be intense given how much Saturday’s game could help cleanse the palate, and how crucial it could possibly be for Tech coach Justin Fuente’s future.
“We say every game’s the same, but this is a rivalry game,” Fuente said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever
said it’s just another week. It’s certainly not. This is a game that’s incredibly important to both sides, and we know we have our work cut out for us to go try and get that thing back.”
Tech (4-6, 4-5), which hasn’t lost at home to Virginia since 1998, could have a few seniors who won’t be seeing the Cavaliers for the last time. Since all players this season aren’t burning a year of eligibility — an NCAA response to the hardships of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic — some of Tech’s seniors (of which at least 17 are on scholarship) could be back.
Still, the possibility of returning next season doesn’t make this season’s matchup against U.Va. any less critical, especially since it could be the final game of the season for both teams, nor does it soften memories of last season’s 39-30 loss.
“Just the week after the game and stuff like that was a very down week, especially in the locker room,” Tech senior punter Oscar Bradburn said. “It was hard to kind of get up and keep moving forward after a loss like that. … It was my toughest loss at Tech, for sure.”
Senior defensive end Justus Reed isn’t one of the guys who’ll return, but he’s unique because he transferred into the program in the offseason and, thus, didn’t experience the loss to Virginia last season. After playing at Florida and Youngstown State, he has a good handle on the significance of rivalries, and he’s been well-educated on the importance of this weekend’s game.
“They don’t like us, we don’t like them,” Reed said. “I’ve been around college football a long time and I know about rivalry games. It’s not very hard to pick up on why and how we don’t like them. We are ready to get the cup back.”
Fuente has shown players tailored video of last season’s game against the Cavaliers, taking care to highlight one-on-one matchups where U.Va.’s players got the best of Tech’s players and emphasizing the heightened energy level on U.Va.’s sideline compared to Tech’s side of the field.
There’s no doubt the images have made an impact.
“That enrages us,” Hewitt said. “You’re disappointed that we let that happen last year, and as a senior this year, it’s not going to happen under my watch. There’s no way they can play harder than we play in our stadium. It just can’t happen.”