Five Great Moments from a Quarter Century of Dominance

The Hokies and Cavaliers meet for the 106th time this Saturday. The Hokies lead the all-time series 62-38-5. Since 1953, Tech has an even more pronounced 49-18-1 advantage. And in the last 25 contests, the Hokies have taken 23 of them. 

Before we get started, here’s a rundown of the results from the last twenty-five games:

There are so many great moments from this rivalry over the years, and plenty during this recent extended run of Hokie success. As we approach this weekend's kickoff, let’s look back at five memorable moments from a quarter-century of Virginia Tech dominance.

This was a game that many Tech (and likely UVa) fans thought might end the streak. The Hokies were reeling, having lost four straight and needing this win, and a hastily-scheduled game against Marshall, to be bowl-eligible. 

This game had moments all over the field. There was the remarkable Tre Turner one-handed TD grab to start the scoring. There was Ryan Willis’ “Scared money don’t make money” 45-yard pass to Dalton Keene to keep a late drive alive. There was Steven Peoples’ fumble into the end zone two plays later that was recovered by Hezekiah Grimsley for a TD that sent the game into overtime. And of course, there was Sam Rogers leading an emotional “Let’s Go Hokies” chant. Believe it or not, all of those moments set the table for the play that made it 15 straight for the Hokies. 

The Hokies shook off a slow early start to the season and had started to put together a few good games behind transfers Kyron Drones, Bhayshul Tuten, Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton. This game got out of hand in a hurry, with Tech up 31-0 after Drones hit Felton for an 84-yard touchdown.

After UVa finally got on the board with a Will Bettridge 25-yard field goal, Tuten immediately responded with an electric 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Tuten patiently waited for blocking, broke to the left sideline and turned on the jets. He let off the gas at the 30, coasted into the end zone and ran up the hill behind the end zone to celebrate with a mob of Hokies who had taken over that patch of real estate.

Coach Beamer, four weeks after announcing his retirement, took his team to Charlottesville for one last game against Virginia. He needed a win in his last regular season game for one last bowl trip, and the Hokies scored 17 fourth quarter points to do just that. 

Michael Brewer threw for 237 yards, Isaiah Ford accounted for 121 of those yards. Joey Slye hit three field goals, including the game-winner with 1:38 left in the game. When Chuck Clark sealed the deal with a game-ending interception, the celebration was on. The raw emotional moment shared between Beamer and Bud Foster was enough to bring a tear to your eye.

The game itself was never in doubt. The Hokies led 24-0 at halftime, then scored 28 points in the 3rd quarter to extend the lead to 52-7. The Hokies ran for 333 yards in the game, led by Brandon Ore (115 yards) and Cedric Humes (113).

The story from before the game, however, stole the show. In the hours leading up to yet another shellacking, word broke of some shenanigans on the Scott Stadium turf. Someone had snuck onto the playing surface and added a “T” to UVa’s “V” logo at midfield. The beautiful work of art was removed before game, but was captured and shared with a national audience on ESPN during the telecast.

Virginia Tech was 5-6. It had fired its coach, and its team and fanbase were hurting. Hokie legend JC Price had stepped in as the interim coach for the Hokies following Justin Fuente’s departure, and he led this team to a big season-ending win in a nail biter.

Tech was seemingly on their way to putting this in the bag when they caused a Brennan Armstrong fumble with 4:31 left that was recovered in the end zone by Cavalier tackle Bobby Haskins for a safety. But a costly fumble by Connor Blumrick with 3:05 remaining set UVa up with a chance to steal one. The Tech defense held, though, thanks in part to an inexplicable lateral to their tackle, Haskins, which was easily snuffed out. 

When the final pass attempt was broken up by the Hokies’ Tae Daley, it was time Price to relive the victory cigar celebration he made famous as a player in 1995. Before that, though, was the post-game interview that galvanized Hokie Nation.