Virginia cancels Virginia Tech game after players killed

Associated PressNov 21, 2022, 11:11 PM EST

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The University of Virginia has canceled its game against rival Virginia Tech scheduled for Saturday following the slaying of three football players on campus just over a week ago.

The university made the announcement Monday night, two days after a nearly two-hour memorial service to remember Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry. The three were fatally shot on Nov. 13 after a field trip to see a play in Washington.

“The decision was made following communication between the Atlantic Coast Conference, Virginia and Virginia Tech athletic department administration,” Virginia Tech said in a statement. “The ACC and Virginia Tech continue to support UVA following the devastating tragedy … .”

Authorities have said that Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a UVA student and former member of the football team who was on the trip, began shooting at students on the bus as it pulled to a stop at a campus parking garage.

A prosecutor said in court last week that a witness told police the gunman targeted specific victims, shooting one as he slept. Two other students were wounded.

Jones, 23, faces second-degree murder and other charges stemming from the shooting, which set off a manhunt and 12-hour campus lockdown before Jones was apprehended in suburban Richmond. Jones is being held without bond.

Authorities have not released a motive.

Virginia also canceled a game against No. 23 Coastal Carolina last Saturday.

Neither the Cavaliers (3-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), under first-year coach Tony Elliott, nor the Hokies (3-8, 1-6), under first-year coach Brent Pry, have anything to lose by not playing their Commonwealth Cup game.

The Hokies, who endured a massacre that left 33 dead, including the gunman, in 2007, wore orange uniforms as they ended a seven-game losing streak with a 23-22 victory at Liberty on Saturday. The Hokies and Virginia share orange as a signature color.

Morris, No. 24 Wolfpack rally past Hokies for 22-21 win

Associated PressOct 28, 2022, 10:07 PM EDT

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RALEIGH, N.C. – For the second straight home game, North Carolina State found itself down double figures after halftime. And just as before, the 24th-ranked Wolfpack responded with grit and resilience.

First-year quarterback MJ Morris threw for three second-half touchdowns to help N.C. State rally from 18 points down in the third quarter to beat Virginia Tech 22-21 on Thursday night.

“The kids just don’t quit here,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said.

Morris took over for starter Jack Chambers to lead an unexpected comeback for the Wolfpack (6-2, 2-2 Atalntic Coast Conference), who trailed 21-3 after Grant Wells‘ 20-yard TD keeper with 4:02 in the third quarter.

Instead, N.C. State somehow found a way to make its biggest comeback since rallying from 27 down to beat Maryland in 2011. It also marked the Wolfpack’s second comeback from a double-digit deficit after halftime this month, going back to a rally from 17-3 down at the break against Florida State on Oct. 8.

This one was arguably more critical for a team that had been reeling offensively since losing quarterback and preseason ACC player of the year Devin Leary to a season-ending injury in the Florida State victory. But after looking like every yard was a struggle, Morris and the Wolfpack started pushing the ball downfield and connecting to suddenly change momentum.

“There was a lot of things going in my head, but the one thing I tried to focus on was doing my job for the team,” Morris said.

It started with a 35-yard deep throw from Morris to Thayer Thomas with 1:42 left in the third. Morris followed with a 7-yard score to Trent Pennix early in the fourth, then hit Thomas again on a short throw that the receiver cut up the middle of the field and scored from 18 yards out with 7:38 mark.

After its veteran defense forced a three-and-out, the Wolfpack kept the chains moving on a final drive that ate up the last 5:35 to seal the win.

Thomas finished with 10 catches for 118 yards and the two scores for the Wolfpack.

Wells ran for two scores and hit Kaleb Smith for an 85-yard score in the third for the Hokies (2-6, 1-4).

“To me, you’ve got to have a closer’s mentality in the fourth quarter,” first-year coach Brent Pry said. “You’ve got to play your absolute best. we just needed a play or two to change the outcome. And we’ll get there.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Virginia Tech: This one will be difficult to get past for the Hokies, who looked on their way to ending the Wolfpack’s 14-game home winning streak and giving Pry his first road win in four tries. Instead, the offense that suddenly found success attacking the Wolfpack’s veteran defense sputtered when it needed a big drive and the defense gave up three straight TD drives.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack went through a bye week with a chance to tweak the offense to better suit the strengths of Chambers in the wake of Leary’s loss. But Morris also got plenty of reps and soon proved the more effective passer as the Wolfpack needed to get more aggressive down big – and it worked.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

N.C. State, which peaked at No. 10 this year, could fall out of the AP Top 25 with Sunday’s next poll after struggling to beat a two-win team. Then again, another impressive show of resilience could stand out for voters.

HOME STREAK

N.C. State has now won 15 straight home games since losing to Miami in 2020. That put the Wolfpack within one of tying the program record set from 1972-75 under Lou Holtz.

PENALTY PROBLEMS

The Hokies had 13 penalties for 69 yards. That included being flagged 10 times for false starts, with five coming in the first quarter alone.

UP NEXT

Virginia Tech: The Hokies return home to face Georgia Tech on Nov. 5.

N.C. State: It’s a rematch of last year’s instate Atlantic Division thriller when No. 10 Wake Forest visits Raleigh on Nov. 5.

Daniels, defense lead West Virginia past Virginia Tech 33-10

Associated PressSep 23, 2022, 11:47 PM EDT

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

BLACKSBURG, Va. – JT Daniels threw for 203 yards and a touchdown to lead West Virginia to a 33-10 win over Virginia Tech on Thursday night.

Freshman CJ Donaldson rushed for 106 yards and West Virginia (2-2) got a strong performance from its defense to win its second straight game after losing the first two.

“That was a great win,” West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. “I felt great about our preparation coming in, and this is one of the toughest venues to come in and play. I felt really good. This is something that we’ve been thinking about for a long time once we found out this was going to be a Thursday night game. I thought we played fast. We were really physical.”

The Mountaineers, who beat Virginia Tech for the second consecutive season, scored on five straight possessions spanning the first and second half. Daniels’ 24-yard touchdown pass to Sam James with 11 seconds left in the first half gave the Mountaineers a 13-7 lead, and they never trailed again.

“It was big,” Brown said of the score. “I felt like we were in control of the game, but the scoreboard didn’t say that. I thought, really from that drive on, we were in control.”

The Hokies (2-2) closed within 16-10 on a field goal by Will Ross with 4:19 left in the third quarter. West Virginia answered, scoring on a 6-yard run by Justin Johnson Jr. with 14:13 left in the game. The Hokies had West Virginia stopped twice on the drive, but personal foul penalties on Norell Pollard and Dax Hollifield kept the drive alive.

Penalties hindered the Hokies all night. They committed 15 for 132 yards.

“I think we press and we get out of sorts,” said Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry, whose team committed 15 penalties at Old Dominion in its other loss this season. “We feel like we have to do things above and beyond. We’ve got to stay in the framework and play with fundamentals and technique to be mindful of what we’re doing.

“Sometimes, I look out there. and it’s like a panic. We’re not playing together, we’re not playing as one, and we’ve got to coach them through that. We’ve got to fix that. That’s the second time in a tight situation that we didn’t respond. We’ve got to improve there.”

TAKEAWAYS

West Virginia: The Mountaineers picked up a nice win for Brown, who moved to 19-20 in his fourth year at West Virginia. They played solidly in all three phases, but especially on defense. A unit that gave up 73 points in losses to Pittsburgh and Kansas held the Hokies to just 228 yards and also scored on an interception return.

“That’s how we play defense here,” Brown said. “We had an aberration a couple of weeks ago against Kansas – credit to them. But that’s not how we’re going to play defense around here. I thought tonight was closer.”

Virginia Tech: The Hokies weren’t good in any phase of the game and now haven’t beaten a nonconference Power 5 team at Lane Stadium since 2009. The loss marked their worst ever over the Mountaineers at Lane Stadium.

BIG DAY FOR WVU BACKS

Donaldson’s performance marked his third 100-yard effort in four games. The 240-pound back came to West Virginia as a tight end, but the staff moved him to tailback. Behind Donaldson and Johnson Jr., who rushed for 83 yards, West Virginia amassed 218 yards on the ground and moved to 15-2 under Brown when rushing for at least 100 yards.

“I always do,” Daniels said when asked if he expected the Mountaineers to have success rushing. “I think we’re very physical. We have been since I’ve been here, just the way this team works, especially up front led by (Zach) Frazier. With a whole host of great running backs, I expect to run like that every time.”

RIVALRY ON HIATUS

Thursday’s night’s game marked the final game scheduled between Virginia Tech and West Virginia – two universities only four hours apart. The Mountaineers want to play on a more regular basis, but Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock has filled the Hokies’ future nonconference schedule with struggling Power 5 programs such as Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Arizona, and Maryland in addition to long series with in-state foes Old Dominion and Liberty. Virginia Tech’s nonconference schedule is filled until the 2031 season.

UP NEXT

West Virginia: The Mountaineers play at Texas on Oct. 1.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies play at North Carolina on Oct. 1.