Hokies pound Hoos, 37-17, to claim another Commonwealth Clash

By Scott Ratcliffe

With bowl eligibility on the line on a chilly November night in Blacksburg, the 2024 campaign came to a close on Saturday for the Virginia football team, as Virginia Tech prevailed in another Commonwealth Clash, 37-17.

Lane Stadium was rocking all night long, as the Hokies grabbed an early lead after a dominant first quarter and held off a late UVA rally to move to 6-6 on the year (4-4 ACC) and qualify for a postseason spot.

The Cavaliers (5-7, 3-5), meanwhile, dropped their last three contests of the season — and six of the final seven — and have now come up short in 23 of the last 25 meetings with their biggest rivals.

Each team was missing its usual starting quarterback Saturday, leaving the task up to Virginia’s Tony Muskett and Tech redshirt freshman William “Pop” Watson III.

With injuries to leading passer Kyron Drones and backup Collin Schlee, Watson was effective in his first career start, completing 14 of his 21 attempts for 254 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing 11 times for 48 yards and another score.

Bhayshal Tuten added a game-high 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 18 carries, as the Hokies racked up 202 yards on the ground and 456 on the night.

UVA head coach Tony Elliott insisted that nothing else mattered this week aside from finding a way to get the job done in the heated rivalry, one that has been controlled by the Gobblers for decades.

Elliott went with Muskett over second-year QB Anthony Colandrea, who had started every other game this season but saw his numbers decline against some top-notch defenses along with pass-protection concerns over the past few weeks.

“I just felt like I needed to do something to help the offense,” Elliott said of the decision, which he added was made earlier in the week. “And I know there had been times when Tony was inserted in the game and he gave us a little bit of a spark… I just needed to do something to help get the offense jumpstarted.”

The Wahoos were also without the services of their top two rushers (Kobe Pace, Xavier Brown) due to injury, and Noah Vaughn filled in with just 16 yards on 6 carries. Chris Tyree was moved to his former running back position in hopes to get an effective ground game going, but he only contributed 18 yards on 8 carries.

It was Muskett who led the team in rushing, posting 62 yards and both of Virginia’s touchdowns on his 18 attempts, while passing for 178 yards (19 for 36) and two interceptions.

Malachi Fields was held in check, in what turned out to be his final college game, as he had two catches for 20 yards. He finished his Wahoo career with at least one reception in each of his final 27 contests.

Deep threat Trell Harris returned from an injury that kept him out of eight games, but was also limited to 20 yards on a pair of grabs. Suderian Harrison led the team with 54 yards on 5 catches.

The Hokies took the opening possession 90 yards on 11 plays, as Tuten walked in from 6 yards out for his first touchdown with 9:06 left in the first quarter.

Following a UVA three-and-out on its opening drive of the evening, Tech melted another six minutes and change off the clock and added a 44-yard John Love field goal, and the Hoos were behind 10-zip with 1:16 left in the period. During that span, VT held the ball for 12:45 compared to just 59 seconds for the Cavaliers, who were outgained 144 to minus-12 up to that point.

The teams exchanged punts until Will Bettridge’s 37-yard boot got Virginia on the board, 10-3, with 2:46 left until halftime. Tech responded with its longest play of the year, as Watson connected with Jaylin Lane for a 66-yard strike with 1:50 on the clock, but the Hokies weren’t done, as Love tacked on another 3 points to make it 20-3 on the final play of the half, following a late Muskett interception. Lane registered a game-high 91 receiving yards on four catches.

UVA turned the ball over on downs to start the third quarter, coming up empty on a fourth-down try, and Watson extended the lead to 27-3 on a busted play with a 5-yard scamper untouched right up the gut with 10:05 in the third.

Muskett got into the end zone with 5:23 to go in the third, scoring the first of his two rushing touchdowns, the second of which cut it to 30-17 with 13:12 remaining in the game.

“We just came to life offensively too late,” said Elliott.

Tuten sealed the deal, bouncing off a would-be tackler and racing 58 yards to the house with 6:12 to play, marking his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season.

“It’s one or two plays,” Elliott said. “One or two plays can turn the tide in the game, and we didn’t have the right discipline on certain plays, and that’s on me. I’ve got to go get that fixed.”

Team Notes

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

• Virginia Tech improved to 62-38-5 in the all-time series against Virginia, first played in 1895. The Hokies extended their home win streak in the series to 12 games. 
• Virginia dropped to 0-4 (2006, 2008, 2014, 2024) in games against Virginia Tech in which the game determined bowl eligibility for the Cavaliers. 
• Virginia finished 3-3 on the road this season. The three road wins are the most since 2011. 
• The Cavaliers fell to 3-2 in night games this season. 
• Eight different Cavaliers recorded a reception in the contest.  
• Virginia Tech opened the game with an 11-play, 90-yard scoring drive that ended with a touchdown, tied for the longest by an opponent this season – Coastal Carolina (8 for 90), Clemson (11 for 90). 

Player Notes

• Quarterback Tony Muskett made his first start under center this season and first since Nov. 4 against Georgia Tech (game eight). For the second straight game in which he appeared, Muskett matched a career best with two rushing touchdowns and was 19 for 36 with 178 yards passing. 
• Muskett is the third UVA quarterback in the last five meetings with two rushing touchdowns against Virginia Tech, joining Brennan Armstrong (2 in 2021) and Bryce Perkins (2 in 2019).  
• Malachi Fields caught two passes for 20 yards and extended his streak with at least one reception to 27 consecutive games. 
• Fields now has 129 career receptions, which is tied for 10th on UVA’s all-time list with Perry Jones (2009-12) and Joe Reed (2016-19). Fields’ 1,849 career receiving yards are the ninth most in UVA history. 
• Suderian Harrison led the Cavaliers with career-highs in receptions (5) and receiving yards (54). He came into the contest with six catches for 45 yards. 
• Jonas Sanker co-led the team in tackles with nine (five solo). It marked the fourth time he’s led or co-led the team in tackles and the seventh time he’s recorded eight or more tackles in a game this season. He finished the year with a team-high, 98 tackles (65 solo).  
• Kempton Shine made his 37th consecutive starts dating back to his tenure at Eastern Michigan, the sixth most amongst active FBS secondary players. 
• Will Bettridge moved into sole possession of 13th on UVA’s career scoring list with a 37-yard field goal in the second quarter. Bettridge has 196 career points with 67 PATs and 42 field goals made. 
• Noah Vaughn made his first career start at running back. 
• Trell Harris started at wide receiver and made his first appearance since Sept 14 (vs. Maryland). Harris missed eight consecutive games due to injury.