Jay Ballard 
Virginia Football
Tomorrow, the Virginia Cavaliers (5-6) will travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech (5-6) in another edition of the Commonwealth Clash. The Hokies are currently a seven point favorite and the over / under is 48.5. For the University of Virginia football program, the annual showdown with Virginia Tech always carries immense weight. It’s become a bittersweet tradition for UVa fans, the prospect of postseason play dangling by a thread, only to come up short against the Hokies. But with a game that feels eerily similar to so many in recent years, Virginia is hoping to avoid yet another season of “deja vu”—a scenario where a defeat means the end of their bowl hopes, an underwhelming finish to a season that once held promise, and another 365 days of hearing how VT Football dominates the series.
Both teams enter the contest with their respective struggles, and both teams’ path to bowl eligibility is once again on the line. Virginia entered this season with an over / under win total of 4.5 and there were plenty of folks happy to take the under. The Hoos would get off to a fast 4-1 start before hitting a real grinder of a schedule that
closed with three ranked opponents and the upcoming trip to Blacksburg. While no one outside of the Cavalier locker room expected much success in the back half of the season, the lack of competitiveness since the 4-1 start has many wondering if there should be some massive changes this offseason. Outside of the upset win at Pittsburgh, the Hoos have looked like a completely overmatched team in every setting.
Under third-year head coach Brent Pry, the Hokies were expected to challenge for a spot in the ACC Championship Game and a potential dark horse college playoff candidate. However, the Hokies have been consistently snakebitten in one-score games, with a staggering 1-12 record in such contests across Pry’s three seasons in charge. The Hokies enter Saturday on a three game losing streak, with two of those three being by one score. A win would not necessarily save the season for the Hokies, but it would prevent the sky is falling narrative from taking hold of a fan base clamoring to be as relevant as they were when Frank Beamer strolled the sidelines.
Expect this game to be decided by which team can get anything going offensively. Virginia Quarterback Anthony Colandrea, once a promising freshman, has seen his performance dip significantly in the latter half of his second season. His struggles have been evident, with inconsistency in both accuracy and decision-making. What once seemed like the foundation of Virginia’s future, Colandrea has become a troubling Achilles’ heel for the offense. Colandrea has only thrown for over 200 yards in a game once since September 21st and in his last four starts he has 2 TD passes and 7 interceptions. Against a defense that thrives off of turnovers, if Colandrea is ineffective and doesn’t take care of the ball, it could start an avalanche similar to what was witnessed in Charlottesville last year when the Hokies won 55-17. If his struggles continue, head coach Tony Elliott may choose to turn to veteran quarterback Tony Muskett, a senior who has experience but hasn’t seen significant action this year. Muskett’s steady hand could be the difference maker in a high-pressure game, however Elliott passed on going to Muskett in last week’s loss to SMU even though it was obvious the offense was going nowhere fast with Colandrea at the helm.
For the Hokies, offensive success may be as simple as if they can keep a Quarterback standing. Last week against Duke, VT had to turn to their third string QB Pop Watson due to Collin Schlee leaving with a head injury. With starter Kyren Drones health still a question mark, and the nature of head injuries for Schlee, it’s entirely possible
Watson will have to lead this team in hopes of becoming bowl eligible. If so, he’ll face a Virginia defense that has been better than the results have indicated. Too often the defense has been forced to stay on the field for long stretches due to the offense’s ineptitude. If the UVa offense can sustain any success, it will bode well for the Cavalier’s chances of pulling the upset.
The Cavaliers have shown an interesting pattern this season: they perform better on the road. Three weeks ago, a 24-19 victory over Pittsburgh clinched their fifth win of the season, and before that, the Hoos won at Wake Forest and at Coastal Carolina. Coach Elliott noted in the SMU Postgame Press Conference that his bunch had figured out how to be road warriors, but still had to figure out how to play at home. However, Blacksburg at night, with temps in the 20s, a sellout crowd that’s had all day to “prepare” and this road game will be different than even the tough venues of Clemson and Notre Dame that UVa has already played at this year.
As always, rivalry games are unpredictable, and in the case of Virginia vs. Virginia Tech, anything can happen. However, if you are a UVa fan it doesn’t feel like anything can happen, it feels like only one thing can happen, as it has for the better part of the last quarter century. Avoiding that all-too-familiar sense of déjà vu would be the ultimate victory and give Tony Elliott the win he can point to that shows real progress in becoming what he calls the model program, a bowl bid, and most importantly bragging rights over their mediocre state rival.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Virginia Tech 31 Virginia 6
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