Virginia Tech Still Owns Virginia, Keeps Bowl Streak Alive

Remember back on September 6th when Virginia Tech manhandled Ohio State 35-21 at the Horseshoe?

Who knew the Hokies would blow all their good karma that night in Columbus.

Since then Virginia Tech went 3-6 with the low point last week at Wake Forest not scoring a single point in regulation time and losing to the Demon Deacons 6-3 in a game that turned college football back to the leather helmet days.

With the bowl streak and a winning season in jeopardy Virginia Tech had to take care of business against bitter rival Virginia to reach those goals.

Plus the Hokies needed that good karma to return and somehow the Wahoos bring that out.

It was apparant the lady luck would wear the maroon and orange Friday night when down 20-17 Virginia's defense imploded when Mike Moore was called on a person foul penalty and then Henry Coley was flagged for pass inference.

Then with under 2 minutes left Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer hit tight end Bucky Hodges for 50 yards to the 10.

A play later Brewer and Hodges connected again for a nine yard touchdown as the Hokies prevailed 24-20.




"I've said all along I really like this football team," Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said after the game.

Frank Beamer has liked this football team despite the unexpected and inexcusable losses but with all the injuries the Hokies have suffered on the offensive line, defense and at running back it was hard to keep a consistent line up out there.

What had Beamer beaming after the game was the Hokies kept some streaks alive:

22nd straight bowl appearance.

11th straight win over Virginia.

Thanks to our players & fans, we get to keep this for another year. #Hokies pic.twitter.com/uKwviazgjy
— Bill Roth (@VTVOICE) November 29, 2014

"I try to look at it the way it is: to me, this group of players has done a great job," Beamer said. "This coaching staff and this group of players has done a great job with the circumstances as far as personnel in and out. ... We've had to overcome some things."

Yet here is Virginia Tech going to a bowl game after all that.

It must be karma.

Virginia's Mike London Will Return As Head Coach In 2015

Any speculation that Virginia head coach Mike London was going to be axed should the Cavaliers
lose to arch rival Virginia Tech Friday has been squashed.

Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage announced today that London would remain as Virginia's head coach for the 2015 season.

"It was important to see improvement in our football program this season,” Littlepage said in a statement released by UVA media relations. “I’ve seen signs of progress in many areas. Through the staff changes made over the last two years, we are better at teaching the game and in the overall development of the student-athletes. We also continue to notice the commitment by this group of coaches and student-athletes to their academic and community responsibilities."

The Wahoos have improved to a 5-6 season and will be bowl eligible should Virginia defeat Virginia Tech Friday night for the first time since 2004.

“I trust the plan Mike has in place and believe his leadership provides the best opportunity for Virginia football to be successful in the future.” Littlepage said.

BUZZER BEATER: Brogdon's 3 Silences Pitt's Oakland Zoo, Big Win For Virginia

Sometimes things that don't work in practice some how do in a game.

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett installed a new play for end of game situations and wasn't that thrilled with it.

The Cavaliers tried it at the end of the game against Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon.  Malcolm Brogdon took the shot and hit it at the buzzer.

(Thanks ESPN) Note: Brogdon's game winner occurs at :54.

"We actually didn’t run the play right." Brogdon said.  "It wasn’t a triple-pop; we ran a quadruple-pop. We ran four screens instead of three. It’s basically a play for me to come up and shoot the three. We executed it really well. I haven’t hit it one time in practice all year. We’ve been practicing it all the time and I hit it today.”

"It’s funny we run it a lot in practice, but we never make it in practice." Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said. "I would rather make it the game than in practice."

"The kid hit a tough shot," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "He was going sideways and hit it from 25 feet. He made the play."

"(Malcolm Brogdon) hit a good shot." Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said.  "It was a deep shot, it was a deep three.  We could have guarded it better, but we didn’t.  And we give him credit."

Brogdon led the Cavaliers with 16 points. 

Huguely Could Face 26 Years

((HT: MyFoxDC))

The second-degree murder and grand larceny charges on former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely are yielding a possible 26-year sentence come the April sentencing phase in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The timing is set of the 16th...

The jury deliberated for nine hours in the case involving Huguely's former girlfriend, Yeardley Love. Late last night, the possible 60 years from the charges were whittled down to the current 26.

Paul Wagner is outside the courtroom...

Former U.Va. Lacrosse Player George Huguely V Faces 26 Years for Murder of Yeardley Love: MyFoxDC.com

The judge does not have to keep the jury recommendation by the latter, but the term can be adjusted or adhered to as is.

Huguely With The Jury (UPDATE: Huguely Found Guilty)

((HT: MyFoxDC))

At a little after 9AM, the two alternates were dismissed and the jury in the George Huguely murder trial is under deliberation.

The first thing the 12-person jury asked for was a monitor to review the police interview Huguely gave to police the day after the murder.

There are a lot of options the jury can process...

Paul Wagner is outside the courtoom...

Jury Begins Deliberations in Murder Trial of UVA Lacrosse Player: MyFoxDC.com

The defense is looking for an involuntary manslaughter verdict and a 10-year prison sentence while the prosecution has the six options ready for discussion.

2030 UPDATE: Huguely has been found guilty on second degree murder and grand larceny charges.

The second degree murder charge "implies a killing that involves malice, defined as the desire to inflict injury or harm on another person, but not premeditation or intent." In the state of Virginia, it carries a possible sentence of five to 40 years in prison. The grand larceny charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years.

Here's Paul Wagner and team coverage after the verdict came down. The jury deliberated nine hours before the sentencing phase had begun- which, in the state of Virginia, is an immediate process.

George Huguely Found Guilty of Second-Degree Murder in UVA Slaying Case: MyFoxDC.com

Huguely Deliberations Start Wednesday

((HT: Newsplex.com))

We've hit that stage...

Here's your wrap-up from closing arguments in the George Huguely murder trial...


The jury in the case elected to spend Saturday night at home and start deliberations Wednesday- after the President's Day holiday.

The jury spent close to 8 hours listening to either witnesses or closing arguments Saturday. Huguely is up on six separate charges in the murder of his former girlfriend, fellow UVa lacrosse player Yeardley Love.

Huguely Day 10: Trial Resumes After Illness

((HT: Newsplex.com))

Rhonda Quagliana, out yesterday with an undisclosed illness, is still out during the defense part of the trial of former UVa lacrosse player George Huguely.

Her co-defense attorney, Fran Lawrence, said that he is fairly confident that he can proceed with the defense case in the murder trial. Both sides are looking to wrap their cases up by the weekend- and they'll work late into the night to get this done.

Here's the pick-up with Rachel Ryan outside the courtroom...


The main idea for working so late is that the judge, Edward Hogshire, doesn't want any lingering thoughts from jury members over a holiday weekend that may hinder their deliberations in the future if things dawdle until early next week.

Huguely Trial Day 8: Prosecution Rests

((HT: Newsplex.com))

After the questioning of roughly 50 witnesses on the prosecution side, that end of the George Huguely murder trial is now over...

Huguely's lawyers asked the judge to dismiss five of the charges against their client, including first-degree murder and felony murder, but that motion was overruled.

The expert witnesses on the defense are maintaining, initially, that the bleeding in Yeardley Love's brain came from CPR administered by first responders and not from any kind of blunt force trauma.

Here's your preview from the defensive side...

Huguely Trial Day 5: Videotaped Statement Played In Court

((HT: Newsplex.com))

The first week of the George Huguely murder trial ended with the video tape testimony of Huguely to local police on the morning of his arrest during questioning by Charlottesville, Virginia police.

Police went on to describe the scene to jurors and the condition of Love's body when police and responders found her...

Jessica Jaglois was in front of the courtroom to start team coverage...


The HQ thinks it's interesting that the judge instructed the jury not to visit the crime scene- we would have thought they would have been sequestered knowing the nature of the case...

Huguely Trial Day 4: Prosecutors Building Timeline

((HT: Newsplex.com))

Thursday is day 4 in the George Huguely murder trial in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Prosecutors in the case are in the process of calling over two-dozen witnesses to the stand to establish the timeline in the murder of Huguley's ex-girlfriend and UVA lacrosse player Yeardley Love.

Day 3 saw Love's mother, sister, and roommate to the stand to establish what the scene was when Love's body was discovered in her apartment after Huguely allegedly beat her to death.

The crime scene itself is purported to be the focus Thursday...

Our friends at the Newsplex are very busy these days...


More when we know more...

Huguely Trial Day 2: Jury Selection

((HT: WHSV-TV Harrisburg, VA))

The murder trial of George Huguely is underway in Charlottesville. He is charged with the murder of his former girlfriend, UVA lacrosse player Yeardley Love.

The jury pool is currently at 150 to start and the idea is to get 12 plus a satisfactory number of alternate jurors from a final number of 27.

Here's the morning update from CBS19's Carter Johnson...


Forty-one potential jurors were scheduled to appear Tuesday morning, but six were absent.

Nine of the first group of 15 were asked to stay for more questioning by both groups of attorneys, but they were all eventually dismissed. One other potential juror was sent home for undisclosed medical reasons.

More as we know more...

TWTW Late Shift Part One: Alabama, VT, Sakerlina, NCState

Some highlights from the late shift...

Alabama's Trent Richardson ran for 203 yards (who knew, right?) as Alabama blew out Auburn 42-14...

That gave the fans who commuted from Tuscaloosa the chance to do this...
((HT: al.com))


Don't bet on either Gus Malzahn or Ted Roof hanging around next year...
One's a head coach and the other's looking for work. And see if Tracy Rocker will come home for a promotion...

Charlottesville fans thought, as did a lot of us, that the game with Vatech would be competitive...

Boy, were we all wrong... 38-0 VaTech...
And UVa fans were not happy about it...
((HT: Newsplex.com))


Connor Shaw had a good game for Sakerlina as they beat Clemson- whose season started well, and is circling the drain rather quickly...
((HT: WSPA-TV))


Is Randy Edsall that bad a head coach, or is Maryland that bad a football team to begin with...???

Could be some combination, but well leave the assessment to Brother Wilkie... Down 41-14 to win 56-41...

Awesome...

The Wolfpack scored 35 points in the fourth quarter as part of a rally surpassed in an ACC game only by Clemson's comeback from a 28-point deficit to beat Virginia 29-28 in 1992.

"It's the greatest thing I've ever been a part of," tight end George Bryan said.

Here's Tom O'Brien... Still Mister Excitement...
((HT: WRALSportsfan.com))

TWTW: Bee-Cee-Ess In Upheaval... Oke State, Clemson, Baylor, Oregon

Just when you thought everything would calm down for a weekend...

Nah...

Where to start...???

With Oke State already losing, that left things in the hands of Oregon...
And a lot of people were just rooting against Lane Kiffin and that toque he sported last night that made him look like he just celebrated his bar mitzvah...

USC went out to a big lead and held on as Alejandro Maldonado hooked a field goal attempt as time expired...
Nick Krupke goes into detail...
((HT: KVAL-TV))


The loss snaps a 21-game winning streak for the Ducks (now 9-2, 7-1 Pac-12) at Autzen Stadium, which was the longest in the nation. It also stopped Oregon's winning streak in conference games at 19.

NEXT!!!

If RG3 isn't back in the college football MVP trophy chase, we don't know what will make it happen...

479 yards passing, which broke his own single-game school record, and 551 total yards of offense in a completely ridiculous performance for a 45-38 win over Oklahoma.

Jenni Carlson and Travis Haney discuss...
((HT: newsok.com))


The ACC thought they had something in Clemson, but Dabo threw in a clunker of biblical proportions getting blown out by NC State...

The win for the Wolfpack ended Clemson's seven-game winning streak in the series, which dated back to 2004. (Thanks ACC Digital Network)



"I was really disappointed in the way we played," Swinney said. "There are no excuses. They wanted it more than we did. It is that simple.

"In the game of football, when you do the things that we did, you are going to get beat."

Like giving up 27 in the second...???
((HT: WSPA-TV))


And the HQ is throwing this one in because we can...
Apparently, Eff-Ess-Yew head coach Jimbo Fisher can't locate his offense...
Up early against Virginia, the Seminoles blew the lead and lost to Virginia 14-13 as a last-second field goal attempt went wide... (Thanks ACC Digital Network)



Gee... that NEVER happens to Florida State...
Here's some Mike London post...
((HT: Newsplex.com))

Watch Out ACC, Here Comes Virginia

The ACC Coastal Division is shaping up to be a showdown between Virginia Tech and Virginia.

In his second year at UVa, head coach Mike London has the Cavaliers in a position to compete for the Coastal Division title.

Saturday coach London wore his battle fatigue's and the Wahoos took on Duke in Charlottesville.

Here's the highlights and post game sound from the game. (Thanks WVIR-TV)



"To see the guys come out and execute, and guys making plays, and defense coming up with the big interception, those are the types of things you want to hang your hat on as an identity of what your team is about." Virginia head coach Mike London said after the game. "Hopefully we can try to continue to do things that will help us win and minimize those things that cause us to lose."

"I think we've gained a lot of resilience and a lot of confidence." Virginia senior cornerback Chase Minnifield said. "It's starting to show. We're not worried about anyone else but Florida State."

That's right, Virginia has Florida State next in Tallahassee.

Once Again Virginia Pulls Off A Win Over Miami

Just when you thought the Miami Hurricanes had found their groove the 'Canes stub their toe.

Virginia ended Miami's two game win streak defeating the Hurricanes 28-21 at Sun Life Stadium.

Here's the highlights from Sun Life Stadium. (Thanks ESPN)



"It's a great win. Road victory against a really good team." Virginia head coach Mike London said after the game.

Since London took over as head coach at UVa last season his Cavalier teams seem to own Miami. It's the Wahoos second win in a row of over the Hurricanes.

Miami head coach Al Golden addressed the media after the game.