Commonwealth Clash: VT v. UVA

The Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry has a long and storied history. The two teams first faced off in Charlottesville in 1895, but the name “Commonwealth Clash” was not coined until the 2014-15 season. Since its beginning, the Virginia Tech football team leads in victories against UVA 62-38. As of the 2024 season, the UVA football team has not won in Lane Stadium since 1998. The buildup to the game was tense, as both teams were 5-6 in their respective football seasons.

6 wins are needed for bowl eligibility, so the question remained:

Happy Senior Night! Photo courtesy of Andrew Single

Pregame

Long after the sun had set, the MVs entered Lane Stadium for the final home game of the season. Energy was high as we eagerly awaited kickoff. As Hokie fans began to arrive, we started our pregame stands performance with Bom Bom, followed shortly by Crosstown Traffic. The football team then presented their graduating seniors, including key players such as Kyron Drones, Bhayshul Tuten, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, and Aeneas Peebles. The Highty-Tighties then gave their final pregame show just before “Enter Sandman” welcomed the football team to the field.

First Quarter

William “Pop” Watson III made his collegiate football debut as quarterback for the Hokies. While the first few minutes of the quarter were slow, things quickly picked up after Tuten scored the first touchdown of the game. The Hokies later sacked UVA quarterback Tony Muskett. Before the quarter ends, kicker John Love successfully scores a 44-yard field goal, putting the Hokies in the lead 10-0.

Second Quarter

Photo courtesy of Andrew Single

Tension began to build in the second quarter as both teams struggled to score. The Cavaliers managed to score a field goal and made their debut on the scoreboard. Watson makes an impressive delivery to Jaylin Lane, who runs it into the endzone for another Hokie touchdown. Just before the end of the half, John Love scored a 31-yard field goal, securing a score of 20-3 as the clock hit zero.

Halftime

During halftime, the MVs took the field and the fan-favorite Metallica show made a return from the 2023 season. The crowd cheered as the MVs played a medley of iconic Metallica songs including “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, “Fuel”, “Fade To Black”, “Lux Æterna”, and “Enter Sandman”. At the end of the performance, the graduating MVs were announced, including drum majors Emily Tucker and Thomas Chase. Congratulations and happy trails to all of our graduating seniors!

Third Quarter

The intensity continued into the third quarter. A few minutes in, Watson ran the ball into the endzone, scoring the Hokies another touchdown. Later on, the Cavaliers managed to score a touchdown of their own along with a two-point conversion. Love scored another field goal for the Hokies, making the score 30-11 by the end of the quarter.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Single

Fourth Quarter

The Cavaliers managed to score another touchdown with a failed two-point conversion, giving them 6 points at the start of the fourth quarter. After a failed tackle from UVA, Tuten is able to run the ball 58 yards into the endzone for another Hokie touchdown—putting VT in a 20-point lead. The game ends with a final score of 37-17, and the Hokies win another Commonwealth Cup.

The students rush the field as the MVs perform their end-of-game concert of Metallica, VPI Victory March, Swag Surfin’, Tech Triumph, and Superman. With this win, the Hokies finish their football season 6-6. Let’s go bowling!

Commonwealth Cup + Bowling! - VT vs. UVA

(Andrew Single)

A weekend Hokies and Hoos alike look forward to all season, the Smithfield Commonwealth Cup is the traditional Virginia Tech vs University of Virginia football game, played during NCAA football rivalry week. This game was one with a lot riding on it: not only did we want to keep our claim to the Commonwealth Cup Trophy, but winning this game meant the Hokies would be bowl-eligible. 

Coming back from Thanksgiving break, Marching Virginians traveled via bus, car, and even plane to reconvene in Charlottesville for the game. As we suited up in our uniforms, the energy on the buses was electric; this specific football game between the two universities goes back to October 5, 1895. Luckily, the Hokies have won 18 of the last 19 games, so the MVs went in incredibly hopeful that the team would secure another win. 

The band got into Scott Stadium half an hour before kickoff, setting up and getting ready for the game. Once the game kicked off, it was otherworldly. 

(Andrew Single)

The Hokies football team immediately took the lead, with a field goal five minutes into the game, putting us on the board. Offensive players such as quarterback Kyron Drones, wide receiver Stephen Gosnell, and running back Bhaysul Tuten took to widening the gap throughout the first half, ending at 24-0. The band played stand tune after stand tune, celebrating all the points with a resounding chorus of Tech Triumph. Playing and singing the band’s favorite spirit spots continued to motivate the team, who played some of the best football seen all season. While Virginia had the ball, the defensive linemen truly exhibited the famous “Lunch Pail Defense,” amounting to many tackles for loss and six sacks total, three of which were consecutive. An interception from Mansoor Delane right before halftime had all the Hokies in the crowd cheering, many knowing from that point that the game had been won. 

Halftime included an amazing performance from the Cavalier Marching Band, with tunes such as “Bohemian Rhapsody” for all of Scott Stadium to enjoy. It was so amazing to be able to watch another wonderful marching band’s performance. 

(Andrew Single)

The game resumed with an 84-yard pass from Drones to Felton for a touchdown, the score being 31-0. After this, Virginia got on the board with a field goal, but the MVs still knew that the Hokies were taking it home. With a final touchdown from Malachi Thomas, the game ended 55-17, the highest number of points ever scored by a team in Commonwealth Cup history. The band kept Hokie spirits alive, with fans in the section singing along to familiar stand tunes.

This game was one for the books, with it being Brent Pry’s first Commonwealth Cup game. Graduating seniors got to see one last win against UVA before they close out their careers as Marching Virginians. With this closing out the regular season, the band is bursting with excitement to find out where the Hokies are going bowling.