BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech football travels up the road to Charlottesville to take on archrival Virginia in a battle for the Commonwealth Cup. The game will kick off at 3:45 p.m. ET on Saturday and can be seen nationally on ACC Network.
The Hokies reclaimed the Cup last season with a 33-15 victory over the Cavaliers in Lane Stadium on Dec. 12. QB Braxton Burmeister threw for 212 yards with a 60-yard touchdown pass to WR Tayvion Robinson. RB Khalil Herbert totaled his sixth 100-yard rushing performance of the year with a 162-yard effort.
The Hokies (5-6, 3-4 ACC) and Cavaliers (6-5, 4-3 ACC) meet for the 103rd time, with Tech holding a 59-38-5 advantage. The Hokies have won 20 of the last 22 meetings between the teams, including a 16-1 series lead since Tech joined the ACC in 2004. For more info on the Commonwealth Clash, presented by Smithfield, visit hokiesports.com/clash.
Last week's top performers:
- QB Connor Blumrick had a career day in Miami, throwing his first two touchdown passes, as well as rushing for a career-high 132 yards to record his first 100-yard rushing performance of his career.
- WR Tré Turner wore the No. 25 jersey for the second time in his career and tallied an acrobatic, six-yard touchdown reception. Turner also moved into fifth place in Tech history in both career receptions (134) and career receiving yards (2,292).
- WR Da'Wain Lofton recorded his first career touchdown reception on a four-yard pass from Blumrick.
- WR Kaleb Smith registered his second touchdown reception of the season on a seven-yard pass from Blumrick.
- The Hokies recorded a successful onside kick at Miami for the first time since at North Carolina on Oct. 10, 2020.
- Tech held Miami to 54 rushing yards, the fewest the Hokies have held an opponent since Georgia Tech had just 53 in 2019.
- P Peter Moore recorded a career-high 51.8-yard punt average on six punts at Miami, including a 59-yard long.
- UVA QB Brennan Armstrong completed 36 of 49 passes for 487 yards with three touchdowns in Virginia's loss to Pitt.
- UVA WRs Dontayvion Wicks and Keytaon Thompson both registered over 100 yards receiving as the duo went for 144 and 126 yards, respectively. Thompson also recorded a rushing and receiving touchdown versus Pitt.
What to watch for Saturday:
- Tech has rushed for more than 200 yards in four of its last five games. The Hokies have had four 100-yard performances from three different players in that span (RB Malachi Thomas twice, RB Raheem Blackshear and QB Connor Blumrick).
- Tech has the third-best rushing attack in ACC play this season, averaging 199.4 yards per game in conference contests.
- WR Tayvion Robinson needs four more receptions to pass Ricky Scales (113) for 11th on Tech's career receptions list.
- Robinson also leads the ACC and is sixth in the FBS with a 13.7-yard punt return average this season and his 328 punt return yards are the third most in the nation.
- Robinson needs 48 more punt return yards to break into the top 10 for most in a single season in Tech history.
- P Peter Moore ranks second in the ACC with a 45.5-yard punt average this year, which is also the second-highest single-season mark in Tech history behind only Oscar Bradburn's school-record 46.5-yard punt average in 2019.
- UVA QB Brennan Armstrong is the only ACC quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards this season.
- UVA WR Dontayvion Wicks ranks third in the conference in receiving, averaging 104.4 yards per game this year.