Virginia

Presto’s Picks: Virginia plays emotional matinee while Pac-12 enjoys one final run – WTOP News

Published

1 year ago

September 8, 2023

Presto’s Picks: Virginia plays emotional matinee while Pac-12 enjoys one final run – WTOP News

WTOP’s Dave Preston shares his Week 2 predictions of the James Madison-Virginia, Virginia Tech-Purdue, Navy-Wagner and Maryland-Charlotte games.

There are many reasons to love the Pac-12 as it enters its final season after dissolving in record time this summer. The Big East needed two poachings by the ACC to become completely toothless.

And while I know many of us can’t wait for matchups that include Maryland-Oregon, Virginia-Stanford, Virginia Tech-Cal, and West Virginia-Utah, there’s something that’s going to be lost here.

Those of a certain age remember when that league dominated the Rose Bowl, often against favored Big Ten teams poised for a national championship. From 1969 to 1986, the conference went 16-2 in “The Granddaddy of Them All,” while giving Ohio State and Michigan fans nightmares for months to follow. In a sport where running ruled most game plans, the conference gave the NFL big arms from Jim Plunkett to Warren Moon, and Troy Aikman to Carson Palmer.

The league also delivered outstanding rivalries where the unexpected became the expected in games like USC-UCLA (did the sport ever look better than when the Trojans wore red and the Bruins wore blue for their games at the Coliseum), Washington-Washington State, and Arizona-Arizona State. Many in November saw an upset or two prevent a school from a sure date in Pasadena. Who can forget the most improbable of finishes in 1982 during the Stanford-Cal game (“The Band is on the Field”).

More recently, the “Pac-12 after dark” delivered plenty of excitement as one wrapped up a day’s viewing (who says nothing good happens after midnight?). But selfishly what I loved the most the conference was that unlike the Big Ten or Big 12 (or in college hoops the Atlantic 10), the Pac-12/10/8’s name actually reflected its membership number over the years.

So it was easy to take pleasure the when the future Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC schools (plus Washington State and Oregon State) started this year 13-0. Even though rooting for the very schools that caused the league’s demise feels like cheering for Cal or the guy from the White Star Line in “Titanic.” Here’s to one final fall before the sun sets for good on the Pac-12.

This week’s games:

James Madison (1-0) at Virginia (0-1), noon, ESPN2

Before the game at Scott Stadium, fans will honor the three players killed in last November’s shooting as the program, school, and community continue to heal and move forward.

On the field, the Cavaliers looked for positives in a tough loss to No. 12 Tennessee, while my Duke fan-friends were texting about their shortcomings in what would be a 38-3 victory (albeit over Bucknell). There are questions surrounding Virginia quarterback Tony Muskett’s status after the Monmouth transfer suffered an injury against the Vols. If he can’t play, then head coach Tony Elliott will go with true freshman Anthony Colandrea, who threw seven passes in his first college action last Saturday. JMU also played multiple quarterbacks in week one with Jordan McCloud’s arm and Alonza Barnett III’s legs doing damage (if only they could merge the two together). The Cavalier defense will also have to contend with Dukes running back Kaelon Black who averaged over ten yards per carry in posting his third career 100-yard game and brings fresh legs (only 12 carries) from Harrisonburg.

Kippy and Buffy enjoy their first home tailgate by bringing a bottle of white from the Harrisonburg-area Bluestone Vineyards. The 2022 Bridgewater Gold is 85% Stainless Chardonnay and 15% Petit Manseng. It’s “perfect for pairing with a tailgate or fine dining,” according to the winery website, and it’s “clean and refreshing, this dry white is all fruit in the front and all mineral on the finish.” Break out the brie.

Presto’s Pick: Brace yourself for a rough afternoon as the Dukes defeat the Cavaliers 24-13.

Virginia Tech (1-0) vs Purdue (0-1), noon, ESPNU.

The Hokies got better as their season-opening game against Old Dominion progressed, while the Boilermakers let a double-digit lead dissolve in the second half of their loss to Fresno State. The defending Big Ten West champs have a new coach as Jeff Brohm left for his alma mater Louisville. They also have a new quarterback as Aidan O’Connell left for the NFL and Las Vegas Raiders. Texas transfer Hudson Card’s top target is Deion Burks. The sophomore tallied four catches for 152 yards and two scores against the Bulldogs. It’s just one game, but the Hokies pass defense earned high marks with five sacks while holding ODU to under four yards per pass attempt.

Presto’s Pick: Hokies hang on, 23-19.

Navy (0-1) vs Wagner (0-1), 3:30 p.m., CBSSN

The Midshipmen try to bounce back from a 42-3 humbling by then-No. 13 Notre Dame. After a week off to re-set and recalibrate, they battle an NEC team that fell by 30 points in their opener to Fordham, but they aren’t taking an FCS team lightly especially after the way they played last year in a 14-7 Week 1 loss to Delaware. Can the defense contain a pass-first offense led by Steven Krajewski (334 yards and two TD’s against the Rams)? And will Tai Lavatai and the passing game be able to stretch the Seahawks secondary?

Presto’s Pick: Midshipmen bounce back with a 37-10 victory.

Maryland (1-0) vs Charlotte (1-0), 7:30 p.m., NBC

The Big Ten joins the prime time parade this year, although the early schedule looks less than ideal. Last week, Penn State pasted West Virginia 38-15 and next week’s Purdue-Syracuse showdown isn’t exactly get the juices flowing. The Terps topped the 49ers last year 56-21, helping usher out the Will Healy era (he was fired after a 1-7 start and a 15-24 mark over three and a half seasons).

Enter former Biff Poggi, who actually coached Mike Locksley’s son, Kai, at the Gilman School in Baltimore. The former Michigan assistant has mined the transfer portal well with 13 ex-Big Ten players suiting up for the AAC school (including six from Maryland). The Terps defense that was stretched last week on the ground (148 yards on 4.4 per carry) by Towson will be tested by dual-threat quarterback Jalon Jones who ran and passed for touchdowns against South Carolina State. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa had one of his better days last year (27 of 31 for 391 yards and four touchdowns) against the 49ers. In the opener, he hit 22 of 33 passes with seven of those incompletions being drops and a few more of those being throw-aways. Tagovailoa appears more than ready for prime time.

Presto’s Pick: Terrapins Triumph, 45-17.

Howard beats Morgan State, Georgetown gets by Sacred Heart, Richmond falls to Michigan State, Towson tops Monmouth, William & Mary over Wofford.

Last Week: 5-2.

Overall: 6-2.

Dave Preston is an AP Top 25 voter.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

Source link

Virginia

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

4 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

At 3-0 with marquee victories over #6 Missouri (23-10) and #21 Rutgers (26-11), as well as a second-place finish in the Keystone Open with just a handful of starters competing, Virginia Tech has swept through a tough November and is prepared for a difficult December.

The Hokies, #12 in Flo’s team tournament ratings but top 10 in various dual-meet rankings, are next scheduled for an annual trip to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational, featuring 27 teams, of which 14 are among Flo’s top 25. And then it’s another trip west to Stillwater on Dec. 19 to challenge #5 Oklahoma State in a rare Thursday match.

The early key thus far for the Hokies has been the ability to win the bouts they’re supposed to win and grabbing a fair share of so-called toss-up bouts.

To wit, Tech’s #18 Sam Latona downing Missouri’s #13 Josh Edmond (4-2) at 141, or #25 Rafael Hipolito majoring the Tigers’ #32 James Conway (11-3) at 157 and #15 Jimmy Mullen stopping #20 Seth Nitzel (4-2) at heavyweight.

That trend continued at Tech’s Moss Arts Center match against #21 Rutgers when Latona used a late takedown to defeat Joey Olivieri 7-5, #4 Lennox Wolak pinned veteran Jackson Turley at 174 and #9 Andy Smith slipped past #17 John Poznanski 4-3 at 197.

Hokies coach Tony Robie only took a few regulars to the Keystone Open in Philadelphia and, led by championship efforts by #1-ranked Caleb Henson at 149 and heavyweight Hunter Catka, Tech placed second behind Lock Haven. Latona placed third at 141 and Sam Fisher did the same at 184.

Robie opted to use the Hokies’ roster as freshmen Dillon Campbell (125), Matt Henrich (157), Luke Robie (157) and Jack Bastarrika (133) competed as did redshirt juniors Jackson Spires (165) and Ty Finn (174). Spires placed second.

Who’s Ready For Change?

With legislation on the NCAA’s table affecting scholarship and roster limits — unlimited scholarships and a roster cap — as well as revenue sharing, some college wrestling programs likely have a serious dose of trepidation while others are confident they can deal with whatever happens.

Virginia Tech sits in the latter category.

“I have no concerns whatsoever about that,” Robie said earlier this month. “I think a lot of it probably will happen. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad for the sport; that’s not really for me to say. What I will say is you have to adjust with what the rules are and what the landscape of college athletics looks like, and that’s what we intend on doing.

“Is it good for the overall health of the sport of wrestling? The kid that’s the 35th kid on your roster? Probably not. But I think definitely there were probably some things that needed to change; the pendulum was starting to swing significantly the other way. At some point, it’ll probably start to go back to the middle.”

Robie said all anyone can do is wait for the final decisions.

“We have some contingency plans based on what we think is going to happen and we’ll move forward with our plan and try to execute it,” he said.

A Pretty Good Gig

Robie, in his eighth year as head coach, has been at Tech since 2006 and as each season passes, the commitment and enthusiasm remain the same.

“Well, you get to do what you like to do. And it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to coach wrestling for a living and be a part of a pretty good program, and work with some great people and try to affect the lives of the kids in your program,” he said.

“I think anybody would want to do that. For me, I’m not young anymore. I turned 50 … who knows how long I’m going to do it, but I’m going to give it the best I can while I’m doing it and hopefully continue to improve as a program and try to try to help these guys as much as possible. But it’s good, Virginia Tech’s a great place to work, it’s a great place to live. I’ve got a great staff and it makes my life pretty easy.”

Source link

Virginia

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

Published

11 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

With the game of year looming this weekend, members of the Virginia football team were made available to to the media after practice on Tuesday morning to talk about the regular season finale against Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Watch the video below to hear what UVA senior safety Jonas Sanker, graduate tight ends Tyler Neville and Sackett Wood Jr., and graduate defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter had to say ahead of the Virginia Tech game:

Sanker is the team’s leader in tackles with 89 total tackles and also leads the ACC in solo stops with 60 unassisted tackles. He has racked up 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception as part of a strong senior campaign that should earn Sanker some serious consideration for a First-Team All-ACC selection.

A transfer from Harvard, Tyler Neville is Virginia’s second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Sackett Wood Jr., meanwhile, has recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown this season. Between the two of them, Neville and Wood have combined to appear in 83 college football games and make 48 starts.

Saturday will be the 55th game in the five-year career of Jahmeer Carter, who has started nearly every game for the last four seasons at Virginia. This season, Carter has 30 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pass defender. For his career, Carter is up to 131 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.

Saturday night will be the first time Virginia plays at Lane Stadium in front of fans since the 2018 season, as the 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Clash was played in front of only 250 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions and then the 2022 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game was canceled due to the shooting tragedy at UVA.

Virginia is seeking its first road victory at Virginia Tech since 1998, as the Hokies have won the last 11 Commonwealth Clash games played at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech has won 17 of the last 18 overall games against Virginia and leads UVA 61-38-5 in the all-time series that dates back to 1895.

Both Virginia and Virginia Tech bring a 5-6 overall record into the regular season finale and both need to win the game in order to reach the six-win threshold required for bowl eligibility. There is only one other game this weekend between FBS teams who are battling for bowl eligibility (Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan). Virginia and Virginia Tech played each other for bowl eligibility at the end of the 2014 season.

UVA Football: Players to Watch in Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

UVA Football Week 14 Injury Report: Kobe Pace, Kempton Shine, Trell Harris

Virginia Football Depth Chart vs. Virginia Tech | Takeaways, Analysis

Virginia Football Opens as Touchdown Underdogs at Virginia Tech

UVA Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for Virginia vs. SMU

Source link

Virginia

Virginia Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Night results for Nov. 26, 2024

Published

19 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:

Mega Millions

Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2

Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5

Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.

Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2

Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash4Life

Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.

04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash Pop

Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.

Coffee Break: 04

After Hours: 05

Prime Time: 06

Rush Hour: 09

Lunch Break: 12

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Cash 5

Drawing every day at 11 p.m.

12-22-31-38-44

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link