Virginia

Thrice as nice: Late stop helps West Virginia top Texas Tech 20-13 for Brown’s first 3-game win streak – WV MetroNews

Published

1 year ago

September 24, 2023

Thrice as nice: Late stop helps West Virginia top Texas Tech 20-13 for Brown’s first 3-game win streak – WV MetroNews

(Neal Brown postgame press conference)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — With West Virginia coming off an emotional win over rival Pitt in last week’s Backyard Brawl, fifth-year Mountaineers’ head coach Neal Brown was eager to see how his team moved forward when it welcomed Texas Tech to Milan Puskar Stadium for the Big 12 opener to end a three-game home stand.

Brown didn’t have to search long or hard to motivate his team, knowing well the Mountaineers had lost four straight to the Red Raiders and never beaten them during his tenure in Morgantown.

Thanks to a second straight stingy defensive effort, the losing streak is no more and Brown has his first three-game win streak at WVU.

West Virginia came up with a defensive stand in the red zone in the game’s final minute, and its only quality drive of the second half produced what proved to be the winning points as the Mountaineers held off the Red Raiders, 20-13.

“We’re a prideful group,” Brown said. “We were embarrassed last year in Lubbock [a 48-10 loss]. Our guys heard about it all week. They were getting kicked by me and patted by everyone else. All I told them was let’s turn on the tape from last year. We’re a tough football team.”

A crowd of 50,071 was on hand, though far fewer than that stuck around through the rain for the decisive sequence.

“The ones that stayed are super invested and it was super loud,” Brown said. “They had an effect on that game. It was similar to Iowa State in 2021.”

Trailing by seven points with 3:45 remaining, the Red Raiders took over at their 28-yard line. Texas Tech (1-3, 0-1) converted two fourth downs and benefited from Behren Morton’s 26-yard pass to Jordan Brown that was originally ruled incomplete, but overturned on review. The second fourth-down conversion positioned the Red Raiders at the WVU 11, but Morton, who earlier replaced the injured Tyler Shough, threw four straight incompletions to seal the result.

Morton was unable to connect with an open Jayden York on a third down throw into the end zone that was the Red Raiders’ best chance at a late touchdown.

“Doing everything we have to do to get a win,” WVU safety Aubrey Burks said. “Keeping our composure and knowing a situation like this, we’re built for it. We did whatever we had to do to get the job done.”

(Game highlights)

Morton’s 6-yard pass to Jerand Bradley with 11:54 remaining provided the Red Raiders with their first touchdown, cut the deficit to 13-10 and marked the first time an opponent reached the end zone against West Virginia (3-1, 1-0) since the third quarter of the Mountaineers’ first win against Duquesne two weeks ago.

Despite struggling offensively for much of the outing, West Virginia answered back.

The series began with a 15-yard facemask penalty on the Red Raiders, and soon after, quarterback Nicco Marchiol added a 17-yard run on a day he made his first career start in place of Garrett Greene, who did not play after being injured during the first quarter against Pitt.

Marchiol completed passes of 15 yards to Preston Fox and 8 to CJ Donaldson, before a pivotal pass interference call on third down allowed WVU to enter the red zone.

Two plays later, Marchiol found tight end Kole Taylor for a 9-yard touchdown on a well-designed play that made it a two-score game with 7:33 left.

“[WVU defensive end] Sean Martin comes off the field after Texas Tech scored that touchdown, and he got after me a little bit,” Marchiol said. “He got me fired up and said, ‘hey this is it and this is on you. What are you going to do?’ I perform a little better when there’s that tension.”

Taylor noticed a difference in Marchiol that series.

“He did a great job that drive. We let him open it up a little more,” Taylor said. “We ran the same concept a couple different times in a couple different ways and we did a good job of getting the ball to playmakers.”

Gino Garcia’s 34-yard field goal with 4:45 remaining cut WVU’s lead to seven, and the Mountaineers immediately followed with a three-and-out that included two incomplete passes, one of which was a downfield shot to wideout EJ Horton.

That left it up to the West Virginia defense. A week ago, the Mountaineers intercepted three passes. This time around, WVU held the Red Raiders to 2-for-18 on third down and allowed Texas Tech 56 total yards and two first downs in the first half.

“Having the will to get off the field and trying to get the ball back to the offense,” linebacker Trey Lathan said. ”That’s all we’re trying to do.”

(Greg Carey and Joe Brocato break down the game)

Still, an early interception from Malik Dunlap on an ill-advised throw from Marchiol allowed Texas Tech to score first as Garcia split the uprights on a 39-yard field goal despite the visitors gaining 14 yards that series.

WVU answered back, benefiting from a third down holding penalty in the red zone to score the game’s first touchdown on a 2-yard run by Donaldson. That left the Mountaineers with a 7-3 lead with 1:53 left in the first quarter.

Michael Hayes’ 28-yard field goal 6:34 before halftime upped the advantage to 10-3, though Marchiol was intercepted by Ben Roberts during West Virginia’s next series on a pass that first hit wideout Devin Carter.

While that allowed Texas Tech to start at midfield, the Red Raiders gained only 4 yards and Morton’s pass was incomplete on fourth-and-6.

“It’s about imposing your will in the Big 12,” Marchiol said, “and our guys are some of the toughest, meanest dudes.”

Hayes knocked home a 46-yard field goal late in the opening half to give the Mountaineers a 13-3 lead at the intermission.

West Virginia gained 171 yards through two quarters and had 10 of the game’s 12 first downs, creating somewhat of an empty feeling for Brown, who believed his team should’ve led by more than 10 at that time.

“I felt like it should’ve been anywhere from 20 to 27-3 at half,” Brown said.

Shough, a native of Chandler, Ariz., who like Marchiol played at Hamilton High School, suffered what appeared to be a significant injury in the final minute of the opening quarter on a 6-yard run that ended with him being brought down by linebackers Lee Kpogba and Ben Cutter.

He remained in the game for the next play and threw an incomplete pass, before being carted off the field.

An Oregon transfer in his third season at Texas Tech, Shough has been plagued by several injuries throughout his college career. The latest one is reportedly a broken fibula.

“I feel really bad for their quarterback,” Brown said. “He’s had some injuries. I hope it’s not as bad as it looked.”

Marchiol completed 12-of-21 passes for 78 yards. Wideout Traylon Ray connected with Taylor on a 21-yard double pass play, giving the Mountaineers 99 passing yards. West Virginia has failed to pass for 100 yards in each of its last two games, during which time the Mountaineers have totaled 159 yards through the air.

Marchiol added 72 rushing yards on 15 attempts to lead the Mountaineers on the ground. Donaldson added 48 yards on 15 attempts, though he had four carries for 4 yards after halftime.

“He wasn’t real sharp,” Brown said. ”He ran really hard in the first half. We couldn’t get him going in the second half. He’s fine. He’ll be ready to roll next week. He’ll play better.”

Texas Tech completed only 15-of-43 passes. Morton finished 13-for-37 with 158 yards.

Red Raiders’ tailback Tahj Brooks rushed for 149 yards on 25 carries. Brooks gained all but 18 of those yards over the final two quarters.

“We didn’t want to give up shot plays. We were going to make them run it,” Brown said. “Credit them. They’re good coaches, too. They saw we were playing a light box. Brooks is a really good player. Sometimes we tackled him today and sometimes we did not. We’re not going to be the only defense he does that too.”

Defensive back Marcis Floyd and defensive lineman Davoan Hawkins each recorded a sack in the win. Floyd was also credited with three pass breakups in his second game this season after missing the first two due to injury.

“What a game by him,” Burks said. “Excited for him and what he’s going to bring to our defense the rest of the season.”

(Postgame “Round of Sound”)

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Big Tests On The Horizon For Virginia Tech Wrestling – FloWrestling

Published

59 mins 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.”

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Virginia

VIDEO: UVA Football Players Preview the Virginia Tech Game

Published

9 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.

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

Published

16 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.

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