Pop Watson threw for 254 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for a score to help Virginia Tech beat rival Virginia 37-17 on Saturday.
Bhayshul Tuten added 124 rushing yards and two touchdowns for the Hokies (6-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), ending their three-game losing streak. This victory also made Virginia Tech bowl-eligible for the second year in a row.
Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry spoke about the team’s growth and resilience. “More than anything, I’m just happy for this group to get this victory tonight. It was a hard-fought game, and we played well in all three phases, which we need to see. We have to be that kind of team, and we did it with a third-team quarterback.”
Virginia (5-7, 3-5) lost to Virginia Tech for the fourth straight year and for the 22nd time in the last 24 matchups.
With Virginia Tech’s starting quarterbacks Kyron Drones and Collin Schlee injured, Watson made his first career start and helped lead the Hokies on four scoring drives in the first half.
Virginia Tech took a 10-0 lead with a 6-yard touchdown run by Tuten and a field goal from John Love. They then added 10 more points in the final two minutes of the first half, including a 66-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Jaylin Lane and another field goal from Love, to lead 20-3 at halftime.
In the second half, Watson scored a 5-yard touchdown run on the Hokies’ first possession. He finished with 48 rushing yards and accounted for 302 of the Hokies’ 456 total yards.
Jaylin Lane said, “If you know Pop, you know that he’s one of the most confident guys in the world. So we have the utmost confidence in him. … There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to play like he did.”
Coach Pry also praised Watson, saying, “He made better decisions than last week. He made plays with his arm. He made plays with his feet. He’s got a knack for moving around and avoiding the rush, but some guys stepped up around him.”
Virginia’s Tony Muskett, in his first start of the season, threw for 178 yards, rushed for 62 yards, and scored two touchdowns. However, the Cavaliers gained only 274 yards and gave up five sacks.
Virginia coach Tony Elliott admitted his team wasn’t prepared: “I didn’t have them ready to play with the right level of discipline and execution. Emotionally, they were ready to play because last year we didn’t have much emotion when we played in this game. But just execution. It’s one or two plays. One or two plays can turn the tide in the game. We didn’t have the right discipline on certain plays, and that’s on me. I’ve got to go get that fixed.”
