The Future is Bright for UVA Football
Joel Gibbons, staff writer
The classic rivalry game between the University of Virginia (UVA) and Virginia Tech football teams was as one sided as ever this past Friday. Virginia Tech secured a 10-0 victory against the Hoos, improving their winning streak to 14 straight. The last time the Hoos beat Virginia Tech was Nov. 29th, 2003. Al Groh was the head coach and the starting quarterback was Matt Schuab. The Hokies handled the Hoos at the line of scrimmage and UVA could not capitalize on Juan Thornhill’s interception on Josh Jackson.
Ranked 25th in the nation, the Hokies were always going to be a force, but many Cavalier fans were optimistic that Bronco Mendenhall and the Hoo’s could achieve a victory, especially with quarterback Kurt Benkert playing at a high level this season.
This sour end to the Hoos football season puts a damper on what was an eventful and successful season. For the first time in years, it looks as though the Hoos are going to make a bowl game. The last bowl game played by the Hoos was the Chik-fil-a Bowl in 2011 against the Auburn Tigers. The Tigers beat the Hoos 43-24.
According to ESPN analysts Kyle Bonagura and David M. Hale, they predict the Hoos will play in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. The opponent will likely be Navy or University of Southern Florida. Two solid teams this year that should give the Hoos quite a challenge this bowl season.
Though the Hoos may not have challenged the Atlantic Coast Conference elite this year, they are steadily improving. Mendenhall’s first year as coach did not give fans much optimism, but it seems as though he has finally gotten a handle on this team and can now fix the many problems that have plagued the Hoos in past years. Recruiting has been a weakness in the past, but hopefully with increased success the Hoos will be able to recruit as well as the other teams in the ACC like Miami and Florida State. That may seem unlikely, but the massive improvement by the Hoos this season shows that it is easily possible.
