Virginia Tech Football: Hokies Win Puts Pressure on Virginia Cavaliers

Thursday night’s game against North Carolina started and ended the same way for the Hokies: ugly. Despite some poor play, Virginia Tech was able to win 24-21 on senior day.

Logan Thomas lost a fumble on Virginia Tech’s first offensive play of the game, which gave the Tar Heels their only touchdown of the first three quarters. The Hokies then allowed a laugher to turn into a nail biter in the fourth quarter by giving UNC two touchdowns.

The Hokies scored all of their points in the second and third quarters of play. Logan Thomas was the player of the game for the second straight week. The quarterback completed 19-of-32 pass attempts for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He added another score on the ground.

While Thomas was having another great game, David Wilson experienced a sub-par day (by his standards). He failed to eclipse the 100-yard mark for the first time since the Hokies' Week 3 matchup with Arkansas State.  Wilson ended up rushing for 82 yards on 21 attempts.

Thursday was senior day at Virginia Tech, and playmakers like Jarrett Boykin and Danny Coale played their final game in Lane Stadium. Boykin turned in a career day, catching 10 passes for 106 yards. Coale had four catches of his own for 37 yards. Neither was able to get into the end zone, but the Hokie fans gave them a warm and memorable goodbye.

While senior day and the win were big storylines, the biggest story coming out of the game was the pressure it put on the Virginia Cavaliers. The Hokies came into the Thursday night showdown knowing that a win and a Cavalier loss would clinch the ACC Coastal Division.

Virginia Tech did their part with the win. The Hokies are now waiting for Saturday when the Cavaliers travel to Tallahassee to take on the 25th-ranked Florida State Seminoles. The Cavaliers are a huge underdog, but if they can upset FSU, then next week's battle for the Commonwealth Cup will be for the division as well.

The division may very well be determined on Saturday, but the Hokies must win their matchup with the Cavaliers next week if they want to go into the ACC championship game as a top-10 team. The only thing that is for sure right now is that all the pressure has squarely been placed in Charlottesville.

Notes: The Hokies' win over the Tar Heels was their 10th win of the season. It is VT’s eighth straight 10-win season (active FBS leader).