Thursday nights battle for the Black Diamond Trophy ended with a 33-10 Mountaineer victory. This historic rivalry dating back to 1912 went West Virginia’s way as they improved their head to head record with the Hokies to 30-23-1. As stated in the preview to this game, the Hokies offense struggled once again to score points. While the Mountaineers offense wasn’t as productive as it has been this season, their defense stepped up big in this game. They held the Hokies offense to less than 200 yards passing and an abysmal 35 yards on the ground. Another cause of concern for Virginia Tech was penalties, racking up 15 in the game.
West Virginia’s Defense Prevails for Black Diamond Trophy
After giving up a combined 93 points in their first two games, WVU has started to get rolling on the defensive side of the ball. Last week against Towson the only points they allowed was on a 96 yard kickoff return for a TD. They continued that stellar defense this week only allowing the Hokies to find the end zone once early in the second quarter. After cutting the lead to six with a field goal late in the third quarter, the Hokies offense was shut down the rest of the game. The Mountaineers defense allowed only 32 total yards of offense over the final 19 minutes of play. They also did a little scoring themselves with an interception returned for a touchdown.
Penalties, Penalties, Penalties
15 penalties for 132 yards. Those are the numbers Virginia Tech racked up Thursday night in Blacksburg. It seemed like any time they started to gain momentum a flag came out and destroyed it. Twice on one drive they could’ve gotten off the field without allowing points. Once on a fourth and five, then three plays later on third and 14. Two plays after that they allow West Virginia in the end zone. This isn’t the first time that Virginia Tech has had this many self inflicted wounds. In their season opening loss to Old Dominion they also tallied 15 for 106 yards.
Tough Road Ahead
Moving forward both of these teams have two top 25 opponents slated in their next three games. The Mountaineers look to continue their winning streak as they had down to Austin to face number 22 Texas. The Longhorns will be a tough fight for West Virginia. They’ve looked impressive early on this season at 2-1 with their loss coming by one point to the then number one ranked Alabama. If the Mountaineers defense stays on this path, they’ve got a real shot at an upset next week. Virginia Tech on the other hand will slide across the border to face a 3-0 UNC team. This basketball bluebood is off to a hot start as they are fourth in the nation in points per game. If Virginia Tech wants a chance, they’ve got to clean up the penalties and find ways to get in the endzone.