Virginia Tech defends the belt, 38–0, on the road at Virginia.
AP poll, week 13: Virginia Tech No. 6 at Virginia No. 24 · No. 1 that week: Houston. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
Virginia Tech came in 16 days into reign #280, which began with a win over Georgia Tech, with one defense already behind it; this was its second defense. It was the last defense: Clemson took the belt in the very next belt game, on December 4, 2011.
For Virginia this was its 11th shot at the belt; it had held the belt once before.
It was the 2nd of 2 belt games between the two; going in, Virginia led the belt series 1–0; all-time it is 1–1.
Recap
Virginia Tech dominated Virginia from start to finish, with Logan Thomas establishing an early rhythm through the air and on the ground. Thomas scored on a 14-yard rush in the first quarter, then connected with Jarrett Boykin for another touchdown in the second quarter after a 52-yard strike to Marcus Davis set up the red zone. David Wilson took over in the second half, scoring on a 27-yard rush in the third quarter and adding a 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth, while Virginia's offense sputtered with four turnovers and just 241 total yards. The Hokies' defense was relentless, intercepting Michael Rocco twice in the second half, including a 22-yard return by J.R. Collins that led to Marcus Davis's final 7-yard touchdown reception. Virginia Tech's suffocating defense and balanced offensive attack never allowed the Cavaliers to gain any traction, resulting in a decisive 38-0 shutout that kept the belt firmly in Blacksburg.
- Logan Thomas 14-yard rushing TD in Q1 8:46 -- Virginia Tech strikes first and establishes early momentum
- David Wilson 27-yard rushing TD in Q3 10:45 -- Hokies shift to ground attack in second half with dominant performance
- Michael Rocco interception by J.R. Collins at Virginia 26 in Q4 13:00 -- Defensive turnover sets up final touchdown and punctuates dominant defensive showing
- Virginia turnovers (4 total) vs Virginia Tech turnovers (0) -- Ball security disparity reflects complete dominance in all facets
Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.
Team stats
CFBD box scoreFull team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.
Key plays
CFBD play-by-play| When | Team | Yards | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 11:18 | Virginia Tech | +36 yd | Logan Thomas pass complete to Marcus Davis for 36 yards to the Virg 47 for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 8:46 | Virginia Tech | +14 yd | Logan Thomas rush for 14 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 8:46 | Virginia Tech | +0 yd | Cody Journell extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 8:46 | Virginia | +32 yd | Michael Rocco pass complete to Tim Smith for 32 yards to the VTech 48 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 11:36 | Virginia Tech | +16 yd | Logan Thomas pass complete to Jarrett Boykin for 16 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 13:14 | Virginia Tech | +52 yd | Logan Thomas pass complete to Marcus Davis for 52 yards to the Virg 18 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 11:36 | Virginia Tech | +0 yd | Cody Journell extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 11:36 | Virginia | +32 yd | Michael Rocco pass complete to Max Milien for 32 yards to the VTech 48 for a 1ST down. |
| Q2 6:56 | Virginia | +38 yd | Jimmy Howell punt for 46 yards, returned by Jayron Hosley for 38 yards to the Virg 48. |
| Q2 3:23 | Virginia Tech | +53 yd | Justin Myer 53 yard field goal MISSED. |
| Q2 3:23 | Virginia | +22 yd | Michael Rocco pass complete to Kris Burd for 22 yards to the VTech 42 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 15:00 | Virginia | +21 yd | Chris Hinkebein kickoff for 70 yards returned by Tony Gregory for 21 yards to the VTech 21. |
| Q3 10:45 | Virginia Tech | +24 yd | Justin Myer kickoff for 70 yards returned by Khalek Shepherd for 24 yards to the Virg 24. |
| Q3 10:45 | Virginia Tech | +27 yd | David Wilson rush for 27 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 10:45 | Virginia Tech | +0 yd | Cody Journell extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 10:45 | Virginia | +24 yd | Michael Rocco pass complete to Ray Keys for 24 yards to the Virg 48 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 7:54 | Virginia | +0 yd | Michael Rocco pass intercepted by Detrick Bonner at the VTech 44, returned for no gain to the VTech 44. |
| Q3 3:40 | Virginia | +22 yd | Michael Rocco pass complete to Kris Burd for 22 yards to the VTech 17 for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 1:31 | Virginia | +38 yd | Robert Randolph 38 yard field goal MISSED. |
| Q4 13:54 | Virginia Tech | +0 yd | Cody Journell extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 13:54 | Virginia Tech | +38 yd | David Wilson rush for 38 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 1:01 | Virginia Tech | +26 yd | David Wilson rush for 26 yards to the VTech 45 for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 13:54 | Virginia Tech | +21 yd | Justin Myer kickoff for 65 yards returned by Khalek Shepherd for 21 yards to the Virg 26. |
| Q4 13:00 | Virginia | +22 yd | Michael Rocco pass intercepted by J.R. Collins at the Virg 26, returned for 22 yards to the Virg 4. |
| Q4 11:28 | Virginia Tech | +7 yd | Logan Thomas pass complete to Marcus Davis for 7 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 11:28 | Virginia Tech | +0 yd | Cody Journell extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 6:45 | Virginia Tech | +20 yd | Justin Myer kickoff for 70 yards returned by Khalek Shepherd for 20 yards to the Virg 10, VIRGINIA penalty 10 yard Illegal Block accepted. |
| Q4 6:45 | Virginia Tech | +40 yd | Cody Journell 40 yard field goal GOOD. |
Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).
Player stats
CFBD player statsPassing
Virginia
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Rocco | 16/27 | 211 | 7.8 | 0 | 2 | 23.8 |
| David Watford | 0/3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 |
Virginia Tech
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Thomas | 13/21 | 187 | 8.9 | 2 | 0 | 94.4 |
| Mark Leal | 3/4 | 40 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 | 98.4 |
Rushing
Virginia
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Parks | 7 | 17 | 2.4 | 0 | 5 |
| Perry Jones | 6 | 13 | 2.2 | 0 | 4 |
| Darius Jennings | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 |
| Clifton Richardson | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 0 | 5 |
| Max Milien | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Khalek Shepherd | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| David Watford | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Rocco | 6 | -24 | -4.0 | 0 | 4 |
Virginia Tech
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Wilson | 24 | 153 | 6.4 | 2 | 38 |
| Logan Thomas | 7 | 27 | 3.9 | 1 | 14 |
| Josh Oglesby | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Tony Gregory | 5 | 1 | 0.2 | 0 | 2 |
| Danny Coale | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
Virginia
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Burd | 7 | 100 | 14.3 | 0 | 22 |
| Tim Smith | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | 0 | 32 |
| Max Milien | 2 | 33 | 16.5 | 0 | 32 |
| Ray Keys | 1 | 24 | 24.0 | 0 | 24 |
| Jeremiah Mathis | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 |
| Paul Freedman | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Kevin Parks | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dominique Terrell | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Virginia Tech
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Davis | 5 | 119 | 23.8 | 1 | 52 |
| Jarrett Boykin | 4 | 44 | 11.0 | 1 | 17 |
| Chris Drager | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 15 |
| Willie Byrn | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 15 |
| Danny Coale | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 11 |
| Corey Fuller | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 |
| David Wilson | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
| D.J. Coles | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
Show more stats (5 more categories)
Interceptions
Virginia
No recorded stats in this category.
Virginia Tech
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| J.R. Collins | 1 | 22 | 0 |
| Detrick Bonner | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kick Returns
Virginia
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khalek Shepherd | 4 | 83 | 20.8 | 24 | 0 |
| Darius Jennings | 1 | 35 | 35.0 | 35 | 0 |
Virginia Tech
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Gregory | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 21 | 0 |
Kicking
Virginia
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Randolph | 0/1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 |
Virginia Tech
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Journell | 1/1 | 100.0 | 40 | 5/5 | 8 |
| Justin Myer | 0/1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0 |
Punt Returns
Virginia
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Jones | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | 11 | 0 |
Virginia Tech
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jayron Hosley | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 38 | 0 |
| Danny Coale | 2 | -5 | -2.5 | 2 | 0 |
Punting
Virginia
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Howell | 6 | 235 | 39.2 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
Virginia Tech
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Coale | 4 | 190 | 47.5 | 0 | 0 | 52 |
Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.
Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 313300258) · This game in the downloadable dataset