As the chilly air whistled around Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, students jumped for “Enter Sandman,” signaling a long-awaited return.
It is no secret that the football rivalry between Virginia Tech and Virginia is extremely one-sided. The Cavaliers have not won in Blacksburg since 1998. The Hokies have won 19 of 20, and 23 of 25
On Saturday, as Bhayshul Tuten completed a 90-yard drive to begin the game with a 6-yard touchdown, it felt like any other season. About 20 minutes later, the Hokies lead 20-3 at halftime.
Virginia Tech has blown plenty of leads, so it never seemed safe. It was 30-17 when Tuten broke off for a 58-yard touchdown, making it 37-17. That was when.Due to injuries to Kyron Drones and Collin Schlee, the Hokies started Pop Watson as their third-string quarterback on Saturday. In the meantime, UVa benched Anthony Colandrea and started Tony Muskett at quarterback.
With a kickoff temperature of 30 degrees and a wind gusting at 8 p.m., the conditions were less than ideal. Every seat seemed to be occupied even at that time, primarily in orange and maroon.
As the Tech fans flocked to the field, I had witnessed the two prior Commonwealth Clash games in Charlottesville. The crowd seemed divided all the time, but in Blacksburg, it was anything but.
As anticipated, it was already dark and chilly outside when tailgates arrived. As with any chilly pregame, the temperature becomes more tolerable asFor the first time since 2019, the Commonwealth Clash took place in front of spectators in Blacksburg.
During the 2020 season, COVID fears prevented fans from going to games. While watching the game on a phone, my college roommate and I crowded outside close to the gate to get a glimpse of the field.
Above all, we wanted to witness the enchantment of the rivalry at Lane
The Commonwealth Clash was supposed to be my last football game as a student two years later, but it was properly canceled in the wake of the UVa shooting tragedy.
As a precaution, my roommates and I went to Lynchburg the week prior to watch the Hokies play Liberty.
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