MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia and No. 15 Virginia Tech meet for just the second time since 2005 at noon on Fox Sports 1. A sellout crowd will be on hand at Milan Puskar Stadium.
3:34 p.m. — FINAL: WEST VIRGINIA 27, Virginia Tech 21. The Mountaineers win their 19th straight non-conference game at home and improve to 2-1, while regaining possession of the Black Diamond Trophy. V-Tech falls to 2-1 and suffers its first loss to West Virginia since 2003.
3:33 p.m. — West Virginia holds, forcing consecutive incompletions from Burmeister. The Mountaineers take over at their 2-yard line following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty with 45 seconds left.
The game-winning stop! #TrustTheClimb pic.twitter.com/iGpxOWu6Jv
— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) September 18, 2021
3:30 p.m. — Virginia Tech has a third-and-goal upcoming from the Mountaineers’ 4-yard line. WVU just called its final timeout with 1:01 remaining. Both teams are now without a timeout.
3:28 p.m. — A false start sets WVU back on third-and-5, and Doege is intercepted by Jermaine Waller on the third-and-10 sequence. The Hokies start on the WVU 17, needing to cover that distance to take their first lead of the game.
3:18 p.m. — Burmeister finds a wide open Jalen Holston for a 29-yard touchdown pass on third-and-17, and the Hokies are as close as they’ve been all day. WEST VIRGINIA 27, Virginia Tech 21, 3:10 4th qtr
3:10 p.m. — Hokies force a three-and-out, use two of their three timeouts and take over at the WVU 47 with 4:48 left.
3:04 p.m. — Jared Bartlett records his third sack of the game, taking Burmeister down and causing him to fumble on fourth-and-goal from the WVU 6. Mountaineers’ linebacker Lance Dixon recovers. WVU takes over at its 9-yard line leading 27-14 with 5:54 to play.
2:56 p.m. — The Mountaineers pick up two first downs, but Doege fumbles after being sacked and the Hokies’ Alan Tisdale recovers. V-Tech takes over near midfield trailing by 13.
Got some life@GarbuttTyjuan forces the fumble and we recover
? @FS1 » https://t.co/ZFH6VcKCpz
4Q – 11:15 (? 14, ? 27) pic.twitter.com/AfagwH030U
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 18, 2021
2:45 p.m. — Burmeister converts a third-and-24 with his feet, and two plays later, the Hokies are back in it as Blackshear finds a crease en route to a 20-yard touchdown run. WEST VIRGINIA 27, Virginia Tech 14, 0:01 3rd qtr
2:32 p.m. — O’Laughlin’s holding penalty negates Brown’s first down run and the WVU tailback recovers his own fumble on a third down reception well short of the first down. The Hokies, after punting on their first series of the second half, take over at their 23 trailing by 20 with 4:21 left in the third quarter. Attendance today is 60,022.
2:20 p.m. — WVU takes the opening possession of the second half and moves across midfield, before converting a fourth-and-3 with a 4-yard pass from Doege to O’Laughlin. An issue on the ensuing snap resulted in a 7-yard loss and ultimately Legg’s 44-yard field goal, which is good. Mountaineers took nearly 7 minutes off the third quarter clock on the 11 play drive. WEST VIRGINIA 27, Virginia Tech 7, 8:17 3rd qtr
2:05 p.m. — West Virginia with 270 yards through two quarters. Doege is 9-of-18 for 142 yards with two touchdowns. Brown has rushed for 116 yards on eight attempts. V-Tech has 140 yards. Burmeister is 9-of-14 for 87 yards with a TD. The Hokies have rushed 23 times for only 57 yards.
1:47 p.m. — Raheem Blackshear’s 78-yard kickoff return put the Hokies in great position to score, but they miss on an open pass that would’ve resulted in a touchdown and John Parker Romo misses a 24-yard field goal. HALFTIME — WEST VIRGINIA 24, Virginia Tech 7
1:30 p.m. — The Mountaineers drive 72 yards in 12 plays, but are forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Casey Legg. WVU could have taken more time off the clock, but snapped the ball early on first-and-goal and threw its first of three straight incomplete passes. WEST VIRGINIA 24, Virginia Tech 7, 1:41 2nd qtr
1:12 p.m. — Doege to James for 16 yards and a touchdown, with the bulk of the damage coming after the catch. James’ resurgence continues after his struggles in 2020. That’s his third touchdown catch this season. WEST VIRGINIA 21, Virginia Tech 7, 7:44 2nd qtr
Sam James with his third touchdown of the season! #HailWV pic.twitter.com/LoSXuhAfwT
— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) September 18, 2021
1:10 p.m. — Another Greene sighting. He runs for 10 yards on the Mountaineers’ first play, but then can’t handle a snap and throws the ball away. Doege takes over on third-and-10 and finds Sam James for 30 yards to put WVU in the red zone. Hokies haven’t generated much of a pass rush to this point.
1:05 p.m. — A 68-yard punt by Tyler Sumpter flipped the field in the Mountaineers’ favor and forced the Hokies to start at their 3. Tech goes three-and-out. WVU takes over at its own 44, leading 14-7 with 9:39 until halftime.
12:52 p.m. — West Virginia punts for the first time, but gets the ball back after stopping Burmeister for no gain on a fourth-and-1 from the Mountaineers’ 25. WVU will start there leading by seven with 12:59 to play in the first half.
12:40 p.m. — The Mountaineers commit a penalty on their kickoff return, causing them to start at their own 10. Garrett Greene appears on the second play of the drive and runs 6 yards for a first down.
12:36 p.m. — Braxton Burmeister throws a 23-yard touchdown pass to Tayvion Robinson and the Hokies have cut their deficit in half. Not a drive cornerback Daryl Porter Jr. will want to remember. He was flagged for a personal foul, missed a tackle on a potential third-down stop and later committed a pass interference. WEST VIRGINIA 14, Virginia Tech 7, 3:11 1st qtr
Tay’s still dazzlin’@RobinsonTayvion comes up with the impressive touchdown catch to make it a one-score game
? @FS1 » https://t.co/wNq8hNo7td
1Q – 3:11 (? 7, ? 14) pic.twitter.com/mi5NuaEJ7W
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 18, 2021
12:20 p.m. — After forcing a three-and-out, the Mountaineers strike quickly again. Doege tosses a 29-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Ford-Wheaton. VT committed a personal foul one play prior to the score and was offside on the TD pass. WEST VIRGINIA 14, Virginia Tech 0, 9:11 1st qtr
Milan Puskar Stadium is electric right now! #HailWV pic.twitter.com/h7zB1qyJbG
— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) September 18, 2021
12:09 p.m. — Leddie Brown races 80 yards untouched for a touchdown on the Mountaineers’ second play — one play after Jarret Doege just missed an open Sam James on a deep ball. O’Laughlin started at tight end. WEST VIRGINIA 7, Virginia Tech 0, 12:24 1st qtr
Leddie to the ?! pic.twitter.com/6CpHazTbm9
— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) September 18, 2021
12:07 p.m. — West Virginia allows 25 yards and one first down on the Hokies’ opening series before forcing a punt that goes into the end zone. Mountaineers take over at their own 20-yard line in a scoreless game with 12:42 left in the opening quarter.
12:02 p.m. — Governor Jim Justice flips the coin for the coin toss. West Virginia wins the toss and defers to the second half. Virginia Tech will receive. West Virginia’s captains today: Winston Wright, Sean Mahone, Zach Frazier and Akheem Mesidor.
11:48 a.m. — Hokies’ running back Keshawn King is unavailable today with a non-COVID-19 related illness. He has 10 carries for 17 yards this season.
11:20 a.m. — Mike O’Laughlin, West Virginia’s top tight end, is dressed for the first time this season. Defensive back Charles Woods is not dressed.
11 a.m. — Representatives from the Orange Bowl and Cheez-It Bowl are on hand.
10:50 a.m. — This is the first time the Hokies have played at Milan Puskar Stadium since 2005. V-Tech is 9-16 all-time in Morgantown. West Virginia has won 18 straight non-conference games at home. The Mountaineers last loss came September 2011 when eventual national runner-up LSU defeated WVU, 47-21. Although the Hokies enter this matchup unbeaten and ranked No. 15, West Virginia has been anywhere from a 1.5 to 3-point favorite throughout the week.
10:35 a.m. — Temperatures are in the high 70s throughout the late morning and it’s expected to be 80 degrees at kickoff in less than 90 minutes.
The Mountaineers have arrived at Milan Puskar Stadium. Kickoff for WVU-Virginia Tech is set for 12:03pm. pic.twitter.com/G7v2t7XruB
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) September 18, 2021
This one runs deep pic.twitter.com/G7Gd9pFn3J
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) September 18, 2021
A rivalry renewed.#BeatVT pic.twitter.com/f3E2I69vj1
— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) September 17, 2021
9:45 a.m. — The Mountaineers have lost three straight in the series dating back to their last win against the Hokies in 2003. V-Tech has won 10 of 13 against WVU, which still holds a 28-23-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Your essential pregame links:
Setting the scene from Morgantown for the Hokies and Mountaineers
West Virginia out to regain possession of Black Diamond Trophy for first time since 2003
Wright’s prowess on kickoff returns will be put to the test
‘Three Guys Before the Game’ — Virginia Tech edition
Hokies’ speedy QB Burmeister one of several challenges Hokies’ ground game presents
Increasing physicality a must for Mountaineers against stingy V-Tech defense
Constructive criticism has helped WVU wideout Sean Ryan mature