Virginia football travels to Blacksburg for its final game of the regular season to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in the 105th edition of the Commonwealth Clash. The Cavaliers will look to earn their first win in Blacksburg since 1998 while also looking to snap a three-game losing streak to the Hokies and avenge a 55-17 loss last season. To add to the stakes of the rivalry, the winner of this year's Commonwealth Clash will become bowl eligible, something Virginia has not done since 2021.
Here are a few players from each team to look out for during Saturday's matchup between Virginia and Virginia Tech:
The Virginia Tech quarterback situation has become a story to watch headed into Saturday night's matchup. With starting quarterback Kyron Drones missing the last few games due to injury, his status remains questionable headed into this weekend's game. Behind Drones, Collin Schlee left last week's game against Duke with an injury and is also questionable. If Drones and Schlee are out, the Hokies will rely on freshman William "Pop" Watson to lead them to victory. Below is a stat comparison of the three quarterbacks.
The Virginia Tech ranks third in the ACC in rushing yards with Tuten being the main factor to the Hokies' success on the ground. The senior has 1,035 yards this season, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, with 13 touchdowns. Tuten's best game of the season came against Boston College, where he rushed for 266 yards and three touchdowns, which included an 83-yard touchdown run. If the Cavaliers want to disrupt the Hokies offense, it starts with stopping the run. To add, Tuten rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown last year against the Hoos.
The Virginia passing attack has struggled these past couple of games, with Colandrea not throwing for more than 160 yards in his last five games. Phillips will look to continue to hamper the Hoos' passing attack. The sophomore safety is second in tackles for the Hokies this season, with an interception, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble.
The Hoos have a quarterback situation of their own, but unlike the Hokies, the battle in Charlottesville has nothing to do with injuries. As mentioned earlier, Anthony Colandrea has not thrown for over 160 yards in his last five games. Colandrea and the Virginia offense have struggled in the last few games, which has led to Tony Elliott bringing on Tony Muskett in relief (with the notable exception of last weekend's blowout loss to SMU). Muskett has delivered off the bench, making a case for the starting spot. The question is, who will start on Saturday, and how short is Colandrea's leash if he starts?
The best player on the Virginia roster and likely a first-team All-ACC winner, Jonas Sanker is the heart and soul of the Virginia defense. Sanker leads the ACC in solo tackles this season with 61 and has earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week four times in 2024. A senior from Charlottesville, Sanker has grown up in the Virginia-Virginia Tech rivalry and will look to earn his first and final win against the Hokies before he heads off for the NFL Draft.
Had himself a game‼️ @JonasSanker 3X @ACCFootball Defensive Back of the Week⚔️#UVAStrong | #GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/lOgtnFfMHH
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) November 11, 2024
The Kent State transfer has not played since September due to a knee injury but is expected to play on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Trell Harris served as Virginia's No. 2 wide receiver in the first three games, racking up 201 yards and two touchdowns on 13 catches. Harris will look to reinvigorate a Virginia passing attack that has struggled, providing aid to Malachi Fields and Tyler Neville, who have received increased attention in his absence.
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The Michigan Wolverines enter a really big second year under head coach Sherrone Moore. It wasn’t overly surprising to see the team have its struggles in 2024, especially with a new coaching staff and so much roster turnover. The team did, however, show a lot of promise down the stretch of the season with victories over Ohio State and Alabama. There are some very clear positions of strengths for the Wolverines entering 2025, and some question marks that do exist. With some volatility, there is sure to be some big surprises, and potential breakout players on the horizon. Here are some Hot Takes for this team entering the season. Mikey Keene holds off Bryce Underwood There are many people who believe that the Mikey Keene bridge conversation is nearly lip service, and insurance from the Michigan staff. When you have a five-star signal caller to the level of Underwood, they tend to get on the field very early. While I expect to see a lot of the 6-4, 214-pound freshman passer in 2025, I do think the Wolverines will remain patient with him and develop him properly. I do believe that Keene will start several games for Michigan, and people will have to try and be as patient as possible. Underwood is the future, but like most true freshman, he might need some time to develop. New defensive star When linebacker Jaishawn Barham transferred over from Maryland this past offseason, most Michigan fans were excited but didn’t fully understand just how he would fit. The 6-3, 245-pound athlete spent time at both defensive end and on the second level for the Terrapins, possessing intriguing upside but some tweener traits as well. While his impact might not have popped off the box score in his first season (66 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack), Barham showed great growth as a true linebacker. I have a feeling he’s going to take his game to a much higher level, and become a playmaker for the Wolverines this season. Two-headed rushing attack With Justice Haynes transferring in from Alabama, it feels like most people are assuming that he becomes the heavy volume getter in the running back room. There has been barely a mention of rising sophomore Jordan Marshall, who ended the 2024 season on a very high note. A tough and determined runner at 5-11 and 210 pounds, I expect Marshall to get his fair share of touches this season. This could end up being closer to a true split in the backfield. Don’t be surprised if Marshall and Haynes each eclipse the 800-yard mark in 2025.
The Dallas Cowboys extended one of their stars Sunday, just not the one fans wanted them to pay. At Cowboys training camp Saturday, Dallas fans serenaded owner Jerry Jones with "Pay Micah [Parsons]" chants. The EDGE, of course, is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this season. Jones must not have been listening. He gave tight end Jake Ferguson a new contract instead. Dallas and the 26-year-old pass-catcher agreed to a four-year, $52M contract extension, via NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This move seems head-scratching. Parsons has won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned two first-team All-Pro nods since the Cowboys took him with pick No. 12 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The 26-year-old EDGE also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Ferguson, meanwhile, is solid but not elite. In three seasons with the Cowboys, the 2022 fourth-round pick has made one Pro Bowl and has never finished with more than 761 receiving yards in a season. An extension for Parsons will devour future cap space. The Cowboys may be worried about that after giving quarterback Dak Prescott (four years, $240M) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136M) long-term deals in 2024. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt signed a lucrative three-year, $123M extension on July 17, making him the league's highest-paid non-QB. Parsons could command a similar contract. If cap space is Dallas' primary concern, however, why would it extend Ferguson? He's now set to be the NFL's seventh-highest-paid TE. The Cowboys waited to extend Lamb and Prescott just before the start of the 2024 season. They may be doing the same with Parsons. The star defender has said, "Ownership is always gonna make [contract negotiations] drag out." Regardless, the Cowboys should've paid Parsons before Ferguson. That's a much bigger priority for the team.
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.