No. 18 Virginia stuffs Virginia Tech, reaches ACC title game

J'Mari Taylor rushed for 80 yards and one touchdown and also passed for a score to help No. 18 Virginia roll to an easy 27-7 victory over visiting Virginia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday night at Charlottesville, Va.

Chandler Morris completed 21 of 35 passes for 182 yards and added a rushing score for the Cavaliers (10-2, 7-1 ACC), who will play in the ACC championship game on Dec. 6 against either SMU or Duke.

Sage Ennis caught a touchdown pass as Virginia defeated the Hokies for just the third time in the past 25 meetings. The other victories came in 2003 and 2019.

Shamarius Peterkin turned a short pass from Kyron Drones into a 57-yard touchdown play to keep the Hokies (3-9, 2-6) from being shut out. Drones completed 4 of 16 passes for 78 yards, one TD and two interceptions for Virginia Tech.

The Hokies lost their fourth straight game and recorded their second three-win season in the past four campaigns.

Ex-Penn State coach James Franklin now takes over the reins of the program.

Virginia had edges of 380-197 in total offense and 25-6 in first downs while cruising to its second ACC title game appearance. The other was in 2019.

The Cavaliers also tied the program record of 10 victories, set in 1989.

Virginia Tech's first possession ended with Drones being intercepted by Maddox Marcellus and its second was stymied when John Love was wide right on a 45-yard field-goal attempt.

The Hokies then failed to get a first down on eight straight possessions. They went three-and-out and punted on seven consecutive drives before Drones threw a third-down interception to Antonio Clary to end the next one with 9:16 left in the game.

Virginia scored its first points on Taylor's 1-yard run with 7:26 left in the first quarter.

The Cavaliers went the trickery route for their second score. Taylor took a direct snap and tossed a floater over the linemen to Ennis for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 14-0 with 4:33 left in the first half.

Virginia increased its lead to 17 on Will Bettridge's 27-yard field goal with 7:28 left in the third quarter.

Morris scored on an 8-yard run to make it 24-0 with 46 seconds remaining in the third.

Clary's interception set up Bettridge's 32-yard field goal with 6:24 left in the game.

Virginia Tech got its initial first down since the first quarter on its next offensive play when Drones gained 10 yards on a keeper.

Three plays later, the Hokies faced fourth-and-2 from their own 43. Drones tossed a slant to Peterkin, who caught the ball at the Virginia Tech 47 and raced by two defenders and into the clear en route to the touchdown.