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The Virginia Tech football squad (5-6, 2-5 ACC) will look to keep a tight hold on the Commonwealth Cup when it hosts the University of Virginia (5-6, 3-4 ACC) Friday at Lane Stadium/Worsham Field. Both teams need the win to become bowl eligible this season. Dave Flemming, Danny Kanell and Allison Williams will have the call for ESPN and kickoff is set for 8:06 p.m.

The Series
• Friday’s football game between Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia will be the 96th gridiron meeting between the two schools. Tech holds a 53-37-5 edge in the rivalry, which has seen the Hokies win the past 10 games, 14 of the past 15 games, and 17 of the past 21 contests.
• The series began in 1895 with Virginia winning 38-0. UVa went on to win the first eight meetings between the two schools and built a 20-13-4 advantage in the series by 1953. Beginning with the 1953 season, Tech bounced back to win 10 of the next 11 meetings and take the lead in the series.
From 1923-35, the two met 13 times as members of the Southern Conference, with Tech holding a 7-3-3 advantage.

Commonwealth Cup
• The winner of the annual gridiron clash between Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia earns more than bragging rights in the state. In recent years, the winning team has also taken home the Commonwealth Cup.
• The Cup, residing in Blacksburg after last year’s 16-6 win, was created in 1996 by the universities to remain in the possession of the winner of the in-state rivalry each year. It now has a different look as the two schools collaborated on a new base for the trophy. What was a four-foot tall and 100-pound base is now much more streamlined as each school has a permanent - and much smaller base - in its possession with the school logo on the front and its winning scores on the side. The winner of the game keeps the silver-plated Cup, which fits on top of the base that each school keeps in its possession.
• Virginia Tech gained possession of the Cup first by defeating archrival Virginia, 27-9, at Lane Stadium/Worsham Field in 1996.
• This game is sponsored by Virginia529, the official college savings plan of Virginia Tech Athletics. It is also a potential point in the Virginia529 Commonwealth Clash, the new point rivalry series between University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. Currently the score for the Clash, is University of Virginia 4.5 and Virginia Tech 0.5. Learn more about Virginia529 and this new competition at thecommonwealthclash.com.

More On Tech-UVa
• This year’s senior class is 3-0 against UVa and with a win, the Hokies would have a 11-game winning streak against the Cavs, adding on to the longest winning streak all-time for the Hokies in the series. Virginia’s longest winning streak in the series is eight games (1895-1904).
• Tech has outrushed UVa in 34 of their past 42 meetings, while the Cavs have posted more passing yards than the Hokies in 15 of the past 30 games in the series.
• Tech is 19-14-1 all-time on Fridays, but hasn’t played a regular-season Friday game since beating Boston College at home in 1999. The only time Tech and Virginia played on a Friday was in 1996, a 26-9 win for the Hokies in Blacksburg.

Senior Day
• Fourteen players will be recognized before kickoff Friday as part of Senior Day as this group will play its last game at home. They are, in alphabetical order: Detrick Bonner, Michael Branthover,
Willie Byrn, Derek Di Nardo, Daniel Dyer, Caleb Farris, Greg Gadell, Laurence Gibson, Griffin Hite, Kyshoen Jarrett, Darius Redman, David Wang, Ross Ward and Chase Williams.

Recently in the Series
• Last year’s game was a 10-point affair as the Hokies used a Trey Edmunds touchdown in the second quarter and held on for the 16-6 win in Charlottesville.
• The 2012 game came down to the last second as Cody Journell booted a 29-yard field goal, set up by Antone Exum’s late interception, as time expired to give Tech a 17-14 win on Senior Day to make the Hokies bowl eligbile for the 20th-straight year.
• In 2012, David Wilson had 153 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Logan Thomas passed for two more scores as the Hokies blanked UVa 38-0 on the road to clinch the ACC Coastal Division. It marked the first time since 2006 - and the 16th time in the long-running series - that Virginia Tech had shut out the Cavaliers.
• In 2010, Wilson had a 20-yard touchdown catch and a 2-yard scoring run, and Ryan Williams added two rushing scores as the Hokies won at home.
• In 2009, Williams ran for 183 yards and four touchdowns in the win as the Hokies scored 28 points in the second half to pull away.
• In 2008, UVa led 14-7 at the half behind converted quarterback Vic Hall, who had two rushing touchdowns. But Tech scored on a Greg Boone rushing touchdown in the third quarter and Dustin Keys won it with a 28-yard field goal with 6:37 left.
• In the 2007 win by Tech, Branden Ore had 147 yards rushing, while Eddie Royal had 147 yards receiving.
• Tech’s 52 points scored in the 2005 game were the most scored by either team ever in the series. It marked the first time since 2002 that the Hokies had two 100-yard rushers in a game. Branden Ore ran for 115 yards on 15 carries against the Cavaliers, while senior starter Cedric Humes added 113 yards on 17 attempts.
• In 2004’s game, the 0-0 halftime tie was the first game Virginia Tech had played where neither team scored in the first half since a 1990 game at Georgia Tech.

By the Numbers
Games: 95
Overall Record: 53-37-5 (58.4%)
Conference Record: 18-3-3 (81.2%)
At Blacksburg: 21-9-1 (69.4%)
At Lane Stadium: 15-6-1 (70.5%)
Under Frank Beamer: 18-9 (65.4%)
Series Stats
Televised Games: 19-5 (79.2%)
Record When:
VT Ranked: 16-3 (84.2%)
UVa Ranked: 8-5 (61.5%)
Both Teams Ranked: 7-2 (77.8%)
VT Ranked Higher: 14-2 (87.5%)
UVa Ranked Higher: 3-4 (42.9%)

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