Our March to Victory (source: HokieSports)
Thursday night football has a special effect on Hokie Nation — with Lane Stadium sold out of seats and a game against old-time rivals, the game was a hard-fought battle! This was the first time we had played against West Virginia at home since 2004, when Virginia Tech left the Big East Conference. The rivalry, starting in 1912, is currently led by West Virginia with 30 wins for West Virginia, 23 for Virginia Tech, and 1 tie. The crown jewel of the rivalry, however, is the “Black Diamond Trophy”: a trophy that began getting exchanged between the two schools in 1997 and named as such to represent the coal country across the two neighboring states.
Pregame
The MVs spelling out “TECH” (Source: HokieSports)
The Corps presenting the colors (Source: HokieSports)
This game was special to the Marching Virginians because it was out pregame performance! Instead of taking the field during halftime, the MVs took to the field before kick-off and performed out classic pregame show, filled with tunes classic to the Marching Virginians and Virginia Tech. The band began the performance by running onto the field in the form of the commonwealth of Virginia, and performed Superman. We gave a bow and played Shenandoah while two of our VTubas ran around the commonwealth. As the tubas ending in the location of Blacksburg, the band launched into cut time, and moved into the form of “The Big VT”, a set that is iconic to the band. We performed VPI Victory March –– a march that was composed in 1941 to commemorate an invigorating football victory, and has been performed ever since –– as we landed in a spell-out of the word Hokies. We then form another VT in the opposite direction, and then run in a massive circle, a move that is affectionally referred to as the Toilet Bowl. We spell out TECH facing both sides of the field, and then began out presentation of the flags of the United States, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Corps of Cadets flag, and a Virginia Tech flag. We performed Copland’s Colors, an arrangement of Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, as we presented a company front with the flag bearers right in the front, which was a very powerful moment and resulted in great applause! We then performed the national anthem, Tech Triumph, and then formed the tunnel for the team to run through at the end of Enter Sandman. It was an amazing experience to be a part of one of the best entrances in college football!
1st half
The Hokies taking the field through a tunnel of MVs (Source: HokieSports)
After an eventful pregame, the MVs were ready to do what we do best; hunker down and cheer on the Hokies to victory! The defense fought hard against West Virginia’s advances, only allowing three points to be scored during the first quarter. The second quarter, the Hokies offense stepped up, scoring a touchdown in the second quarter to lead over WVU’s 6 points after another field goal. With just 11 seconds left in the first half and the Hokies still full of hope, the Mountaineers scored a 24-yard touchdown to gain a 13 - 7 lead over the Hokies.
Halftime
The Pride of West Virginia (Source: WVU Foundation)
What’s better than watching one band perform at halftime? Watching two, of course! We got the special treat of hosting West Virginia’s band, the Mountaineer Marching Band, as they performed a Bruno Mars-themed show, featuring hits like Treasure, 24K Magic, and Runaway Baby. The Highty-Tighties, Virginia Tech’s regimental band, also performed a show –– their one halftime performance of the season. In the north end zone of Lane Stadium, the Marching Virginians enjoyed their only chance to sit back and relax while other bands entertained the crowd with a halftime show.
2nd Half
Running Back #23 Keshawn King breaking through West Virginia’s defense (Source: HokieSports)
After yet another 3 point gain for WVU, the Hokies closed within 16-10 on a field goal with around 4 and a half minutes left in the third quarter. Unfortunately, West Virginia answered, scoring on a 6-yard run at the beginning of the fourth quarter. It got ugly from there, with the Hokies scoring no points in the fourth quarter and the Mountaineers scoring an additional 17 to finish out the game.
Interesting to note –– the Hokies were hindered by penalties all night, committing a whopping 15 penalties for 132 yards. This is the highest number of penalties committed by the Hokies this season; the previous record being 14 penalties for 100 yards against ODU. The team was also riddled with penalties on both offense and defense, slowing any progress the team fought to make.
Though the football team wasn’t dominant on the field that night, they’re still #1 in the hearts of the Marching Virginians. We have loved our new tradition of singing Tech Triumph with the team at the end of the game, no matter the outcome. The relationship between the band and the team is a special one, and we look forward to supporting the Hokies for years to come.
Check back next week as we introduce our blog writing team!
All information referenced is courtesy of Wikipedia, the Virginia Tech History site, HokieSports, and ESPN.