West Virginia Mountaineers defeat rival Virginia Tech to capture Black Diamond Trophy 33-10

In a rivalry that dates back to 1912, the Virginia Tech-West Virginia showdown has occurred 53 times with Thursday night being the 54th. Blacksburg, VA and more importantly, Lane Stadium has not hosted the rivalry since 2004. The Black Diamond Trophy is an ultimate goal for any player that was raised in Virginia/West Virginia. Coming into the game Virginia Tech understood the magnitude of the rivalry. Virginia Tech alum, Matt Pulley said, “We’re ready to bring the Black Diamond Trophy back to Blacksburg tonight. It doesn’t matter what happens the rest of the season, you’ve got to win this game.”

With great expectation for Virginia Tech, a huge reminder came for the Hokies fans about how their defense has been playing this season, VT allowed a total of 421 total yards to West Virginia, 31 first downs, and 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter.

West Virginia Mountaineers tallied the second win of the year impressively. Senior transfer quarterback JT Daniels impressed with 203 passing yards throwing 1 touchdown and 0 turnovers. Adding to the offensive triumph was freshman running back; CJ Donaldson that added 106 rushing yards on 23 carries that set the tempo of the game. His running counterpart, Justin Johnson Jr., added 83 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown. The Mountaineer balanced attack was too much for Virginia Tech capturing the Black Diamond Trophy 33-10 victory.

Daniels continues to improve for the Mountaineers as they look to continue Big 12 conference play next week against the Texas Longhorns. Already 0-1, Virginia Tech Hokies continues ACC play next week against North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The excitement was noticeable on Thursday night, and the level of passion was felt on campus, ultimately this rivalry has returned, and College Football will benefit from the battle for the Black Diamond Trophy every year.