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  • Virginia cancels Virginia Tech game after players killed

    Virginia cancels Virginia Tech game after players killed

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    The University of Virginia has canceled its game against rival Virginia Tech scheduled for Saturday following the slaying of three players on campus just over a week ago.

    The university made the announcement Monday night, two days after a nearly two-hour memorial service to remember Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry. The three were fatally shot on Nov. 13 after a field trip to see a play in Washington.

    “The decision was made following communication between the Atlantic Coast Conference, Virginia and Virginia Tech athletic department administration,” Virginia Tech said in a statement. “The ACC and Virginia Tech continue to support UVA following the devastating tragedy … .”

    Authorities have said that Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a UVA student and former member of the team who was on the trip, began shooting at students on the bus as it pulled to a stop at a campus parking garage.

    A prosecutor said in court last week that a witness told police the gunman targeted specific victims, shooting one as he slept. Two other students were wounded.

    Jones, 23, faces second-degree murder and other charges stemming from the shooting, which set off a manhunt and 12-hour campus lockdown before Jones was apprehended in suburban Richmond. Jones is being held without bond.

    Authorities have not released a motive.

    Virginia also canceled a game against No. 23 Coastal Carolina last Saturday.

    Neither the Cavaliers (3-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), under first-year coach Tony Elliott, nor the Hokies (3-8, 1-6), under first-year coach Brent Pry, have anything to lose by not playing their Commonwealth Cup matchup, the last scheduled game for both.

    The Hokies, who endured a massacre that left 33 dead, including the gunman, in 2007, wore orange uniforms as they ended a seven-game losing streak with a 23-22 victory at Liberty on Saturday. The Hokies and Virginia share orange as a signature color.

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    AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

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  • Morris, No. 24 Wolfpack rally past Hokies for 22-21 win

    Morris, No. 24 Wolfpack rally past Hokies for 22-21 win

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    RALEIGH, N.C. — For the second straight home game, North Carolina State found itself down double figures after halftime. And just as before, the 24th-ranked Wolfpack responded with grit and resilience.

    First-year quarterback MJ Morris threw for three second-half touchdowns to help N.C. State rally from 18 points down in the third quarter to beat Virginia Tech 22-21 on Thursday night.

    “The kids just don’t quit here,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said.

    Morris took over for starter Jack Chambers to lead an unexpected comeback for the Wolfpack (6-2, 2-2 Atalntic Coast Conference), who trailed 21-3 after Grant Wells’ 20-yard TD keeper with 4:02 in the third quarter.

    Instead, N.C. State somehow found a way to make its biggest comeback since rallying from 27 down to beat Maryland in 2011. It also marked the Wolfpack’s second comeback from a double-digit deficit after halftime this month, going back to a rally from 17-3 down at the break against Florida State on Oct. 8.

    This one was arguably more critical for a team that had been reeling offensively since losing quarterback and preseason ACC player of the year Devin Leary to a season-ending injury in the Florida State victory. But after looking like every yard was a struggle, Morris and the Wolfpack started pushing the ball downfield and connecting to suddenly change momentum.

    “There was a lot of things going in my head, but the one thing I tried to focus on was doing my job for the team,” Morris said.

    It started with a 35-yard deep throw from Morris to Thayer Thomas with 1:42 left in the third. Morris followed with a 7-yard score to Trent Pennix early in the fourth, then hit Thomas again on a short throw that the receiver cut up the middle of the field and scored from 18 yards out with 7:38 mark.

    After its veteran defense forced a three-and-out, the Wolfpack kept the chains moving on a final drive that ate up the last 5:35 to seal the win.

    Thomas finished with 10 catches for 118 yards and the two scores for the Wolfpack.

    Wells ran for two scores and hit Kaleb Smith for an 85-yard score in the third for the Hokies (2-6, 1-4).

    “To me, you’ve got to have a closer’s mentality in the fourth quarter,” first-year coach Brent Pry said. “You’ve got to play your absolute best. we just needed a play or two to change the outcome. And we’ll get there.”

    THE TAKEAWAY

    Virginia Tech: This one will be difficult to get past for the Hokies, who looked on their way to ending the Wolfpack’s 14-game home winning streak and giving Pry his first road win in four tries. Instead, the offense that suddenly found success attacking the Wolfpack’s veteran defense sputtered when it needed a big drive and the defense gave up three straight TD drives.

    N.C. State: The Wolfpack went through a bye week with a chance to tweak the offense to better suit the strengths of Chambers in the wake of Leary’s loss. But Morris also got plenty of reps and soon proved the more effective passer as the Wolfpack needed to get more aggressive down big — and it worked.

    POLL IMPLICATIONS

    N.C. State, which peaked at No. 10 this year, could fall out of the AP Top 25 with Sunday’s next poll after struggling to beat a two-win team. Then again, another impressive show of resilience could stand out for voters.

    HOME STREAK

    N.C. State has now won 15 straight home games since losing to Miami in 2020. That put the Wolfpack within one of tying the program record set from 1972-75 under Lou Holtz.

    PENALTY PROBLEMS

    The Hokies had 13 penalties for 69 yards. That included being flagged 10 times for false starts, with five coming in the first quarter alone.

    UP NEXT

    Virginia Tech: The Hokies return home to face Georgia Tech on Nov. 5.

    N.C. State: It’s a rematch of last year’s instate Atlantic Division thriller when No. 10 Wake Forest visits Raleigh on Nov. 5.

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    Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap

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    AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

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