Roundtable: Drafting the Best Moments in Virginia Football History

Matt Newton, Aidan Baller, Duncan McGrath, William Smythe | Aug 26, 2024

Bryce Perkins led the Virginia Cavaliers to one of the greatest victories in UVA football history, taking down Virginia Tech in 2019. / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia football began in 1887 and has since brought 137 years of unforgettable moments, legendary comebacks, and historic achievements. The Virginia Cavaliers On SI staff recently took on the challenge of ranking the best moments in UVA football history by doing a draft of those moments.

Below you will find the results of that snake-format draft, which was four rounds long with 16 total selections, as drafted by Duncan McGrath, Matt Newton, William Smythe, and Aidan Baller. Along with each pick, the writer who made that selection elaborated on why he chose that game or moment.

First Round, Pick No. 1 : 2019 Virginia Defeats Virginia Tech 39-30 

Duncan: The pinnacle of the Bronco Mendenhall era and easily the best moment in Virginia football history since 2000. You could argue that beating Florida State in 1995 was a bigger moment, but this one is right there with it and in my opinion a little bit better. Prior to this game, it’s hard to overstate how much Virginia Tech had dominated Virginia in the Commonwealth Cup. The Hokies had won 15 straight against the Cavaliers and 19 of the last 20 meetings between the two. However, in an epic clash at Scott Stadium, the Hoos turned the tide and finally ended the streak, beating Virginia Tech 39-30. The win over the Hokies not just ended the streak but brought UVA their first ever appearances in the ACC Championship Game and Orange Bowl, a monumental achievement for the Hoos and one which will live on forever for Virginia fans.

First Round, Pick No. 2: 1995 Anthony Poindexter Goal Line Stand to Beat Florida State

Matt: Obviously, Duncan had no choice but to take the win over Virginia Tech in 2019. So, my only option was to go with what was widely considered the most significant victory (at least in the regular season) in UVA football history until the Hoos toppled the Hokies in 2019. Anthony Poindexter’s clutch stop of Warrick Dunn at the goal line on the final play of the game might be the most iconic single play in the history of the program. Virginia’s epic victory handed the No. 2-ranked Seminoles their first-ever loss in ACC play, snapping their 29-game winning streak in conference play. 

First Round, Pick No. 3: 1998 Virginia Comeback Against Virginia Tech 

William: Wins in the Commonwealth Cup have been hard to come by for the ‘Hoos. In ‘98, however, No. 16 Virginia entered the lion’s den of Blacksburg and defeated No. 20 Virginia Tech in improbable fashion. Having trailed 29-7 in the third quarter, the Cavaliers — led by senior quarterback Aaron Brooks — clawed back to within three with over two minutes remaining. Brooks then found sophomore receiver Ahmad “Ball Hawk” Hawkins for a 47-yard touchdown, immortalized in Virginia football history. 

First Round, Pick No. 4 : 1990 Virginia Receives No. 1 Ranking in AP Poll 

Aidan: Only 44 teams in College Football have ever earned the illustrious number one ranking and after starting the 1990 season 7-0, the Cavaliers earned the number one ranking in the land under Head Coach George Welsh. 

Second Round, Pick No. 5 : 2007 Chris Long is Drafted No. 2 Overall in NFL Draft 

Aidan: In 2007, Chris Long was drafted to the St. Louis Rams with the second overall pick. The pick made Long the highest Virginia player drafted since Bill Dudley was drafted No. 1 overall in the 1942 NFL Draft. Seeing Long’s name announced second was certainly a massive accomplishment for the Virginia Football program, proving they could produce top NFL prospects. Long would go on to win two Super Bowls in the NFL. 

Second Round, Pick No. 6: 1990 Virginia Knocks Off Clemson 20-7 

William: Prior to 1990, Virginia held an 0-29 record against Clemson. Perhaps Coach George Welsh was motivated by ex-Tiger Coach Frank Howard calling the ‘Hoos “the white meat of our schedule,” with the trajectory of Virginia football shifting on September 8th. The Cavalier defense smothered the Tigers en route to a monumental win at home, 20-7. The 1990 season may still be the biggest “what if” whispered around Charlottesville, as Virginia — ranked No. 1 nationally prior to a matchup against the eventual National Champion Georgia Tech — felt the absences of tight end Bruce McGonnigal and star quarterback Shawn Moore late in the season.

Second Round, Pick No. 7: 2018 Virginia Shuts Out South Carolina in Belk Bowl 

Matt: Picking between two big bowl wins for Virginia, I might be the victim of recency bias since I was a second-year student at UVA when this game happened. Olamide Zaccheaus hauled in three touchdowns from Bryce Perkins and won MVP and the Cavaliers won their first bowl game in 13 years and handed the Gamecocks their first shutout loss in 12 years. The 28-point margin of victory was the largest in the history of that bowl game. 

Second Round, Pick No. 8: 1995 Peach Bowl Victory Over Georgia 

Duncan: 1995 was certainly a magical year for Virginia football. Earlier in this draft, Matt took arguably the best win in program history from 1995, UVA's first ever win over Florida State. With this pick, I’m taking maybe the best bowl win in program history. This game not only had the stars (Hines Ward for Georgia and Tiki Barber for Virginia) but also had as exciting of a finish as Virginia has ever had. After blowing a double-digit lead to Georgia in the fourth quarter, Demetrius Allen saved Virginia, returning a kickoff for a game-winning touchdown with under a minute left in the game. In front of over 70,000 people, the heroics of Allen led the Hoos to a miracle 34-27 victory and Virginia’s second ever win in the Peach Bowl.

Third Round, Pick No. 9: 2011 Dustin Hopkins Wide Left, Virginia Defeats Florida State

Duncan: Mike London did not have a lot of success as Virginia’s head coach, but he’ll always have 2011. 2011 was easily his best season, and the highlight of it came from this pivotal victory against Florida State. On the road against a ranked Florida State team, Virginia found a way to win in a 14-13 slugfest. At the end of the game, Dustin Hopkins had two chances to seal the win against the Cavaliers but missed both opportunities. In a wild ending, Virginia was penalized on Hopkins’ first field goal try and eventually won after Hopkins pushed his second attempt wide left. Prior to this game, Virginia had never won before at Florida State. The win over the Seminoles also set up a chance for UVA to make the ACC Title game if the Hoos could beat VT the following week (they did not). Nonetheless, this was a big win for UVA, which also allowed the Hoos to play in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Third Round, Pick No. 10: 2005 Virginia Win Over Florida State

Matt: Epic wins for Virginia over Florida State continue to populate this list and no one should be complaining about that. Almost 10 years after their historic upset of the Seminoles, the Cavaliers welcomed FSU back to Scott Stadium for another primetime showdown. Florida State was undefeated and ranked No. 4 in the country. But thanks to 306 yards and two touchdowns from Marques Hagans, Virginia built a big 26-10 lead and stymied FSU’s comeback attempt to hang on late, sending the Noles home with an upset loss once again. 

Third Round, Pick No. 11: 2012 Jake McGee Game-Winner Against Miami 

William: Yes, the 2012 Virginia team finished with a 4-8 record, but no one will forget sophomore tight end Jake McGee’s heroics late against Miami. The ‘Hoos rallied from a ten-point deficit in the fourth quarter to topple the Hurricanes 41-40, with senior quarterback Michael Rocco finding McGee — tip-toeing along the back of the end-zone — for the game winner. Virginia and Miami’s offenses combined for 902 yards in a shootout in Charlottesville.

Third Round, Pick No. 12: 1984 Peach Bowl Victory Over Purdue 

Aidan: In Virginia's first ever bowl game, the Cavaliers came back after trailing 24-14 at halftime by shutting the Purdue Boilermakers out in the second half to earn a 27-24 victory. The victory was a major step in the program turnaround orchestrated by Head Coach George Welsh. 

Fourth Round, Pick No. 13: 1996 Virginia Victory Over Texas 37-13

Aidan: In 1995 the Cavaliers lost to the Longhorns 17-16 on a game winning field goal. In 1996 Virginia took care of business, crushing Texas in Scott Stadium with Tiki Barber leading the charge with 121 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Beating a historic program like Texas put Virginia Football on the map. 

Fourth Round, Pick No. 14: 2023 Rondé Barber Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction 

William: Only the third UVa. player to crack the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Commonwealth’s own Rondé Barber was formally enshrined in Canton last August. A two-time Third-Team All-American, three-time First-Team All-ACC honoree, and a notable member of the IMP Society on Grounds, Barber enjoyed a terrific professional career as a defensive back and nabbed a Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007. Not too shabby of a resumé for the 16-year NFL veteran.

Fourth Round, Pick No. 15: 2023 Virginia Upsets No. 10 North Carolina in Chapel Hill

Matt: I was hoping this game would still be on the board for my last pick. While it might end up being a lonely gem in the Tony Elliott era (hopefully not), there’s no denying the fact that it was Virginia’s first road victory over a top 10 opponent in the long history of the program. That it came against North Carolina in the South’s Oldest Rivalry and featured the 1-5 (and 23.5-point underdog) Cavaliers stunning the 6-0 Tar Heels on their home turf made it even better. Mike Hollins also rushed for three touchdowns in the game. Just awesome. 

Fourth Round, Pick No. 16 : 2002 Tire Bowl Win Over West Virginia

Duncan: For the final pick of the draft, I wanted a moment from Al Groh’s tenure as head coach, and this win over West Virginia in the Tire Bowl was one of his best moments as UVA’s coach. In the 2002 Tire Bowl, Virginia completely dominated West Virginia from start to finish, winning 48-22 in front of over 73,000 people in Charlotte. For the Hoos, Wali Lundy finished as MVP, running for 127 yards and finishing with a total of four touchdowns. The win over the 15th-ranked Mountaineers capped off what was probably the best year of Groh's time in Charlottesville.

Which of our writers won the draft? Did we miss a big UVA football moment that should have been included? Let us know online on Facebook and Twitter.

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