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Big Performers: Virginia Win

Virginia Tech made it nine-in-a-row over their in-state rivals UVA on Saturday with a 17-14 late second victory. Kicker
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Dunn only had one reception, but it was a big one. The redshirt senior hauled in a touchdown for the second consecutive week; this time he got the scoring started with a second quarter touchdown to give the Hokies an early 7-0 lead. Dunn's two touchdown receptions were huge considering the situation the Hokies were in prior to the Boston College game.
Thomas isn't fourth on this list for his passing against Virginia. He'd be the first to tell you that it was pretty poor. However, Thomas again carried the offense on the ground, rushing 29 times for 89 yards and the game-tying touchdown in the final stages of the third quarter.
As inconsistent as he has been throwing the football this year, Thomas has sacrificed his body for extra yards literally hundreds of times this year and did just enough to get the Hokies bowl eligible in the final two weeks.
Bonner made some tremendous strides as a defensive back in the second half of the year, improving on his open-field tackling and making plays on the ball in the air.
He still needs to work on his consistency in coverage, but over the past few weeks he has made more than his fair share of plays by batting down passes and disrupting receivers at the point of contact. He led the team in tackles with 10 against UVA and added two pass breakups.
Journell passed all his tests on a frigidly cold afternoon in Lane Stadium, connecting on both extra point attempts and then slicing the game winner through the cold air as time expired. Journell has hit a number of clutch field goals this season (See: Georgia Tech, Boston College) and this one is just another.
Exum still struggles down the field, but when plays are happening in front of him he has quickly become one of the better defenders on the Virginia Tech team. Exum had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the first quarter and then had the key interception that set the Hokies up for the win late in the fourth quarter.
He was named second team All-ACC on Sunday for his work this year and is a big reason for Tech's improved defense of the last few weeks.
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