Update (Sept. 17): The Commonwealth Cup has been rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12 at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Original story (Sept. 12): The Commonwealth Cup between Virginia and Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia, was scheduled to move up from rivalry weekend to Sept. 19 this year due to the schedule shuffling within the ACC. It turns out that won't be the case.
Virginia Tech announced Saturday that the season opener for both schools has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Virginia Tech. As a result, the Hokies have paused practice for four days.
"The safety, as well as the physical and mental well-being of these young men and women entrusted to our care by their families remains our top priority," Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock said. "While we share the disappointment of everyone who hoped to begin the football season against our in-state rival, we remain optimistic that a full ACC football schedule can be played thanks to the flexibility the present format permits. Despite this delay, our schedule still aligns closely with the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 football timelines."
Montgomery County, where the city of Blacksburg is located, had 71 new cases reported on Friday. That brought the total number of cases to 1,211.
"My primary concern continues to be the well-being of the student-athletes on our football team," Hokies coach Justin Fuente said. "I hurt for them because I know how badly they want to compete. I also appreciate that these young men have been dealing with the same stress, uncertainty and anxiety as their fellow Virginia Tech students over the past few months as their spring semester was dramatically altered. Then they were forced to find a way to train on their own, and to their credit, they found a way to get it done."
The two teams don't share a common bye week in 2020. The Hokies are now scheduled to open the season at home Sept. 26 vs. NC State. The Cavaliers aren't set to play a game until Oct. 3 when they will travel to Clemson.
