CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Thanks to Virginia Tech's sheer domination, some really wonder if you can call the Tech-Virginia series a true rivalry.

Well, at least there were some signs Saturday that the state's pair of Division I-A programs don't really like each other. After a week of no apparent smack talk from either side, Tech star tailback Ryan Williams said following the Hokies' 42-13 romp that the Cavaliers spent most of the game's first 2 ¹₂ quarters talking a lot of trash to the Hokies. In the final minute of the game, there was some pushing and shoving on the field between players of both sides, and the officiating crew scurried to restrain the situation from becoming bedlam.

"Yes, driving down here I saw the hand signals," said Williams, referring to middle-finger salutes from UVa fans to the Tech team busses. "I kinda knew how intense it was going to be then.

"In the game, there was lot of shoving, lots of like late-hit tackles. So you could really see what this game meant to both sides. We emphasized don't let them faze us at all with anything they're doing, they can do all the shoving and pushing or whatever, but we're going to irritate them more when we execute our plays and play smash-mouth football and the win."

It marked the first time that Williams, a redshirt freshman, had played in the Tech-UVa game.

Offense flourishing

In going 4-0 in November, Tech has averaged 33 points and 436 total yards per game. While the opposition -- East Carolina, Maryland, North Carolina State and Virginia -- hasn't been great, three of the games were on the road. The production has been a good sign that Tech's offense has turned a serious corner under coordinator Bryan Stinespring.

"I think Coach Stiney gets a lot of the bad end of the deal about our offense and what it does and what he doesn't do," Williams said. "Coach Stiney, I mean he's a great coach. He calls the plays and it's our job to execute them, and when we don't execute them that's when points don't get scored. Our offense is 10 times better than what it was last year."

Quick kicks

Williams has scored four touchdowns in each of the past two games. The only other Hokie to do that is Roanoke's Lee Suggs, who scored five TDs against Central Florida and four against Virginia in back-to-back contests in 2000. ... Williams has nine games of 100 or more rushing yards this season, which ties the school mark set by Kevin Jones in 2003. ... Zach Luckett, a strong contributor on Tech's special teams, sustained a left knee injury in the first half and will be re-evaluated today with an MRI.

On deck

The Hokies will learn their bowl destination this weekend. Tech is likely to land in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, which will be played Dec. 31 at Atlanta's Georgia Dome, especially should Clemson win the league title.

Tech's opponent in that game would be an SEC team.