Virginia Tech wrestlers may have fasted on Thanksgiving but the Hokies feasted on Sunday, beating the host University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs 37-0.

It was a force-fed famine the likes of which the Mocs haven’t endured at home in decades.

“It was an embarrassment,” coach Chris Bono said after enduring a painful post-matches autograph session.

UTC later soothed its pained pride with a 34-13 victory over Division II Anderson University of Anderson, S.C., but even 90 minutes after the fact, Bono was still seething after absorbing his first shutout as a head coach.

“I’ll take the heat for the loss, but I’m embarrassed for this team, for their parents and for their coaches who came to watch,” he said.

With two nationally ranked wrestlers, no coach expects to suffer a shutout but both third-ranked 141-pound Cody Cleveland and No.19 157-pound Joey Knox were beaten.

Cleveland got beat on his own bread-and-butter move, surrendering back points on a tilt after giving up a reversal while going for a tilt, and Knox lost 7-4 after building a 4-0 lead midway of the second period.

“They were wrestling not to lose, and until they and the rest of the guys start listening to the coaches we’re going to continue to get our butts kicked,” Bono said.

Even true freshman heavyweight Cody Sliger, who was headed for a redshirt year until Matt Lettner suffered a dislocated shoulder, didn’t escape Bono’s ire.

“Here we go again. We’re behind and can’t figure out a way to score points,” the coach said.

Sliger lost 4-3 to Virginia Tech’s David Marone, coming within a point on an escape with 1:03 left in the match but couldn’t force a takedown.

He rallied against Anderson’s Jonah Adams, getting a pin in 4:43.

“The difference in the first and second matches was that I came out ready to wrestle in the second match. I wrestled better,” said Sliger, a former Tennessee state champion from Ooltewah.

Cleveland and Knox started digging themselves out of the doghouse against Anderson. Cleveland won by major decision and Knox got a pin but even in those matches the two had Bono getting up and walking away from his chair in exasperation.

“There were six matches we could have won against Virginia Tech. All we have to do is what we’ve been coached to do,” Bono said. “We lost every one because we didn’t have the heart or the fight. The young guys, maybe, but with Joey and Cody, there are no excuses.”

The Mocs forfeited the 133-pound match in both meets because Steve Hromada quit, turning in his uniform on Friday. They also were without 165-pound Seth Garvin, a 2008 NCAA tournament qualifier who’s out with neck and shoulder injuries and a high-ankle sprain, and Lettner, who should return to the practice room today.

“I’ve been feeling sorry for them because some of them are young and as a team we have been beat up. That’s over. Fundamentally we’re still doing everything wrong. Conditioning was a problem, but that’s one we can easily fix. We don’t wrestle for 17 or 18 days and we can accomplish a lot, but I can tell you now if they don’t starting listening they’re not going to be wrestling,” Bono said. “Joey got beat because he was doing things his way rather than my way. Cody got double-legged (and taken down) and gave up back points. There’s just no fight. The guys have been too comfortable in the wrestling room. They find a partner they can beat and if they go up against somebody who’s pushing them then they quit. Until we instill the fight we’re going to continue to get slapped around.”