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Virginia Tech 3 Point Road Favs at Georgia Tech

10/17/09

In this matchup between Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech we have two of the most potent rushing attacks in college football. Virginia Tech has been one of the hottest teams in the country since their opening loss to Alabama. They have big wins over Nebraska and Miami, and in their last game they dominated a very solid Boston College team from start to finish. Most Sportsbooks have Virginia Tech favored by 3.

Tyrod Taylor has really come into his own over the past few weeks as a QB, and is making the necessary throws when asked to drop back and pass the ball. Virginia Tech finds itself in the driver’s seat in the ACC Coastal Division, and a win over Georgia Tech would not only make them a serious ACC Title contender, but a National Title contender.

Georgia Tech has only suffered one loss this season at the hands of a very good Miami team. Since that embarrassing 33-17 loss they have looked very good racking up victories over North Carolina, Mississippi State, and Florida State. Everyone thought that teams would figure out how to stop Coach Paul Johnson’s triple option attack, and then Georgia Tech would be exposed. That hasn’t happened yet, and we don’t expect it to happen anytime soon. Georgia Tech is looking to get back into the ACC Title hunt, and if they are going to be able to do just that they really need a victory this Saturday over the Hokies.

PRIMETIME MATCHUP

It’s pretty easy to figure out what you have to do to stop this Georgia Tech team. You stop their triple option attack, and you stop the Yellow Jackets. Only problem is, that is a lot easier said than done. Paul Johnson’s rushing attack has been nearly unstoppable this year. Georgia Tech is ranked #1 in the ACC and #4 nationally in rushing offense averaging 277 yards per game. QB Josh Nesbitt is never going to be confused for a drop back passer, but he plays his role in this offense to perfection. He isn’t asked to beat teams with his arm, but with his legs, and is only asked to throw around 10-15 times a game to keep defenses somewhat honest.

Both QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathan Dwyer have rushed for over 500 yards this season, and have combined for 11 rushing TD’s on the year. The Yellow Jackets are not afraid to run the ball right at you even when they know you’re expecting it. They are very confident in what they do, and feel if they execute properly it doesn’t matter what you do they will have success. It is not an easy task to stop this rushing attack, but if Virginia Tech wants to come away with their 6th straight victory they are going to have to slow their rushing attack down.

Virginia Tech has a very solid defense that is ranked 5th in the ACC, and is only allowing 124 yards on the ground per game. While that is a solid average, this defense has yet to go up against a rushing attack like Georgia Tech’s. The good news for Hokie fans is that they have one of the best defensive coordinators in the game in Bud Foster, and he’ll have a great game plan to stop this Yellow Jacket rushing attack.

QB Josh Nesbitt is very good with beating teams with his legs, but he is not the most accurate throwing QB. This Hokie defense needs to put Nesbitt into throwing downs where he is a lot more prone to mistakes. Whoever is able to win this matchup will have a very good chance of winning this ballgame.

THE FINAL VERDICT

Matchups between two rushing teams are always difficult to decide a winner. The team that is able to pound the ball and control the game is going to have the best chance at winning the game. Georgia Tech has the better rushing attack by yardage, but they also are the team that is most one dimensional. Nesbitt is going to have to be able to make some plays with his arm if Georgia Tech finds itself in 3rd and long situations, because you can bet Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster is going to be dedicated to doing just that.

We expect Bud Forster to look at the Georgia Tech Miami game and see how Miami was able to slow down this attack. We expect Virginia Tech to win the battle for field position, and then when Virginia Tech gets the ball they are going to pound the ball with RB Ryan Williams and QB Tyrod Taylor. We feel if Virginia Tech is able to get an early lead, and force Georgia Tech and QB Josh Nesbitt to have to throw the ball in the second half that Virginia Tech will get the win and be one step closer to their ACC Title.

Both of these teams are largely intact from a year ago. Va Tech with 16 starters from a year ago and Georgia Tech with 18. Virginia Tech did a great job of containing the option attack a year ago, until a late 81 yard drive. The more you see this option, the better you get at defending it. The Hokies have been playing some explosive ball lately as evidenced by last weeks 48-14 win over BC with 34 of those points coming in the 1st half. We think they'll be too much for the Yellow Jackets here. Virginia Tech -3

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