Virginia Tech Football: Hokies look to stop the Georgia Tech ground game
Virginia Tech football comes off a bye to take on Georgia Tech in a prominent ACC Divisional matchup. Can the Hokies control the triple option?
Both teams are in a situation where they are both coming off of a bye in preparation for this game.
Before their bye, Virginia Tech took to the road and came home with a victory over the North Carolina Tarheels who seem to play a random hodge-podge of players at multiple key positions on offense with no real answers. Other than throwing two interceptions, quarterback Ryan Willis accounted for three total touchdowns against a Tarheels squad that allows an average of 34.8 points per game.
The main low point for the Hokies in this matchup was the number of rushing yards they gave up to North Carolina. The Tarheels have been bouncing back and forth between Antonio Williams and Michael Carter all season long and Michael Carter was by far the most successful against the 27th best rushing defense in college football with 165 yards on the ground. Can the Hokies get back in order against a dynamic, yet one dimensional, Georgia Tech triple option?
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets had no such luck their last time out. After mere weeks, Duke-quarterback Daniel Jones returned from a collarbone injury and has gone 2-1 since his return. Two weeks ago, Jones led Duke to a win over Georgia Tech with three touchdown passes against a somewhat solid Yellow Jacket passing defense.
Even with down games against Clemson and Pittsburgh, the Jackets still have the number one rushing offense in the nation with an average of 352.43 yards per game on the ground which is a full 34 yards better than the next best triple-option attack in Army. Their lack of passing game has been a problem this season. Not many people expect Georgia Tech to pass the ball all that often considering their scheme doesn’t exactly revolve around the pass. The problem is, they don’t have a legitimate passing threat like they’ve had in recent years with Justin Thomas that can provide some balance or keep them in shootout games. Can Georgia Tech dominate on the ground against a tough Virginia Tech run defense on the road?
Date: Thursday, October 25
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Venue: Lane Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
Virginia Tech has to have some offensive consistency. Ryan Willis did account for three touchdowns against North Carolina on the road but also had a 55% completion percentage with two interceptions against an above average pass defense. If that happens again this week then the Hokies won’t have the opportunities to make up for it against a team has averaged 33 minutes of possession per game this season (14th most nationally). Also, the defense was rather spotty against the run against North Carolina and the run is what Georgia Tech specializes in. The Hokies must be able to stop the run if they want to win this game and if not they will don’t stand a chance (just ask Louisville).
Georgia Tech has to put Ryan Willis in a bad spot and control the clock. Willis has played better than expected in most games but he did throw two interceptions against North Carolina managed to fumble the ball, turnover the ball on downs, and miss a field goal in the first half against Tech two weeks ago and Willis led one touchdown drive and combined for seven plays and four yards on the other two. If Willis makes mistakes again this weekend, he may not have the time for a late game, 18 play touchdown drive to win again. If the defense can hold up against the Hokies, the offense just has to control the pace of the game and keep the ball away from Justin Fuente‘s offense.
Betting Odds
Points Spread: Virginia Tech -3
Over/Under: 59.5
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Prediction
This one may seem close on paper, but Virginia Tech is just simply better. Blacksburg isn’t the easiest of places to play and Georgia Tech hasn’t proven much to anybody outside of the Louisville game. The Hokies leave the same way the came in, leading the Coastal Division.
Final Score: Virginia Tech 31 Georgia Tech 17