Virginia Football Schedule Preview: Georgia Tech

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Canaan Severin and the Hoos host Georgia Tech on Halloween. ~ Mike Ingalls

Playing Georgia Tech on Halloween seems fitting. The Yellow Jackets, after all, are a nightmare to defend with their multi-faceted spread option attack. Paul Johnson’s group has scored at least 33 points in four of five meetings against Mike London’s Virginia teams. GT is 4-1 in those games, including a three-game winning streak. The Jackets are coming off a great season in which they went 11-3 and won the ACC Coastal Division and the Orange Bowl. They won six of their last seven games a year ago, the only loss a narrow 37-35 setback against Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. Georgia Tech returns eight All-ACC players and 13 starters so this should be one of the tougher games on UVa’s packed schedule.

Georgia Tech Peek

  • Head Coach (record at school): Paul Johnson (58-35)
  • 2014 Record: 11-3
  • Offense 2014 Total Yards/Game (National ranking): 476.5 (20th -tie)
  • Offense 2014 Points/Game: 37.9 (12th)
  • Defense 2014 Total Yards/Game: 411.3 (81st)
  • Defense 2014 Points/Game: 25.7 (53rd)

What To Expect On Game Day

Offense: Georgia Tech’s offense has morphed into a run-heavy spread option but still maintains its triple option roots. Regardless of what you call it, the system is hard to stop. Last season, the Yellow Jackets ranked among the top teams in the nation by scoring 37.9 points per game. They finished second nationally in rushing offense with 4,789 yards and they were sixth in yards per carry at 6.06 on average. Simply put, defenses better wear their hard hats and their knee pads against a physical group that also uses cut-blocking techniques.

One big reason Tech’s offense had so much success in 2014 was the play of quarterback Justin Thomas, who has injected a dangerous passing element to go with the always strong running game. Thomas rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season in his first year as a starter and threw for 1,719 yards. He rushed for eight touchdowns and threw for 18 more. Thomas lit up Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl to the tune of 121 yards rushing and 125 yards passing with four total touchdowns (three rushing).

Of course, if the offense is stacking up rushing yards, the offensive line must be playing well. The Yellow Jackets welcome back four offensive linemen that helped GT lead the nation in rushing yards and third down conversions. The four returnees have combined for 63 starts in their careers: center Freddie Burden (14), left tackle Bryan Chamberlain (21), left guard Trey Braun (21), and right tackle Errin Joe (7).

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