Editor's note: Christian Alexander is poised to produce more Thursday night profit. Click to win now!
#11 Virginia Tech (6-2, 3-1 ACC) at Georgia Tech (5-3, 2-3 ACC)
Thursday, November 1
7:30 PM ET on ESPN
Bobby Dodd Stadium (Natural Grass)
Any team that has designs on an undefeated season in college football – especially in today’s game – knows they must have the ball bounce their way at least once or twice over the course of the year.
Last Thursday night in Blacksburg, VA, Boston College kept their dream season alive and their undefeated record in tact when Virginia Tech mishandled an onside kick late in the fourth quarter and the Eagles recovered. That eventually led to the game winning touchdown pass for BC with 11 seconds left.
It was a bitter defeat for coach Frank Beamer, not only because the Hokies seemingly had controlled the game from the outset, but also because he prides himself on special teams play.
I was a little bitter myself as my Thursday night record, 5-2 just a couple weeks ago, has now fallen to 5-4. The upside of course is that the opportunity to get that record headed back in the right direction is only days away.
Which brings us to this Thursday night where we once again will catch up with Virginia Tech, this time down in the state of Georgia as they visit Atlanta to play Georgia Tech.
These two teams are certainly no stranger to Thursday night football.
In fact, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech have been on the ESPN Thursday night game more than any other teams in the ACC. This will be the Yellow Jackets' 20th ESPN Thursday night game and their 15th consecutive season with at least one Thursday night appearance. That is tops in the ACC.
The Hokies are right behind the Jackets in Thursday night appearances with 16 and coach Frank Beamer and staff must certainly look forward to these games as they have compiled a 13-3 over that span. (Nine of those games were played while they were in the Big East)
These two teams are very much alike. Both feature talented and stingy defenses that are relied upon to win games. That’s because the offenses on both teams are relatively weak, not to mention that important playmakers on both teams are banged up.
For Virginia Tech, it all starts with their defense, ranked first in scoring defense in ACC games at just a touch over 15 points per game. As mentioned last week, this unit is led by LB Xavier Adibi and DE Chris Ellis. As Boston College QB Matt Ryan found out against the Hokies, this defense can put a ton of pressure on the quarterback.
The flow of the Virginia Tech offense will be determined by who is under center. Sean Glennon, the starting QB to begin the season for Virginia Tech, gave way to freshman Tyrod Taylor after the Hokies struggled mightily in an early season 48-7 loss at LSU.
Taylor brought an immediate spark to the Hokies offense and things seemed to be heading in the right direction. Unfortunately, the freshman suffered a high right ankle sprain at Duke 18 days ago and could not go last week against BC.
Who will start this Thursday is still unclear and will likely come down to a gametime decision.
I doubt Beamer will get much sympathy from Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey in regards to the injury to Taylor. Gailey knows all too well about losing valued playmakers on offense these days.
ACC rushing leader Tashard Choice will miss this game after having surgery on his right knee last week. That in itself wasn’t devastating since Choice has a very capable backup in Rashaun Grant. Actually, I should say “had” a capable backup in Grant since word recently came out he was going to miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
Without Choice and Grant a weak, run oriented offense just got that much weaker. The Yellow Jackets had been leading the ACC with 219 yards rushing per game, with just under 75% of that usually coming from Choice and Grant.
Without those two, Gailey will turn to sophomore Jamaal Evans and freshman Jonathan Dwyer to pick up the slack and run the ball. I’m sure those two are just thrilled to be making their first ever collegiate start against Virginia Tech, a defense that ranks ninth in the nation against the run, allowing an average of less than 90 yards rushing per game.
With solid defenses and struggling offenses, this game will likely come down to turnovers, special teams and whether Georgia Tech can take advantage of playing at home.
