Virginia-Georgia Tech Series:
- Game will be at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
- Game will start at 3:30 PM ET
- Series is led by Georgia Tech 20-19-1
- Virginia holds current win streak of 1
Offensive Players to watch:
Virginia: Jordan Ellis will be in the backfield for the Cavaliers this Saturday to take on Georgia Tech. Ellis had a decent game last week against a scare from the flames when he had 106 rushing yards. For the season as a whole, Ellis remains the top rusher for his team with 835 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Look for Ellis to be the spreading factor in contrast to Bryce Perkins passing attack. I expect Virginia to use Ellis as a distraction for the Georgia Tech front and then hit “home-run” plays down the field.
Georgia Tech: Tobias Oliver has cemented himself into this Georgia Tech starting lineup as a freshman. Oliver was named the starting quarterback during the Virginia Tech game and will remain the starter for the rest of the season. Oliver makes the rush look easy as he built up 781 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. Watch for Georgia Tech to utilize the quarterback sweep they have displayed the last couple of weeks with Oliver to hopefully catch this Virginia defense off-guard.
Defensive Players to watch:
Virginia: Zane Zandier will be the man in charge of the middle of the field for the Cavaliers Saturday. Georgia Tech, when their sweeps and options don’t work, go up the middle with their fullbacks. When this happens, Zandier must be on edge to stop this highly efficient play. This season, Zandier has 59 total tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and 2.0 sacks. It will be nothing short of expected to see Zandier show up Saturday to lock down the middle of the field for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Georgia Tech: Desmond Branch is an elusive defensive end for the Yellow Jackets. Branch is an insane outside rusher for this defense and can pressure quarterbacks into uncomfortable situations. Branch’s stats sit at 25 total tackles, 4.0 tackles-for-loss, 1 interception, and 0.5 sacks. Virginia’s Bryce Perkins (quarterback) likes to rush the outside gaps when they open, however this won’t be the case this weekend as Branch will be waiting.
The Basics:
Georgia Tech is on an impressive win streak right now across their ACC slate. Virginia is coming off a close first-half game from Liberty, but managed to pull away late. Look for it to be a back and forth game with some stops. Georgia Tech’s offense is built to chew clock and score every drive. I liked Virginia this season, but I see a late season collapse building up this weekend. The non-existent ability to build consistent drives for the Virginia Cavaliers will be their demise Saturday.
Prediction:
34-24 Georgia Tech
Photo Credits: https://virginia.sportswar.com/multimedia/photos/football/2013-football-georgiatech/
