Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Virginia Cavaliers preview

After a dominant win against the Pittsburgh Panthers last weekend, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are set to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. With the Coastal Division of the ACC still very much in flux, the Jackets could easily make a claim on the division with a strong performance this weekend and in their remaining schedule.

Opponent: Virginia Cavaliers

Time/TV: 3:30 pm ET, ESPNU

Georgia Tech Offense vs. Virginia Defense

This matchup should be an extremely fun one, as the Jackets come into this game with the No. 3 rushing attack in the country, while the Cavaliers counter with the nation’s 9th-best rushing defense.

On paper, this seems to be the biggest challenge for Justin Thomas and the triple-option this season.

The Cavaliers have limited their opponents to just 100.4 rushing yards per game. In addition, teams going up against their front seven average just 3.02 yards per rush and have only scored six rushing touchdowns against them altogether.

Six.

The Jackets have scored 27 rushing touchdowns this season and average 326.1 yards per game and 6.17 yards per rush. Something’s gotta give in this matchup — your guess is probably as good as mine.

Georgia Tech Defense vs. Virginia Offense

This matchup is going to be significantly less exciting than the one we just went over, but it could easily be what determines the winner of the game.

The Cavaliers bring a fairly balanced offense to this one, but still favor the rush a bit more than the pass (325 rushing attempts compared to 293 passing attempts). They’ll probably look to establish their running game early to take advantage of a very poor defensive front that is Georgia Tech. The Jackets have allowed 5.38 yards per rush this season, which is pretty terrible.

Cavalier running back Kevin Parks hasn’t had a stellar season by any means (613 yards on 145 carries, four touchdowns), but is likely itching at the bit to take on this Jacket defense.

Virginia has used a quarterback tandem of Matt Johns and Greyson Lambert this season to verying degrees depending on health, but at this point they have attempted 147 and 137 passes respectively. Johns has thrown for 1012 yards and eight touchdowns to five picks, while Lambert has thrown for 825 yards, four touchdowns and six picks.

Johns also brings a bit more to the table with his legs. Despite running the ball just 19 times, he’s averaged 6.4 yards including a 48-yard touchdown run.

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While the Yellow Jackets should come into this game as the better overall, their defense certainly poses a real threat. In addition, the Cavaliers have a few solid wins against Louisville and Pitt. Still, UVa. has yet to show that it can win on the road, and the Jackets should be able to take advantage of that in Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Stay tuned for post-game coverage, and a live game thread that will open on Saturday morning. Check it out!