Game day has arrived for Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

The Hokies and Yellow Jackets kick off at noon today, and while this game will fly under the radar, it will be a big matchup for both teams. Georgia Tech looks to clinch bowl eligibility for the second straight season, while Virginia Tech hopes to keep its ACC championship game hopes alive and win its third straight game.

These two teams did not play last season but are very familiar with each other from their days in the ACC Coastal division. These two teams have played every year between 2004 and 2019 (did not play during the 2020 COVID season), and the Hokies currently lead the all-time series 11-8. An interesting statistic in this series is that Georgia Tech has won the last four meetings in Blacksburg (2022, 2018, 2016 and 2014) and the Hokies haven’t beaten Georgia Tech at home since 2012.

The last time they met, it was Hokies head coach Brent Pry’s first season and Brent Key was still the interim head coach. It was a close back-and-forth game, but true freshman quarterback Zach Pyron won his first start and beat Virginia Tech 28-27 at Lane Stadium.

Virginia Tech (4-3, 1-1 ACC) was a team that came into the year with a lot of hype, but so far they haven’t lived up to it. But they have just one ACC loss and are still alive for a berth in the conference championship game. They gave Miami their all and then went across the country to beat Stanford 31-7. They defeated Boston College 42-21 last Thursday. This is a very talented team and Lane Stadium is of course a difficult place to play.

Let’s preview today’s game.

Georgia Tech’s Offense and Virginia Tech’s Defense

While he hasn’t been officially cut yet, it seems like it would be a surprise if Zach Pyron isn’t the Yellow Jackets’ starting quarterback.

Coming into this game, Georgia Tech is ranked No. 3 in the country in rushing offense, No. 62 in passing offense, No. 55 in passing offense, No. 16 in red zone offense, No. 3 in sacks allowed, No. 54 in scoring offense, No. 27 in tackles for loss allowed, and No. 39 in total offense.

Virginia Tech comes into this game ranked third in the nation in scoring defense, 98th, 69th in interceptions, 28th in passing yards allowed, 5th in red zone defense, 98th in rushing defense, 55th in scoring defense, 70th in passing efficiency allowed, and 4th in passing efficiency allowed. Ranked 65th in sacks and total defense. This Virginia Tech defense has some real strengths, but it also has some weaknesses.

Zach Pyron played well against Notre Dame’s defense last week, and while Virginia Tech is talented on that side of the ball, they’re not as good as the Fighting Irish. Still, Pyron will need to play better than last week, especially if Georgia Tech can’t run the ball. He finished last week with 269 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Pyron doesn’t represent a running threat like King does, but he can make things happen with his legs.

Georgia Tech needs to be able to run the ball better in this game. They failed to run the ball in all the matches they lost this season. Last week they fell behind and had to give up the run, but this week they need to prevent that. Jamal Haynes had a great performance heading into the Notre Dame game, but like Chad Alexander, he struggled to get things going last week. Virginia Tech’s weakness on defense is run defense, and Georgia Tech needs to make a good play down the field to win.

Another important matchup will be Virginia Tech’s passing offense against Georgia Tech’s offense. Hokies defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland leads the nation with 11 sacks, and Georgia Tech has given up just three sacks all season. Powell-Ryland has the talent to blow this game up for Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have to stay out of third and long, which goes back to running the football.

The Hokies also have a tremendous cornerback tandem. Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane will challenge the receiver duo of Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton Jr. Singleton threw 13 goals in last week’s loss to Notre Dame.

The keys to the Georgia Tech offense will be running the football and protecting Pyron. If they don’t do either of these things, it’s likely going to be a long day for Brent Key’s team.

Georgia Tech’s defense played really hard last week, but they didn’t get much support from their offense. There are similarities to the modus operandi of Notre Dame and Virginia Tech’s offenses. Both have a strong offensive attack and their playmakers can beat you with their arms and legs. Georgia Tech’s strength is in rush defense and they will have their hands full today against Bhayshul Tuten.

Coming into this game, Georgia Tech’s defense ranks third in the country in pass defense, 27th, 120th in interceptions, 78th in passing yards allowed, 82nd in red zone defense, 26th in rushing defense, 49th in scoring defense, and 99th in passing efficiency allowed. It is located. .

Virginia Tech ranks 46th in the nation in rushing offense, 106th in passing offense, 69th in red zone offense, 67th in sacks allowed, 39th in scoring offense and 92nd in tackles for loss allowed. This offense has talent, but they don’t always live up to their potential. At the beginning of the year, Virginia Tech started games slowly, but they got off to better starts against Stanford and Boston College.

The person who started their attack is Bhayshul Tuten. Tuten is coming off a game in which he broke the Hokies’ single-game rushing record, finishing with 266 yards, and is one of the nation’s top rushers. He was held to under 100 yards just twice this year, against Vanderbilt and Stanford. He has 871 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns this year.

Kyron Drones may be the most important player in this game. He is a very dynamic runner but an inconsistent passer. This year, Drones has just two games in which he has passed for 200 yards and three games in which he has completed less than 60% of his passes. But like Georgia Tech running back Riley Leonard, Drones can get into a rhythm and run the offense well. Georgia Tech’s defense must be disciplined when facing the Drones.

The Hokies have a talented group of receivers, and Georgia Tech’s weakness is in the secondary, where they give up big passing plays to opposing quarterbacks. Ali Jennings, Da’Quan Felton, Stephen Gosnell, Jaylin Lane and Benji Gosnell can all make plays and be tough matchups.

Virginia Tech’s offensive line is solid, but they have given up on pressure and allowed the Drones to be sacked 11 times this season. Georgia Tech hasn’t had a strong passing offense this season, but they could get opportunities against the Hokies.

Injuries could also be a big factor for the Yellow Jackets’ defense. If linebacker Kyle Efford can’t go, it would be a huge blow to Georgia Tech’s run defense. Linebackers will be put to the big test, and tackles were an issue for the Yellow Jackets’ defense last week. Georgia Tech’s defensive line has been strong in run defense this year, and players like Zeek Biggers, Jordan van den Berg, Romello Height, Thomas Gore, and the rest of the Georgia Tech defensive line will have to win their matchups. Hokies offensive line.

One thing Georgia Tech needs to limit is special teams mistakes. Brent Key has talked about it all week but they need to show it on the field. The field goal was, among other things, a disaster. In every loss this year, Georgia Tech’s special teams have been poor. Can they fix that this week against a program known for making big plays in this portion of the game?

TV: ACC Network

• Play-by-play: Chris Cotter

• Analyst: Mark Herzlich

• Sideline Reporter: Coley Harvey

• Mobile Application: ESPN

• Online: WatchESPN.com

RADIO: Georgia Tech Sports Network

• Play-by-play: Andy Demetra

• Analyst: Andrew Gardner

• Sideline Reporter: Chris Mooneyham

• In Atlanta: 680 AM / 93.7 FM The Fan

• Across Georgia: Visit RamblinWreck.com for station affiliate list

• Satellite: SiriusXM 85

• Mobile Apps: GT Yellow Jackets, 680 The Fan, SiriusXM, TuneIn

• Online: RamblinWreck.com, 680TheFan.com

Accordingly Fanduel Sports BettingVirginia Tech is a 10.5-point favorite over the Yellow Jackets and has a point total of 52.5.

Going into the week, I was picking Virginia Tech to win. But despite possible injured players, I think the Yellow Jackets have a chance to win. Virginia Tech is starting to play well, but they have yet to show consistency this season and have been disappointing as heavy favorites this year. They lost outright against Vanderbilt and struggled at different points against Marshall and Old Dominion. Georgia Tech’s strength is running the football, Virginia Tech’s weakness is run defense. I think Georgia Tech can limit Virginia Tech’s running game and force the Drones to make mistakes and turn overs. Jamal Haynes is having a great day running the ball and Pyron runs the offense efficiently to win a close game.

Final Score: Georgia Tech 28, Virginia Tech 27