Georgia Tech-Virginia Preview

Virginia's matchup Saturday against #24 Georgia Tech has a lot riding on it. The Hoos seek bowl eligibility and to gain more momentum as the season winds down. The Cavaliers must try to slow Reggie Ball, Calvin Johnson, and P.J. Daniels to try and come away with a much needed victory to assure postseason play.

Saturday the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-2, 4-2 ACC) come to Scott Stadium to take on the Virginia Cavaliers (5-3, 2-3 ACC). The Yellow Jackets come in ranked #24 in the country and are riding a three game winning streak in conference play (Duke, Clemson, Wake Forest).

On paper the guys from Atlanta look pretty impressive especially on the defensive side of the ball. Their defense has given up an average of a little over 13 points per game so far.

Georgia Tech's biggest win of the season has to be their season opener at Auburn in which the Yellow Jackets came away with a 23-14 victory. While the Hoos signature victory thus far in 2005 was their 26-21 victory over the Florida State Seminoles almost a month ago.

Georgia Tech has already gained bowl eligibility and the Hoos are seeking a chance to do just the same with another win on Saturday. After their matchup on Saturday both teams find themselves with two of their biggest games to close their 2005 season (GT plays Miami and Georgia while UVa plays Virginia Tech and Miami).

Most people are well aware of the Yellow Jackets' big combo on offense in quarterback Reggie Ball and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The duo's ability to make big plays keeps defense's honest but don't overlook running back P. J. Daniels who's already run for over 700 yards on the year. Daniels straight ahead style running the ball should test the Hoo defense just as much as Ball and Johnson will through the air.

Defensively the Hoos must be aware of defensive end Eric Henderson and linebacker Gerris Wilkinson as they have helped the Yellow Jacket defense become one of the biggest surprises in the ACC so far.

The Hoos finally have just about all of their key players healthy at one time this season and it couldn't come at a better time for Al Groh's bunch. Running back Wali Lundy and fullback Jason Snelling busted loose last week and will look to soften up the Yellow Jacket defense all afternoon. Both ran for over 100 yards each last week against Temple. Quarterback Marques Hagans has played well this season but the senior from Hampton is going to need to put forth one of his best efforts against the stingy defense of Georgia Tech.

With Ahmad Brooks returning to game shape finally and Kai Parham playing like a man posessed this season the run defense should be at the top of its game on Saturday. With P.J. Daniels, Tashard Choice, and Reggie Ball in the backfield they will get tested obviously.

During his press conference on Tuesday head coach Al Groh commented on what his scheme might be to slowing down the Tech offense. "In that kind of situation, you just fall back on tried and true philosophy. Because two of the three primary threats are right in there tight to the formation, that is the quarterback, as a runner as well as a passer, and the two tailbacks that they have, you better make sure you're not light on the run, that's for sure. But, quite clearly, that's a little bit of a roll of the dice deal, as was proven last week, in that Calvin Johnson only got four catches for 100 yards. So, it would take a lot of running plays probably to churn out 100 yards, but it only took four catches to do it."

Additional Notes:

The Cavaliers have won 6 games in a row against the Yellow Jackets at Scott Stadium. They have also won 9 of the last 13 meetings with Georgia Tech.

Last year Virginia won 30-10 in Atlanta.

Thursday afternoon it was announced that safety Tony Franklin, defensive end Vince Redd, receiver Ottowa Anderson, and nose tackle Kwakou Robinson all were suspended for Saturday's game due to violations of team rules.)

	Individual Stat Leaders Virginia vs Georgia Tech
	Reggie Ball 115-239 1386 yards 8 TD's Passing Marques Hagans 135-224 1583 yards 10 TD's
	P.J. Daniels 151 attempts 703 yards 3 TD Rushing Wali Lundy 74 carries 304 yards 4 TD
	Calvin Johnson 40 rec. 725 yards 5 TD Receiving Deyon Williams 34 rec. 410 yards 3 TD
	Gerris Wilkinson 61 tackles Tackles Kai Parham 67 tackles
	Eric Henderson 4.5 sacks Sacks Kai Parham 8 sacks
	Phillip Wheeler 4 interceptions Interceptions Marcus Hamilton 4 interceptions