VT @ Georgia Tech Thursday Night

Virginia Tech came within two minutes of upsetting No. 2 Boston College last week before Matt Ryan produced some late lightning. The Hokies will be looking for redemption and revenge when they travel to Georgia Tech for their second straight Thursday night encounter.


Virginia Tech had outscored its first four opponents last season 138-23 when it faced the Jackets at home as 9 1/2-point favorites. Georgia Tech struck early and often, jumping out to a 21-0 lead in the first 11 minutes, en route to a 39-27 upset victory.
The Jackets haven't played since a costly home victory on Oct. 20 over Army, 34-10. Leading rusher Tashard Choice and speedster Rashuan Grant were both hurt in the win over the Cadets and won't play against the Hokies.
That puts a lot of pressure on Jonathan Dwyer and Jamaal Evans, who will see the second best rush defense Georgia Tech has faced all season. The Eagles limited Tech to 63 rushing yards on Sept. 15 at Bobby Dodd Stadium en route to a 24-10 victory. Virginia Tech is ninth in the country against the run, allowing less than 90 yards per game.
Dwyer will assume the role of featured back. He has toted the ball must 10 times in the last four weeks, but he did take over when Choice exited with an injury against Virginia to gain 75 yards in 15 carries with a touchdown. Dwyer also erupted for 138 yards and a touchdown in the Jackets blowout win over outmanned Samford
Georgia Tech is 13th in the country, averaging 219 yards rushing per game, though 2/3 of those yards typically come from Choice and Grant. The Jackets have run the ball 61 percent of the time, but sophomore quarterback Taylor Bennett may have to step up if they expect to whip the Hokies.
Bennett has struggled in his first full season as a starter, completing just 51.4 percent of his passes for 1,337 yards and two touchdowns, while being picked off on three occasions. He could be in for a rough night against a stiff Virginia Tech defense that leads the ACC in sacks with 29.
Coach Frank Beamer hopes that redshirt freshman Tyrod Taylor is ready to return to action after missing last week's game with a high ankle sprain. Taylor, 5-0 as a starter, has much more mobility than Sean Glennon, a major asset against Georgia Tech. The Jackets are averaging 3.6 sacks per game, fourth in the nation.
Taylor has averaged 148 yards per game while Glennon is strictly a pocket passer and would likely be a sitting duck against Georgia Tech's fierce pass rush. Somehow the Hokies have managed to win six of eight games despite yielding 29 sacks.
The Jackets put up about 28 points per game against the Hokies 26. However, Georgia Tech has averaged almost 100 yards more offense per game.
Virginia Tech is on a 12-2 spread run on the Atlantic Coast Conference road. The Hokies have 'covered' 10 of their last dozen on the road overall and 15 of 21 versus ACC opponents. They have cashed nine of their last 11 as underdogs while the Jackets have failed at a 12-5-1 clip as favorites.

Georgia Tech has been on the low side in 17 of its last 21 Thursday tests. The Jackets have also ducked 'under' in 12 of 15 at home after winning three of their last four games.
Most offshore books opened Georgia Tech as a 1 1/2-point favorite, with the 'total' set at 42.