GT vs. Wa-who's?

Tomorrow, the Yellow Jackets entertain the Cavaliers from Charlottesville at 3:30 on ESPU.  Tech comes in having won 11 straight homecoming contests (including a 2003 victory over Philip Rivers and his NC State Wolfpack team), and is a 11.5-point favorite in this contest.

GT D-line vs. UVA O-line

Tech comes in leading the ACC in sacks, while UVA leads the ACC in fewest sacks allowed.  Keep in mind too that the Jackets lead the nation in tackles-for-loss, and should they continue being successful in that department, it's gonna be a long day for the Virginia offense.

Solid article from the AJC about the anticipated matchup between two 1st-round NFL prospects in GT DE Michael Johnson and UVA OT Eugene Monroe, I would encourage everyone to check it out.  Too many times we forget that the game of football is won on the lines.  The old cliche "run the ball and stop the run" still holds true for consistent winning teams.

A different type of streaking...

Tech comes in having won four straight (Miss. State, Duke, Gardner-Webb, @Clemson), while the Cavs have won three straight (Maryland, East Carolina, UNC).   Not sure how much of a role this will play for the Jackets, but I think UVA will have quite a bit of confidence coming in to tomorrow's game.

Home is where the [win] is

Despite low attendance numbers at BDS this year, Tech has enjoyed a perfect 4-0 record at the friendly confines of the Flats this season, by a combined score of 116-28.  UVA however hasn't enjoyed any success on the road, losing their only two road games (@UConn, @Duke) by a combined 76-13.  Extrapolating and averaging, Tech should win 29-7.  Then again, games aren't played on paper.

Also kinda strange...the home team in this series has won every game since 1995, with the exception of a 30-10 UVA win in Atlanta in 2004.  Home field advantage means almost everything in this series, and hopefully we'll see that continue on for at least this year.

3-4 = -1?

UVA is one of the few D1 teams to run the 3-4 defense (for the non-football-savvy of you out there, this means that they use three down lineman and four linebackers as their primary defensive setup; most teams, including Tech, use a 4-3 defense).  Tech faced this scheme against Jax State and Miss State, and those games turned out pretty well for us.  Hopefully this trend will continue tomorrow...

Revenge Factor?

Last year, Tech lost to the Wahoos 23-28 in Charlottesville that Tech could have (and probably should have) won.  Luckily I was at Jekyll Island for our state BCM fall conference so I didn't have to watch us lose.  But I imagine the guys who played for us last year have this memory fresh on their minds and are excited about the chance to redeem last year's game that slipped away.

Last Cavalier visit to Atlanta

The Cavs visited the Jackets for a Thursday night matchup two years ago, but I guess the UVA offense forgot to get on the bus.  Tech won handily 24-7 (wasn't that close), with UVA's seven coming on a second-half, fourth-and-goal trash TD.  CJ had a huge night, including the following long TD (his first of two):

Prediction
Frankly, this game kinda scares me.  Everything, and I mean everything, says we should win this game.  11 straight homecoming victories, GT's perfect home record and UVA's winless road record, the 11.5 line set by the "experts", etc.  On paper, we should win this 23890-0.
Despite the potential trap, I think Tech wins this one handily as well.  UVA is frankly overmatched, and may slow us down for a half (similar to what Duke did), but CPJ will know what to adjust in order to win.  We probably lose this one under Chan Gailey, but no more.  Tech wins 27-13 thanks to 300+ yards on the ground and continues the homecoming streak.
Other Happenings
A...tricylce race?
Tonight is one of Tech's many annual homecoming traditions, the Mini-500.  This race involves a team of four racers driving (if that's what you want to call it) a modded tricycle around Peters Parking Deck on Tech's East Campus.  The race is 15 laps long for the guys, 10 for the ladies.  Speaking from personal experience (I participated last year), this is one of the most grueling physical activities there is, as the race features a ~100 foot stretch up Freshman Hill.  This is no race for pansies, believe me.
UGAy at LSU
The doggies travel to Baton Rouge tomorrow (3:30 on CBS).  The losing team is basically out of the SEC race and the Nat'l Title race, while the winner is vaulted into serious contention for the big chalupa.  LSU comes in after a less-than-desirable 1-1 road trip to Gainesville (21-51 L) and Columbia (24-17 W).  Last time the pups visited BR resulted in a 17-10 win for the Tigers.  I'm hoping the Tigers absolutely destroy the pups on their way to a 6-1 record.  Even if the doggies win, they'll have to faced a pissed-off UF team next Saturday in Jacksonville.
VPI at Free Shoes U.
This rematch of the inaugural ACC championship has a lot riding on it, even outside of wins and losses.  A win by VPI would put them on track to pretty much win the ACC Coastal division and lock up a spot to Tampa win only Maryland, Miami, Duke and UVA left after that.  A win by the Criminoles, coupled with a Tech win over the Cavaliers, puts GT in the driver's seat in the Coastal division, though a tough road remains.  Let's hope FSU can help us out and pull off a big win.
I hope a great weekend to all!  Election Day is less than two weeks away, so get out there and register to vote (if you still can and have not already; whatever you do, don't vote for obama...)!