Tale of the Tape: Virginia Cavaliers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech enters Saturday’s Coastal Division matchup against Virginia with the nation’s top rush offense, and it’s really not even close. The Yellow Jackets (6-4, 4-3 ACC) average 362.3 yards per game on the ground, and second-place Army is far behind at 307.2 a contest, the only other Division I school that puts up more than 300 per outing.

Tech has won three games in a row and five of its last six, and the Jackets have gotten it done almost exclusively by the run. In the last three wins over division foes Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Miami, GT has rushed the ball 205 times for an eye-popping 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Ramblin’ Wreck registered 78 carries for 465 yards against the Hokies, 74 totes for 461 yards against the Tar Heels and 53 carries for 230 yards against the Hurricanes last week. On the season, GT has 43 rushing touchdowns compared to just six through the air.

Paul Johnson’s team doesn’t pass the ball much, but when they do, they’re effective. Over those same three contests, Tech has only thrown seven passes but completed five of them for 177 yards and a pair of scores, so the Wahoo defense can’t be caught off guard and must be aware of that threat as well.

UVA (7-3, 4-2) must win Saturday for any hopes of a Coastal Division title. A victory would give the Cavaliers eight in a season for the first time since 2011, which is also the last time the ‘Hoos registered five ACC wins.

Saturday’s forecast in the ATL calls for partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s, so weather shouldn’t be much of a factor.