GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: As always when facing coach Paul Johnson’s Georgia Tech team, defending the triple-option is the most important thing. The Yellow Jackets lead the nation with 352.4 rushing yards per game and can eat up lots of clock, making every play more important in what amounts to a shortened game.
The defensive line will have to be aware of cut blocks, and linebackers and safeties have to have their eyes right to not be fooled by misdirection or play-action. That was problematic for the Hokies last season. The Yellow Jackets completed only two passes in last year’s victory over VT, but those passes went for touchdowns of 60 and 80 yards.
DRAFT SLANT
–DT Ricky Walker has 16 tackles this season, including three for loss. The senior is mostly known as a run-stuffer, and he’ll need to eat up blocks in the middle of the line against Georgia Tech’s cut-blocking offensive linemen.
ROSTER REPORT
–DE Trevon Hill was dismissed from the team on Sept. 23 a day after the loss at Old Dominion. The reason given was “not upholding the high standards we have for our student-athletes,” coach Justin Fuente said in a statement. Hill, a junior, had 20 career tackles for loss, including 4.5 this season in three games.
–LB Devon Hunter, a sophomore, will redshirt after playing the first four games of the season. Under a new NCAA rule, a player can play up to four games and still save a year of eligibility.
==
