Re-match on Wednesday. Must play with sound.

Courtesy of SI Vault

Jim Zorn longs for these days

As far as sports weekends go, you could say that this past weekend ranked in the pantheon for shitty sports weekends for anyone who is a Virginia fan, a Redskins fan, and a Wizards fan (or a fan of my 4 fantasy football teams!). I hesitate to give it a “worst sports weekend” medal for the simple fact that both UVa and Redskins fans had given up hope on the season long ago and it is entirely possible likely that both teams don’t win one more game for the rest of the season.

Note: As much as this weekend sucked, I will always remember the weekend of November 24-25, 2007 as the worst ever. A weekend flanked by Thanksgiving and the twenty-first anniversary of my birth should never be disappointing, right? WRONG. After coming back to school early on Friday night, I witnessed the last chance for my precious Wahoos to beat arch-rivals Virginia Tech in my four years of college, only to watch us lose and along with that, give up any chance to go to the ACC Championship game. I wish that was the worst part of the weekend. Following the game, I came home to watch the UVa basketball team (fresh off an NCAA tournament berth) get pummeled by an average Seton Hall squad. (Seton Hall hasn’t really recovered from Eddie Griffin and Eddie Griffin hasn’t really recovered from getting hit by a train. Too soon? Not when you get arrested for masturbating while driving. Do yourself a favor and read his wikipedia page. He was like a not-as-good, less-transcendent, douche-ier Len Bias.) Now, you might say to yourself…losing one college basketball game in a season isn’t really worse than losing to your arch-rival in football and you would be right, however; that is not where the true awfulness of the weekend comes. On Monday morning, I checked my phone to see that I had over 15 text messages on that, the day of my birth. My original thought was: “Damn, I have a lot of friends or one really psycho friend.” What I did not expect to see was “Sean Taylor was shot.” Only a day later did I fully realize that we had just lost my favorite athlete of my lifetime. (Did I mention that the Redskins also lost that weekend to the Bucs? No? Well, that also happened.) But I digress….

Here is a look at the rest of the season for the Hoos: They have to play a resurgent BC at home, followed by games at Clemson and at home against Virginia Tech. Couple that with a coach who is more done than Ladainian Tomlinson, and we have a 3-9 record staring down our throats.

Spiller will thank the Hoos for giving his Heisman campaign some hope

The Redskins meanwhile are playing the toughest remaining schedule in the National Football League. The team’s two wins were against a Rams team whose only win was against the Lions and a Tampa Bay team whose only win came this past weekend. Oh, and the total margin of victory? Five. I remember walking out of FedEx field in September after the 9-7 victory over the Rams thinking that I just walked out of a stadium of a losing team. Little did I know at the time that this would serve to be one of two bright spots for the whole year. The defense that everyone has been touting as the only good part of the team? Not sure what happened to it on Sunday. An out of position Laron Landry (who might soon be moved back to Strong Safety if you believe reports on radio stations, which I don’t) looked foolish trying to tackle low while Deangelo Hall was too busy giving his best matador act as Michael Turner single handedly annihalated the defense. Deangelo Hall also tried to fight the whole Falcons team whom it appears he left with zero friends (Must read: Dan Steinberg’s take on the skirmish, full with pictures). The only winnable game left on the schedule is the game at Oakland, which is no gimme.

Most disappointing out of the three teams, however, has been the Wizards. We’ve known for weeks now that Grohrn (Yes, Jim Zorn and Al Groh are married) should have their homes up for sale, but who predicted that the Zards would stumble out of the gate 2-5 and worse yet, look really bad in those 5 losses. At times during the game, I had to look at the sideline to make sure that Ed Tapscott still wasn’t the coach. Wizards fans are holding out hope that this disconcerting start to the season is a result of a few things:

A) Antawn Jamison has yet to play a game and losing Mike Miller for a week to 10 days actually is more problematic than we probably thought at first;

B) The schedule to open the season includes a majority of road games and teams that made the playoffs last year (although half the NBA makes the playoffs); and

C) Gilbert Arenas is still finding his legs.

Will the days of Hibachi ever return?

I am hoping this is the case. I did figure the Wizards to finish in the 4-7 range in the East this year and lucky for the fans, the season is 82 games and not 16. Still, you can’t help but notice the offensive struggles that are evident on this team. Here are the point totals, assist totals, and turnover totals for the seven games this season:
Game 1 (at Dallas) W: 102, 19, 9 *Great all around game*

Game 2 (at Atlanta) L: 89, 19, 14

Game 3 (vs New Jersey) W: 123, 28, 13

Game 4 (at Cleveland) L: 90, 12, 13

Game 5 (vs Miami) L: 89, 15, 12

Game 6 (at Indiana) L: 86, 16, 19….Pause, Tyler Hansbrough put up 13 and 5 in 13 minutes on an NBA team.

Game 7 (vs Phoenix) L: 90, 15, 17

In the 5 losses, the team hasn’t broken 90 points and had more turnovers than assists three times. Gilbert Arenas’ A/TO ratio in the 7 games are: 9/3, 4/7, 7/3, 5/3, 3/3, 5/3, 6/4. He has at least 3 turnovers in every game. Agent 0 Gilbert is going to have to manage the game better or I can see Randy Foye used as the point with Gilbert at the 2. The problem with this approach is that Randy Foye is more Gilbert Arenas than Walt Frazier in his decision making ability. I am not going to give up on this season. We all know how premature that is and that the season is still young, but there are some reasons of real concern for the Wizards brass and fans. The next five games feature a game at Miami, vs Cleveland and at San Antonio. This team could easily be 4-8 by the time Antawn Jamison returns. Not the start that most Wizards fans were hoping for.

I'm Colt's girlfriend. Guess who?

The other matchup between ranked teams is between Southern Cal and Oregon. In a game that will probably decide who wins the Pac-10 and heads to the Rose Bowl (with both teams with an outside chance of reaching the BCS Championship game), both teams will be bringing it all.  Since their Boise State national TV nightmare, Oregon has been impressive. In fact, I don’t know if impressive is strong enough of a word. After only beating Purdue by 2, they beat the then 18th ranked Utah Utes, then 6th ranked Cal Bears, Washington State, UCLA and Washington on the road by an average of 26 points. And while USC has already lost their annual shock loss on the road in the Pacific Northwest against Washington, a loss to this Oregon squad wouldn’t really shock anyone whose been watching them in recent weeks. In fact, the USC defense has been extremely vulnerable to mediocre offenses in the past two weeks. At the end of the day, it is tough to bet against Pete Carroll at night on national television especially when this Trojan team finally got what they were hoping to get when they recruited Allen Bradford last week (15 car 147 yd 2 td), I think USC pulls out a close come from behind victory and treads water in the BCS championship race.

Can Bradford become the first bruising back at USC since Lendale White?

In the Thursday night game, Virginia Tech looks to bounce back after their demoralizing loss to division rivals Georgia Tech. They will face a UNC team where their parts greatly surpass their sum. The Tar Heels have one of the nation’s top defenses but cannot overcome a putrid offense led by a quarterback who seems to have regressed since last year.  While I understand that they lost their top receivers to the NFL, their running game should still be in tact and all we heard about in the past two offseasons was the top receivers they had recruited.   The Hokies have a very different problem on their hands.  While they are still 13th in the nation and in the running for the Coastal Division crown, it is highly unlikely that GT loses either of their two remaining games against Wake Forest and Duke. As a result, the Virginia Tech team could go in one of two directions: play as the once-hyped now-vilified senior safety Kam Chancellor says they will, by only focusing at the next game on the schedule and doing only what they can control. Or they can do as I think many are not suspecting they will, play without the passion that Bud Foster and other coaches have instilled in their team.  Only time will tell if November and December are kind to the Hokies. And with that, lets go to our picks:

UNC at  (-16.5) #13 Virginia Tech

Shraf: Virginia Tech

Only one quarterback over the last ten years has been able to beat VT in Blacksburg on a Thursday night and TJ Yates is not even a homeless man’s Matt Ryan.

Doug:Virginia Tech

Look for VT to get on top early and force Yates to throw the ball often. I expect at least one pick six and this to get out of hand in the second half.

Indiana at (-17.5) #4 Iowa

Shraf: Indiana

While Iowa will squeak out a win, Indiana has shown the ability to put points on the board against good teams (despite laying a dud against Virginia).

Doug: Indiana

Indiana’s run defense is more than porous and Iowa boasts talent at both lines, too bad Iowa just lost their starting running back for the season and think Indiana will keep this close.

#25 Ole Miss (-4) at Auburn

Shraf: Ole Miss

Both teams seem to be turning their seasons around. Unfortunately for Auburn fans, they started the season 5-0.

Doug:Ole Miss

Jevan Snead will play like he was predicted to and Auburn fans will get a little more antsy about Chizik.

Georgia at (-15) #1 Florida

Shraf: Georgia

The Bulldogs will surprise the nation as they beat the Gators in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party “Florida–Georgia/Georgia–Florida Game”

Doug:Florida

Richard Samuel has not been able to establish himself and against a banged up Florida Defense it’s still the only way to put points on the board against them.

Duke at (-7) Virginia

Doug:Duke

Thad Lewis has made a great case for ACC Offensive player of the year while Sewell has made a case for ACC’s most offensive player of the year.

Shraf: Duke

Now..I am a big Hoos fan, but giving seven? Really? This is the best Duke team since the Ol Ball Coach was roaming the sidelines.

#22 South Carolina at (-6) Tennessee

Shraf: Tennessee

Lane Kiffin’s boys respond to being the subject of a Weezy track and take the Cocks to the woodshed.

Doug: Tennessee

South Carolina struggled at home against Vandy while Tennessee easily could have won on the road against Bama. Bryce Brown has a couple of TDs in a win.

#3 Texas (-9) at #14 Oklahoma State

Shraf: Oklahoma State

Nine points is a lot of points to give in Stillwater, even without Dez Bryant.

Doug:Texas

Oklahoma State is an undisciplined team and Texas will struggle in the 1st half but pull away in the 2nd. Like usual.

#5 USC (-3) at #10 Oregon

Shraf: USC

The return of Damian Williams and Allen Bradford has revitalized a team that was in desperate need of revitalization.

Doug:Oregon

Lamichael James has quietly put together an extremely good season and Oregon overcomes a long Ronald Johnson TD.

]]> http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/college-football-week-9-picks/feed/ 2 shraf Colt McCoy's GF Allen Bradford http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/preview-unc-at-14-virginia-tech/ http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/preview-unc-at-14-virginia-tech/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:41:04 +0000 zebbington http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/?p=121 ]]>

To say last week was disappointing for Tech fans would be a massive understatement but it’s time for the Hokies to move on and look ahead to the Tarheels coming into town on Thursday night. Thursday nights in Blacksburg have been kind to the Hokies who have only lost twice on the Primetime game and both those losses coming at the hands of the BC Eagles including a last second miracle win by Matt Ryan. So yes, I have brought up 2 of the most frustrating losses in recent VT memory at the beginning of a Virginia Tech preview. Let’s move on.

Saying the North Carolina offense has been anemic this year would be an understatement. They are averaging only 23 points per game which is only good enough for 90th in the country. Led by T.J. Yates the passing offense has been less threatening than a Mike Paulus  2 minute drill.  The struggles have really been the cause of losing 3 wide receivers to the NFL draft this past year. Hakeem Nicks a 1st round pick, Brandon Tate a 3rd round pick and Brooks Foster a 5th round pick led way to unrefined talents Greg Little, Jheranie Boyd and Dwight Jones who have yet to provide a much needed, consistent down-field threat. Yates only went 13-25 with 64 yards and an interception against at home last thursday night and against a struggling FSU defense. Uhh Sorry T.J. that just ain’t goin to cut it here in the big leagues. I was impressed with Yates last year before he was injured but the inexperience of the offensive line and receivers mixed with a running game with Shaun Draughn that is still trying to find itself is a recipe for disaster. Ask Virginia Tech fans how that works out.

The North Carolina defense has been relatively stout this year giving up a little over 16 points and 264 yards per game, good enough for 7th in the country. This is mainly due to the dominant individual players along the D-Line and maybe the best Linebacker in the ACC in Quan Sturdivant. Occupying one side of the DLine is athletic freak Robert Quinn. Quinn, who is only a sophomore, is tied for 8th in the country in sacks with 7 and leads the ACC in tackles for loss with 11. North Carolina’s other impact player along the defensive line is DTackle Marvin Austin who after being one of the top recruits in the nation struggled at times his rookie year but has really come into his own this season. Austin possesses a rare combination of size, agility and quickness that pro scouts salivate over. He still tends to disappear at times but has the ability to make a game changing play at any moment. While the front 4 have been very good so far this season there is still inexperience at the other 2 line backer spots, the secondary has been strong with safety Deunta Williams leading the charge. It is not going to be an easy task for the VT wide receivers to get open for Tyrod Taylor.

Tyrod Taylor is going to have to be as dangerous as he was with his feet in the Georgia Tech game if the Hokies want to find consistent success on offense. The offensive line has been good at times but not good enough to give Taylor a pocket to throw out of every time he drops back. It is going to be up to Taylor to move around in the pocket, buy time and be a threat with his feet to open up the field for the rest of the Virginia Tech offense. What can’t happen is let the North Carolina front 7 compact the box to neutralize Ryan Williams and get pressure on Taylor without having to bring a blitz. What can combat this, and what the VT offense seems to do when it is at it’s best is utilize misdirection with Dyrell Roberts going in motion and spreading the field out a little more early in the game. Too often do we see Stinespring motion the tight ends in a 2 tight end set and run right to the strong side. Not only is it predictable but it really brings any rhythm to the offense to a complete halt. I would love to see screen passes and play action to Williams much more. Especially against a defense that is going to be very aggressive in getting up the field to attack Taylor. I don’t think there is a player in the country who can bring Ryan Williams down in a one on one situation. It is going to be up to Stinespring figure out how to use the defense’s strengths against them as opposed to trying to impose the Offenses’ will on a defensive line that to me, has proven they will put you behind the sticks if you don’t mix things up. Especially with Render and Dechristopher being banged up.

There’s not much that needs to be said about the Hokie defense in this game. Bud Foster and co. were not able to slow down GT in the 2nd half and they are going to come into this game with a chip on their shoulder and a Lane atmosphere behind them against a struggling UNC offense. Translation: Not a lot of points for UNC. Worilds has proven it doesn’t matter who he goes up against he will get pressure on a quarterback. I expect Cody Grimm and pals to swallow up any lame running game UNC will try to put together. Don’t expect Shinskie like numbers but not much more than that. I expect UNC to try a few downfield shots to Boyd to try and get lucky but all signs point to that not working and even if they do get in the redzone……I don’t expect a touchdown.

Although both of these teams are coming off of excruciating losses I still believe they are headed in different directions. The Virginia Tech offense has to unpredictable to offset the UNC Dline and get in 3rd and manageable situations while I don’t expect the UNC offense to score much if at all. VT just has more explosive game changing players on offense. Ryan Williams will show the country why he is one of the top backs in all the land. I expect him to be swallowed up a few times in the beginning of the game but will break off multiple runs in the 15-20 yard range once the UNC offense is unable to keep them off the field. I am predicting around 22 carries for 145 and 2 TD rushing and another 40 yards receiving, hopefully. I also believe Greg Boone will have a couple 3rd and medium conversions and God forbid a couple Dyrell Roberts end-arounds which if he has just returned a kick for 80 yards can be postponed for a couple plays. This is a classic game where if the Hokies jump ahead early on a big play they will force Yates to throw the ball when the only possible way they will win the game like that is if Paul Johnson sends in chop blockers from the sidelines.

Prediction: VT 30 – UNC 6

I recently asked one of my friends, a Mets fan, who he was rooting for in the World Series: The Yankees or the Phillies. When the mere notion of having to root for either of those teams clearly began to give him indigestion, I relented, and asked who he thought would win. A relieved but indecisive shrug was the answer I got. And why not? The Yankees and the Phillies are without a doubt the best teams from their respective leagues and the most evenly matched World Series opponents since 1999. Both lineups are stacked with powerful and fast offensive weapons. Both pitching staffs have a dynamic mix of power pitching and veteran experience. Both teams have by far the easiest fans to hate – Yankees fans are arrogant knuckleheads, and Phillies fans are from Philadelphia. Picking a winner in this series is almost as difficult as finding a woman Steve Philips won’t cheat on his wife with. I won’t purport to try. So instead, here are a few narrative threads I will be watching that could very well make or break one of these teams’ chances to win the ugliest trophy in professional sports. Or at the very least make this a more interesting series than Angels – Dodgers.

1) Will Alex Rodriguez continue his post-season abuse of the baseball? or Will the Yankees’ bats wake up in time?

There is no player in these playoffs hitting with more authority or confidence than Alex Rodriguez. Gone is the youthful stupidity of a 27 year old and the frosted tips. What has emerged is a player who absolutely refuses to chase a breaking ball out of the zone or let a fastball in the zone get by. Rodriguez is hitting like its May of 2008 and he is the singular offensive reason the Yankees are still in the 2009 playoffs. While Mark Teixeira was busy forgetting he could hit from the left side of the plate, Rodriguez was cranking game tying home runs off all-star closers and registering an unfathomable 1.510 ops in the ALCS. Will a Phillies pitching staff that allowed the second fewest walks in the NL during the regular season be aggressive enough to get ahead of Rodriguez in the count and finally wake a sleeping headcase? It seems unlikely – Rodriguez has the look of a man perfectly content in having a team on his back. There’s no more room for a monkey.

Luckily for the Yankees they might only need Rodriguez to be “human, not sub-human,” as Bobby Valentine put it (clearly disregarding the fact that the only sub-human professional hitter on the planet is Gary Matthews Jr.). To keep up with the Phillies, leaving double digit runners on base isn’t going to cut it – something the lefties in the lineup know too well. Towards the end of the ALCS, Teixeira was turned around to his far less powerful but more consistent right side and began collecting hits and rbis. Robinson Cano had a huge hit in a futile Game 5, and after a dismal ALDS, Johnny Damon found his stroke in the contentious championship series. The Phillies are a confident powerhouse with the tools to back it up, and its going to take bigger hits with more frequency to hold down an offense that has no problem putting up crooked numbers in half innings. How every other hitter (Captains excluded) besides Rodriguez reacts to the pressure of a World Series is going to be where this series is won and lost.

2) What about the pitching in Game 2?

The Fox network and baseball fans are indebted to Charlie Manuel. The marquee matchup of the series may be former Cleveland Cy Yound winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee on a collision course in Game 1, but Game 2 might be even more intriguing. For New York, mercurial AJ Burnett will try to wrangle his wicked two seam fastball and 56-foot curveballs into the strike zone in an effort to overcome a deal he made with the devil that I imagine went something like this:

Devil: Here’s the deal, I’m going to give you once in a generation type stuff, the abilitity to pitch few can even dream about.

AJ: What’s the catch?

Devil: Every game you pitch, you’ll be completely blind for one inning. Could be the first, could be the ninth – but you’ll be blind as a goddamn bat.

AJ: Deal.

]]> http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/world-series-preview/feed/ 2 shraf A-Rod Joe Buck http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/gonna-make-a-change/ http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/gonna-make-a-change/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:56:01 +0000 zebbington http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/?p=119 ]]>
]]> http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/gonna-make-a-change/feed/ 0 zebbington http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/12-georgia-tech-at-uva-preview/ http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/12-georgia-tech-at-uva-preview/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:12:12 +0000 zebbington http://firedansnyder.wordpress.com/?p=101 ]]>

So who would have thought at this point of the season that not only would UVA be in control of their own destiny in the ACC but also that all VT fans have to back the mighty Cavaliers this weekend for their own hopes of an ACC championship to be revived? College football…..where rooting for your rivals happens! Without further getting into the state of college football lets look at the matchup.

If there’s one word I can use to describe watching your team play Georgia Tech, it is frustrating. 4 yards, 3 yards, 8 yards, 1 yard, 3 yards, 12 yards, fumble, 5 yards, 7 yards, touchdown. Time left in the first quarter: 4 minutes 30 seconds. Time your team has had the ball: 0. Blood boiling fist clenches: 3.

Georgia Tech’s triple option offense has proved to be an efficient and effective weapon in the ACC after coach Paul Johnson moved over from Navy. As of this week GT leads the nation in rushing with 1,917 yards and is 2nd in the country with 22 rushing touchdowns. What makes this rushing attack so frustrating to watch is you know what is coming every play and it is still extremely difficult to stop when executed well. GT employs a zone blocking scheme and utilizes smaller offensive lineman and cut blocks to keep the defense on their heels. Their offensive lineman use very wide splits and will immediately go to the second level without engaging the defensive lineman. This is contrary to most offenses which the defensive and offensive lineman are basically matched up. A great example of the success and dangers of this kind of scheme can be seen in this video. (Keep your eyes on the DTackle 3rd from the bottom)

You can clearly see the guard shooting past the Virginia Tech Dtackle John Graves and going directly after the linebacker. The Tackle then chop blocks the unaware Graves. This is actually a legal play according the the NCAA since the guard did not initiate the contact. Graves was hurt on this play and did not return in this game and his status is uncertain for this week. There is a fine line between chop blocking and cut blocking and GT walks this line very closely albeit legally.

What really makes this offense so dangerous though, is the running ability of Quarterback Josh Nesbitt. Nesbitt right now is 22nd in the country in rushing, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and has 9 touchdowns. Check out this quote from Virginia Tech defensive line coach Charley Wiles from Kyle Tucker’s blog (Great blog not only for VT fans but for any serious Cfootball fans, great insight on there from the coaches themselves):

“But I think the guy who also brings so much to the table – which we saw last year, and this year probably has 58-60 more carries – is the quarterback. He’s a beast. Nesbitt is just a player, man. He’s physical. He’s hard to tackle. He’s always falling forward. He’s the guy to me, as well as the fullback. Dwyer gets in the open field, he runs like a tailback, he’s 225 pounds and he’s dynamic. But you can take the fullback away, like we did a year ago, by trying to beat him up and take the dive, take the dive, take the dive. But Nesbitt is the guy. People are taking the fullback away and they’re putting it in his hands, and he’s very, very capable and tough. He’s a good player, man. He is.”

Bottom line: if UVA wants to win this game on Saturday, they are going to have to take away Nesbitt.

The not so crazy thing is? I think they can do it. Virginia’s defense led by Senior Dtackle Nate Collins (ACC defensive lineman of the week) and corners Ras-I Dowling and Chris Cook really matches up well with the triple option offense. Although UVA only ranks 44th in the country in rushing defense they have only allowed 82 yards per game during their win streak as opposed to over 180 yards per game early in the season. More importantly what can really take the option attack away is the ability of corners to get off their blocks. Dowling and Cook should be up for the challenge and force Nesbitt and company to be unable to string as many plays out wide of the linebackers and D-Ends. This would really force Dwyer and Nesbitt up the field more quickly where Steve Greer and the rest of the linebacking core will have to really tackle well to keep GT in 3rd and longs where they struggle to convert in passing situations.

Demaryius Thomas…..congratulations you have met Georgia Tech’s passing offense. Thomas might very well be the most underrated Wide Recerver in the country right now. Thomas is 12th in the country in receiving yards after only 27 catches! He is averages 25 yards per catch including a key 57 yard reception last week…..Nesbitt’s only completion the entire game. Which basically means Nesbitt is playing 500 with Thomas and a usually shorter cornerback about 7 times a game (that game we played as kids? no? maybe? ). Anyway, Georgia Tech utilizes Thomas perfectly in keeping the downfield threat there the entire game and forcing the defense to man up on a very physical, jump ball receiver. GT is 111th in the country in receiving yards but 8th in passing efficiency which shows they make their throws count. It will be up to Cook or Dowling to not get lulled to sleep by the running game and always be looking for that downfield pass which Johnson likes to call when the defense least expects it. If you get can force Georgia Tech into 3rd and long situations they really have no consistent way to convert. This will be key in keeping Georgia Tech from sustaining long, time-sucking drives.

I waited to write this preview until Friday for one major reason and that was to wait for the UVA injury report to come out. Jameel Sewell and Mikell Simpson both are probable to play and are the two most important players for UVA’s offense.  Sewell only has 5 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions on the year so far but has been much more efficient and accurate with this throws. I am sure it was tough for him to get back into the flow of the position after being away from the game so long and not even starting the first few games this season. Vic Hall has also really embraced the wide receiver position and can be a difference maker there. Georgia Tech has struggled at time containing wide receivers and Hall, Kris Burd, and Tim Smith are going to have to provide a consistent threat in order to give Simpson, who is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and 5 tds, room to move the chains against an inconsistent GTech defense.

Georgia Tech’s defense which came up big in the 1st half against Virginia Tech last week will be looking for a repeat performance. They are going to have to play with the same passion and energy they brought on the field against the Hokies if they want to come out on top against a team that they have struggled against in recent years. GT’s defense is giving up 26 points and 380 yards per game which is only good enough for 149th and 166th in the country. Defensive end Derrick Morgan is one of the better players at his position in the ACC and has a good balance of run stopping and pass rushing ability.

I expect this game to be a close hard fought contest. Georgia Tech’s triple option offense has been dominant so far this year and you have to expect them to put points on the board and shorten the game. It is going to be up to UVA’s defense to keep them in 3rd and longs and give their offense as many chances as possible to capitalize on the mistakes that the offense makes. GT is averaging 3 fumbles a game and if the Cavaliers want to win this game they are going to have to do what VT was unable to do last week and put points on the board whenever they get on Georgia Tech’s side of the field. I think Simpson will have some good runs and Sewell is much more mobile than he gets credit for. GT had a tough time containing Tyrod Taylor when the pocket broke down and was able to pick up some key first downs. Right now I just don’t think Sewell’s passing ability will be consistent enough against a front 4 that will put pressure on him all game. If they can find creative ways to get Vic Hall and Simpson the ball in space and keep Demaryius Thomas quiet I think that they will have a chance, especially with the physicality of the UVA corners but UVA has not proven to me they can consistently take care of the ball and keep up with an offense that is averaging 32.4 points per game. I hope I’m wrong Cavalier fans.

Prediction: GT 24-UVA 17