Georgia Tech has lost two games in a row. Virginia Tech’s losing streak extends five games. Two teams that once ruled the ACC’s Coastal Division have plenty to fix and are in dire need of a win.
For the Yellow Jackets (3-5, 2-3 ACC), who are three-point underdogs to the Hokies (2-6, 1-4), this likely is the game they have the best chance of winning of their final four of the regular season.
Here are five things to know ahead of the game:
About Virginia Tech
On defense, the Hokies have been effective on third downs – 32.5% – ranking 26th in FBS in defensive third-down efficiency. According to Football Outsiders, they rank 22nd in FBS in percentage of drives in which the opposing offense gains at least one first down – 63.5%. What the Hokies don’t do as well is create takeaways. With five, Virginia Tech ranks tied for last in FBS.
Interim coach Brent Key said the Hokies blitz 50% of the time and bring zone pressure to create havoc. It will be a major challenge for the Jackets’ offensive line, which has had trouble handling blitz pressure.
“That’s why they’re up there in the country in those categories, is the disruption up front,” he said.
On offense, the Hokies have been as ineffective as the Jackets. Virginia Tech ranks 116th in total offense (318.2 yards per game), four spots ahead of Georgia Tech.
Virginia Tech is expected to continue to be without arguably its top two players on offense (running back Malachi Thomas, who ran for 103 yards against Georgia Tech last year in his first career start) and defense (cornerback Dorian Strong).
Lineman’s take on Brent Key
While he has taken on myriad other duties since becoming interim coach, Key has remained committed to working with the offensive line, the position group he coached before the coaching change. That was the report from right guard Joe Fusile on Wednesday.
“Coach Key loves O-line, and he’s in the (position meeting) room,” Fusile said. “He’s very involved. (Graduate assistant Nathan Brock) has taken over a lot of the responsibilities, but they’re both very involved in the O-line.”
Fusile was the first offensive lineman to speak with media members since the coaching change. (Typically, three players are made available to media during the week and three or four after the game. More often than not, they are skill-position players and less frequently linemen.) Fusile has been receptive to Key’s alterations since he replaced Geoff Collins.
“It’s been fun,” he said. “He’s a great guy, obviously. Very hard-nosed football coach, and it’s a ton of fun watching his practices evolve as he’s become the head guy. A lot of ‘good on good’ (starters vs. starters), I’d say. A lot of old-school football coach kind of thing. That’s the thing I really like about Key, is there’s not a lot of new stuff. He’s very old-fashioned.”
Going for four
Saturday’s game is not of great consequence in the ACC standings, but Georgia Tech does have the chance to achieve some history. With a win, the Jackets would become the second team to win four consecutive games over the Hokies at Lane Stadium, which opened in 1965. Georgia Tech won there in 2014, 2016 and 2018 with former coach Paul Johnson. Clemson is the only team to have reached that standard, winning five games in a row between 1977 and 1989 when Virginia Tech wasn’t a member of the ACC. (The Jackets also have lost two in a row at Bobby Dodd Stadium to the Hokies, in 2019 and 2021.)
All three games in Blacksburg were landmark wins in Johnson’s tenure. The 2014 win, a 27-24 result decided by Harrison Butker’s 24-yard field goal as time expired, broke a four-game losing streak to the Hokies. In 2016, the Jackets upset the then-No. 14 Hokies 30-20 despite missing starters at quarterback, center, B-back, A-back and right tackle. That Hokies team went on to win 10 games. In 2018, Johnson’s final season, backup quarterback Tobias Oliver led the Jackets to a 49-28 rout. Georgia Tech was 0-for-1 passing and ran for 465 yards, including 215 by Oliver, who became the second Jackets quarterback to reach 200 rushing yards in a game.
The game will be historic for a much less significant way, too. It will be the first ACC game in which each head coach’s name is Brent. Key and Hokies coach Brent Pry are the first two head coaches in conference history with that name.
‘Huge advantage’ expected back
Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims, whom Key said Tuesday was “full go” in practice after missing the Jackets’ loss to Florida State on Saturday, would provide a major lift for the Jackets offense, particularly in the run game. Without having to worry about Sims’ running ability, Virginia and Florida State constricted Georgia Tech’s run game in the Jackets’ past two games, both losses. (Sims left the Virginia game in the second quarter with a sprained foot and didn’t return.)
Tech averaged 62 rushing yards in the two games after averaging 206 rushing yards in the two previous games (wins over Pittsburgh and Duke) with Sims in the lineup. (It does bear mention that Tech had rushing issues earlier in the season, too – 73 yards against Clemson and 53 against Ole Miss – suggesting that Sims isn’t necessarily a cure-all.)
Having Sims available and requiring defenses to have to defend more of the field, Key said, “is obviously a huge advantage for us.”
The team did take confidence from the performance against FSU by freshman quarterback Zach Pyron, who came in for Zach Gibson and was effective in the second half. In this week’s depth chart, Pyron was made the No. 2 behind Sims after he, Gibson and Taisun Phommachanh were all identified as co-No. 2′s.
“To see Zach Pyron go out there and play the way he played – fearless, making throws with guys in his face, running through defenders for touchdowns, stiff-arming for first downs – it just kind of gives you confidence,” wide receiver Malachi Carter said. “OK, we’ve got another guy who’s a dawg out here who’s fearless, who’ll come out here and play for his team.”
Together again
As always, the Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech game features connections of former high school teammates. One in this year’s game is unusually strong.
Starting in seventh grade at Freedom Middle School in Fredericksburg, Va., Georgia Tech wide receiver E.J. Jenkins and Virginia Tech quarterback Jason Brown were teammates and close friends for 10 seasons before going their separate ways. They were a pass-catch tandem in high school and then at FCS St. Francis before transferring together to South Carolina for the 2021 season. In the offseason, Brown transferred to Virginia Tech and Jenkins to Georgia Tech.
Brown has been a backup with the Hokies, throwing 12 passes in two games. Jenkins has started all of the Jackets’ eight games and has caught 14 passes, three for touchdowns.
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