Judging by the health of two key players, No. 11 Virginia Tech would seem to have an advantage against Georgia Tech in an ACC showdown Thursday night. The visiting Hokies are 2.5-point betting underdogs despite being the ranked team.
ACC rushing leader Tashard Choice is out for the Yellow Jackets (5-3, 2-3 ACC) due toa sports injury. Sophomore Jamaal Evans is expected to start in Choice's place. Evans and Jonathan Dwyer led a rushing attack that gained 292 yards in a 34-10 victory over Army last week. (College Football injury report)
Meanwhile, the Hokies (6-2, 3-1) should get back quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The freshman, who missed Virginia Tech's last-second loss to Boston College last Thursday due to an ankle injury, is 5-0 as a starter. However, junior Sean Glennon still will likely see some snaps.
Taylor is more in the mold of former Hokie Michael Vick, running as well as he throws, averaging 148 total yards per game. Glennon, meanwhile, tied a 34-year-old school record by attempting 53 passes in last year's loss to Georgia Tech in Blacksburg, and he uses a traditional approach as a pocket passer.
"Taylor likes to run the ball a lot," Georgia Tech's Jahi Word-Daniels said. "He is very versatile, and Sean likes to pass the ball a little bit more and roll out to let the receivers get to their patterns. They're both good. They have their strengths and weaknesses, and we have to practice for both of them differently."
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said he'll decide just before the game if his freshman is ready to play. If not, Glennon will get another start."We're going to play the guy that we feel like gives us the best shot to win," Beamer said.
This should be a defensive battle as Georgia Tech has scored only eight offensive touchdowns in five ACC games, with Virginia Tech scoring 10 in four (and that includes five in one game against Duke).
The Hokies are ranked No. 102 in the nation in passing offense at 175 yards per game, while Georgia Tech only averages 170 yards per game, No. 107 in the country.
Plus, the Hokies are No. 1 in scoring defense in ACC action (15.2 points per game), and the Jackets No. 3 (19.4).
Virginia Tech still has plenty of motivation in the wake of that loss to Boston College: With a win over the Yellow Jackets, the Hokies can pull into a first-place tie in the Coastal Division with Virginia, a team the Hokies will face in their regular-season finale.
So the ACC championship, if not the BCS championship, is still in reach.
"You've got to move on," Beamer said of that heartbreaking loss to BC. "It was disappointing. We were in a position to have them, and we didn't quite get there. We can still get to the ACC championship game, (but) we've got work to do."
Tech blew a 10-0 lead last week in the final four minutes.
The lowdown: Virginia Tech lost to Georgia Tech 38-27 last Sept. 30. The Hokies had won the previous two meetings, in 2004 and '05, and are tied at 2 with the Yellow Jackets in the all-time series. Georgia Tech has won three of four games since a 2-2 start, and its defense has allowed only 27 points in the last three victories, and the Jackets will keep their ACC title hopes alive by beating the Hokies.
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