Tweet
GUYS THIS IS NOT A VERY STRONG PLAY SO BE ADVISED ITS ONLY AN OPINION SELECTION. IM SOMETHING LIKE 7-1 OR 7-2 ON POSTED PLAYS SO I'M HOPING FOR THE LUCK TO CONTINUE ON THIS ONE!
----------------------------------------------
VIRGINIA (1 - 2) at GEORGIA TECH (2 - 1)
Week 4 Thursday, 9/21/2006 7:30 PM
vs. 
Analysis
Well I can say for certain that this will not be a popular pick tonight as I’m going to side with a Virginia club that is ranked 112th in total offense, so I’m also not looking for a lot of points in this contest. Virginia, usually a respectable program year in and year out has lost a lot of their talent to the NFL over the past three seasons. The loss of those playmakers makes this a rebuilding year for the Cavaliers who have scored just 13, 13 and 10 points in three games this season (1-2 SU, 0-3 ATS). Quarterback is the big story, with junior Kevin McCabe trying to find some rhythm, but he had no touchdowns and two interceptions in last week's stunning 17-10 home loss to Western Michigan. Although Western Michigan completed only seven passes and was out gained 258-179, they still managed to become the first school from the Mid-American Conference to beat Virginia. The play of McCabe was so poor that the Cavaliers used third-string freshman quarterback Jameel Sewell for the entire second half after head coach Al Groh lost patience with Kevin McCabe and backup Christian Olsen. Virginia failed to score any second-half points despite starting two possessions beyond its 40. Their poor offensive performance is certainly not good news, especially considering that they now have to go against a dynamite Georgia Tech defense. The Yellow Jackets have a slow, ball control offense under often erratic and in my opinion overrated QB Reggie Ball. Mr. Ball often makes poor decisions and finished with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2005 while completing just 48% of his passes. He was poor in the 14-10 loss to Notre Dame as the defense kept them in it, but he has the ability to hurt you with his legs as evidenced by his 130 yards rushing, setting a school record for a quarterback, in their 35-20 win over Troy last Saturday.
Base on the above, it sounds like Georgia Tech should dominate Virginia…right? WRONG! The Georgia Tech seniors, including improved QB Reggie Ball, have never defeated Virginia and although I have little doubt that they should walk away from this contest with their first win in 3 years over this Virginia team, I can also confidently say that NO WAY will they win by this spread margin. Georgia Tech usually has an open date the Saturday before a Thursday night game, But that is not the case in this one after they battled Trpy last Saturday. The lack of additional preparation will make this contest difficult for the Yellow Jacket coaching staff to get ready for Virginia, or to ready their bland offense to do anything different then they did last week. Now granted, Georgia Tech’s head coach Chan Gailey did devote three preseason practices to the Cavaliers, because of the challenges of playing against their 3-4 defense, which (as stated above) has beaten Georgia Tech three times in a row. “You have different blocking rules and different coverage reads because the linebackers can drop into coverage so much quicker,” Gailey said. “The great thing is, Reggie's been looking at it for three years and has a much better understanding of it.” But Gailey fails to recognize that Reggie Ball is still Reggie Ball something he cannot escape. In essence, he is, and will always be, a quarterback with bad accuracy and poor decision-making abilities. That being said, are you really willing to lay over two touchdowns with guys so fearful of a defense and who haven't been able to crack it in three tries. With Virginia’s poor quarterback play, their game plan is simple, run the ball. Will they have success? Not much…but they should still do just enough to make this a frustrating field position game that forces Ball and the Georgia Tech offense to negotiate long fields, where the chances for a mistake multiply. With the clock running and points at a premium…those 17 points look very enticing so take them and pray!
Verdict: Georgia Tech 14, Virginia 10
OPINION SELECTION ON VIRGINIA +17
----------------------------------------------
VIRGINIA (1 - 2) at GEORGIA TECH (2 - 1)
Week 4 Thursday, 9/21/2006 7:30 PM
vs. Analysis
Well I can say for certain that this will not be a popular pick tonight as I’m going to side with a Virginia club that is ranked 112th in total offense, so I’m also not looking for a lot of points in this contest. Virginia, usually a respectable program year in and year out has lost a lot of their talent to the NFL over the past three seasons. The loss of those playmakers makes this a rebuilding year for the Cavaliers who have scored just 13, 13 and 10 points in three games this season (1-2 SU, 0-3 ATS). Quarterback is the big story, with junior Kevin McCabe trying to find some rhythm, but he had no touchdowns and two interceptions in last week's stunning 17-10 home loss to Western Michigan. Although Western Michigan completed only seven passes and was out gained 258-179, they still managed to become the first school from the Mid-American Conference to beat Virginia. The play of McCabe was so poor that the Cavaliers used third-string freshman quarterback Jameel Sewell for the entire second half after head coach Al Groh lost patience with Kevin McCabe and backup Christian Olsen. Virginia failed to score any second-half points despite starting two possessions beyond its 40. Their poor offensive performance is certainly not good news, especially considering that they now have to go against a dynamite Georgia Tech defense. The Yellow Jackets have a slow, ball control offense under often erratic and in my opinion overrated QB Reggie Ball. Mr. Ball often makes poor decisions and finished with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2005 while completing just 48% of his passes. He was poor in the 14-10 loss to Notre Dame as the defense kept them in it, but he has the ability to hurt you with his legs as evidenced by his 130 yards rushing, setting a school record for a quarterback, in their 35-20 win over Troy last Saturday.
Base on the above, it sounds like Georgia Tech should dominate Virginia…right? WRONG! The Georgia Tech seniors, including improved QB Reggie Ball, have never defeated Virginia and although I have little doubt that they should walk away from this contest with their first win in 3 years over this Virginia team, I can also confidently say that NO WAY will they win by this spread margin. Georgia Tech usually has an open date the Saturday before a Thursday night game, But that is not the case in this one after they battled Trpy last Saturday. The lack of additional preparation will make this contest difficult for the Yellow Jacket coaching staff to get ready for Virginia, or to ready their bland offense to do anything different then they did last week. Now granted, Georgia Tech’s head coach Chan Gailey did devote three preseason practices to the Cavaliers, because of the challenges of playing against their 3-4 defense, which (as stated above) has beaten Georgia Tech three times in a row. “You have different blocking rules and different coverage reads because the linebackers can drop into coverage so much quicker,” Gailey said. “The great thing is, Reggie's been looking at it for three years and has a much better understanding of it.” But Gailey fails to recognize that Reggie Ball is still Reggie Ball something he cannot escape. In essence, he is, and will always be, a quarterback with bad accuracy and poor decision-making abilities. That being said, are you really willing to lay over two touchdowns with guys so fearful of a defense and who haven't been able to crack it in three tries. With Virginia’s poor quarterback play, their game plan is simple, run the ball. Will they have success? Not much…but they should still do just enough to make this a frustrating field position game that forces Ball and the Georgia Tech offense to negotiate long fields, where the chances for a mistake multiply. With the clock running and points at a premium…those 17 points look very enticing so take them and pray!
Verdict: Georgia Tech 14, Virginia 10
OPINION SELECTION ON VIRGINIA +17
Comment