Chick-Fil-A Bowl

Georgia ranks fifth in the NCAA in punt return average. Who cares about special teams, right? Don’t

Virginia Tech comes into this contest on a six game winning streak. Since losing consecutive

tell that to the Bulldogs, who boast one of the best punt returners in wide receiver Mikey Henderson. The junior has a fantastic 15.6 yards per return average and also has two touchdowns. Facing the best scoring defense in the nation, the Bulldogs are going to need Henderson to provide decent field position throughout the game if Georgia expects to put points on the board.

games to Georgia Tech on September 30 and Boston College on October 10, the Hokies have reeled off six straight victories. During the streak, Virginia Tech has outscored its opponents by a total of 144-29. Another key stat for the Hokies is four – as in four times the Tech defense shut an opponent out during the regular season.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford vs. the number one pass defense in the country. The good news for the

Linebacker Vince Hall vs. tight end Martrez Miller. Hall was voted first-team All-American by

freshman quarterback is that he earned himself a starting role over the past month of the regular season. The terrible news for Stafford is that he also earned himself a date with the best secondary in the nation. The Hokies intercepted 16 passes this season and field a defensive back in Brandon Flowers that was named third-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly. Good luck Matt, you’re probably going to need it.

Collegefootballnews.com thanks in large part to finishing 13th in the nation in tackles. Hall is a big-time hitter and can run well, so look for him to key an eye on Miller in obvious passing situations. Miller finished the regular season as Georgia’s leading receiver with 364 yards on 26 receptions. If Hall can take away the middle of the field where Miller likes to roam, Georgia might have a tough time gaining first downs through the air.

UGA is going to need an impressive showing from its defense in order to pull off the small upset. The good

If Georgia can’t commit to the run throughout the entire contest, Virginia Tech is going to win

news for the Bulldogs is that Virginia Tech isn’t exceptional in either the passing or running game offensively. However, keeping Brandon Ore contained as much as possible is going to be priority numero uno. Ore has had a phenomenal season for the Hokies, rushing for 200-plus yards in wins over Southern Mississippi and Clemson. He’s also coming off an ankle injury that he suffered in the second to last game of the regular season that limited him to only one carry against Wake Forest. Ore has been cleared to play, however, so defensive ends Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson better have their game faces on. Moses is mammoth at 6’5”, 257lbs and gets great pressure at the point of attack. If the Hokie offensive line has to double team either Moses or Johnson, the Bulldogs will likely win the battle in the trenches, which might lead to a long day for Ore. UGA should be fine defending the pass and might pressure quarterback Sean Glennon into an interception or two. Offensively, Kregg Lumpkin has stepped in well for the injured Thomas Brown. Lumpkin is averaging 5.1 yards per carry, but he has only cracked the century mark twice this season because of lack of carries. If Georgia is going to win, head coach Mark Richt might want to lean on Lumpkin more than just 11 to 15 times. With a freshman quarterback in Matthew Stafford going against the best secondary in the nation, Richt needs to ask Lumpkin to carry the offensive load. If Richt can build a game plan around Lumpkin, the pressure will be off Strafford to make a ton of plays and maybe UGA can lull the Hokie secondary to sleep. If Virginia Tech starts committing to the run, tight end and leading receiver Martrez Miller might find an opening along the seam or over the middle of the defense.

handily. The Hokies secondary is just too strong with Brandon Flowers and Victor Harris at the corner position for the Bulldogs to try and win through the air. Virginia Tech’s best strategy defensively might be to lock up man to man with UGA wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and A.J. Bryant. Free safety D.J. Parker can then play a deep centerfield and that will leave rover Aaron Rouse to either cover tight end Martrez Miller or commit to the run. With the secondary being as good as it is, head coach Frank Beamer and his staff don’t have to worry about blitzing too often. However, when the Hokies do blitz, they usually bring stud linebacker Chris Ellis from the edge. If Ellis can get to quarterback Matthew Strafford once or twice in the first half, the freshman is bound to make a mistake or two. Offensively, Virginia Tech is going to have to have a healthy Brandon Ore at tailback. For as well as Sean Glennon has played at times this season, he still is prone to throw at least an interception a game. During an early season loss to Georgia Tech, Glennon had to throw the ball a season high 53 times due to an ineffective run game. Not being able to get Ore going on the ground might spell disaster. The Hokies best bet is not to take the ball at defensive ends Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson. For as good as left tackle Duane Brown is, pounding the middle might be the best approach in trying to neutralize Moses and Johnson. With no true deep threat at the wide receiver position, Virginia Tech would be wise to run multiple screen passes since Moses and Johnson will be trying to bring pressure up field. If Ore can slip behind the defensive line, big gains might await on the other side. Bottom line is that if the Hokies win, Ore’s stat line should be much, much more impressive than Glennon’s.

Home cookin’ for UGA. Mark Richt’s players will be on familiar ground December 30. Last year, the

Freshman tailback might have to step up. If starter Brandon Ore is limited by an ankle injury,

"Dawgs" played West Virginia on the very same Georgia Dome surface at the 2006 Sugar Bowl. Unfortunately for Georgia, the G-Dome wasn’t all that welcoming as the Bulldogs fell to the Mountaineers 38-35. Nevertheless, Georgia can still view this contest as a bit of a home game.

freshman Kenny Lewis might be counted on heavily. With Ore going out early in a win over Wake Forest, Lewis carried the ball 17 times for 74 yards against the Demon Deacons. Then in the final game of the season against rival Virginia, Lewis had 19 carries for 79 yards. He only stands 5’9”, 191lbs, so even if Ore is healthy, Lewis can still be a great change-of-pace back against a stingy Georgia defense.

Think Georgia likes the Chick-fil-A Bowl (formally the Peach Bowl)? This game will mark the fifth time

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer has won a total of nine coach of the year awards thanks in

that the Bulldogs have appeared in this bowl. Only Clemson has been a guest of Chick-fil-A as many times as UGA has. The “Dawgs” currently sport a 2-2 record in the bowl, with wins over Virginia and Maryland and loses to Virginia and Syracuse.

large part to his continued dedication to defense and special teams. Since Beamer started coaching at Virginia Tech in 1987, a player at every position on the defensive unit has scored at least one touchdown. And at least 25 different players have scored touchdowns while on Tech’s special teams.