- Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: Saturday, October 11, at 3:30 p.m. ET (The ACC Network) from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
- Betting line: Georgia Tech -14.5
- Roster cards: Click here
- Atlanta weather: Click here
- Gameday information: Click here
Georgia Tech opened the season with a road win against Colorado and beat Clemson in mid-September. However, those victories haven’t been as impressive as they first seemed as the season has continued to play itself out.
- 27-20 W at Colorado: 2-4 overall, 0-3 Big 12
- 59-12 W vs. Gardner-Webb: 3-2 FCS team
- 24-21 W vs. Clemson: 2-3 overall, 1-2 ACC
- 45-24 W vs. Temple: 3-2 overall, 1-0 AAC
- 30-29 OT W at Wake Forest: 3-2 overall, 1-2 ACC
Neither Colorado or Clemson have lived up to expectations. Wake Forest is better than many expected, but the Yellow Jackets won that game thanks in part to a critical officiating error late in the game, a mistake that was later admitted by the ACC.
Is Georgia Tech as good as its overall record and ranking indicates? Narrow wins over Colorado and Clemson along with that controversial ending to the Wake game suggest it is not. However, it is still solid and possesses the type of offense that has been Virginia Tech’s kryptonite this season.
The Hokies’ run defense has done very well against opponents with more traditional rushing attacks. However, they have struggled mightily against opponents such as Vanderbilt and Old Dominion, who hit defenses with a lot of designed quarterback runs, whether they be power runs or option plays. It’s true that Virginia Tech has made a coaching change since those two games, but it’s still a major concern until the Hokies show they can stop it.
Let’s start this preview with a look at the Georgia Tech offense.
Quarterback Haynes King
Haynes King (6-3, 215, r-Sr.) is the straw that stirs the drink for the Yellow Jackets. He’s not what can be described as an advanced passer, but he’s a very good runner, and the Georgia Tech offensive coaching staff knows how to use the running game to open up the pass.
Here are King’s career numbers at Georgia Tech, discounting his previous time at Texas A&M:
- Passing: 496-of-744 (66.7%) for 5,714 yards, 7.7 YPA, 44 TDs, 19 INTs
- Rushing: 318 carries, 1,704 yards, 5.4 ypc, 28 touchdowns
King exploded onto the scene two years ago when he led the ACC with 27 touchdown passes. He also led the league with 16 interceptions that season. He’s cut down on his picks since then, throwing only three in 2024 and 2025 combined. He hasn’t been as explosive in the passing game since 2023, however, though that’s partly due to the fact that he spent half of the 2024 season banged up. If you recall, he missed his team’s game against the Hokies in 2024, and VT won it in Lane Stadium as a result.
King had one of his worst passing performances in Georgia Tech’s last game against Wake Forest. In 42 attempts, he only threw for 243 yards, which is a paltry 5.8 yards per attempt, though he had his usual good game on the ground. His game against Clemson earlier this year was more of a typical King performance:
- Passing: 20-of-28 (71.4%) for 211 yards, 7.5 YPA
- Rushing: 25 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD
However, the best game of his career came in a losing effort (in eight overtimes) last season against the Georgia Bulldogs:
- Passing: 26-of-36 (72.2%) for 303 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 8.4 YPA
- Rushing: 24 carries, 110 yards, 3 TDs
He played extremely banged up in that Georgia game and still nearly managed to will his team to a win. The Hokies will face better passing quarterbacks this season, but they probably won’t face a more complete one. They certainly won’t face a tougher one. This guy has Pavia levels of toughness — and perhaps more considering his frame isn’t as sturdy. He should be fresh, too, since the Yellow Jackets are coming off a bye. And besides all of that, there is perhaps no quarterback in America who possesses his improvisation skills.
The Other Haynes
Running back Jamal Haynes (5-9, 190, r-Sr.) is overlooked because of Haynes King, but he put together a 1,000-yard season two years ago, nearly did the same in 2024 and has also proven to be an excellent receiver out of the backfield. Here are his career numbers:- Rushing: 402 carries, 2,314 yards, 5.8 YPC, 19 TDs
- Receiving: 63 receptions, 441 yards, 7.0 avg, 4 TDs
Yeah, I’m never going to let that one go.
Other Offensive Threats and Notes
Don’t overlook running back Malachi Hosley (5-10, 205, Jr.), a transfer from Penn who is averaging eight yards per carry with four touchdowns on the season. He’s got 255 yards on the ground and provides a very good complement to King and Haynes.
Malik Rutherford (5-9, 170, r-Sr.) is a wide receiver from Miami who has spent his entire career at Georgia Tech, which is refreshing in this day and age. He’s got 152 career catches for 1,646 yards and had a career-best 62 receptions a year ago. He’s only got eight career touchdowns, and his 10.8 career average suggests that a lot of his catches are of the shorter variety.
Rutherford will also be used in the running game at times, as well fellow wideout Eric Rivers (5-10, 180, r-Sr.). The Yellow Jackets will put wide receivers in motion a lot. Sometimes they’ll get the ball. Sometimes they are just decoys to set up runs for King and Haynes, and sometimes Georgia Tech will pass out of such looks.
Up front, the Yellow Jackets have four starters with over 1,000 career snaps, including two with over 2,000 career snaps. This is a very experienced offense across the board, with multiple seniors and juniors, which makes life a lot easier on the coaching staff.
Run The Dang Ball, Man
Georgia Tech ranks dead last in the ACC in rush defense, allowing 166.2 yards per game. That ranks No. 106 nationally. It is slightly better in yards per carry allowed — 4.22 and No. 83 in the country — but overall, this is a defense that hasn’t shown the ability to slow down the running game. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of the Yellow Jacket rush defense thus far:- Colorado: 31 carries, 146 yards, 4.7 ypc
- Gardner-Webb: 47 carries, 117 yards, 2.5 ypc
- Clemson: 35 carries, 174 yards, 5.0 ypc
- Temple: 44 carries, 184 yards, 4.2 ypc
- Wake Forest: 40 carries, 210 yards, 5.2 ypc
It would certainly help to have Stewart available, though. He had a huge game two weeks ago against NC State and also has a history of success against Georgia Tech. In 2023, he had 26 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta, and he also had a 27-yard reception in that game (his only catch of the season). He forced 12 missed tackles in the running game that day and another in the passing game.
(While looking up those stats, I noticed he forced 20 missed tackles against Buffalo that season. Twenty! That’s double Bhayshul Tuten’s best game in a VT uniform.)
If Stewart isn’t healthy, Virginia Tech will be hard-pressed to win. However, if he’s 100 percent, then the Hokies will have a chance, if their defense can hang in there. (Hopefully Christian Ellis is back.)
Overall Defensive Numbers
Georgia Tech’s pass defense is much better than its rush defense. Overall, the advanced metrics indicate that this is an above average defense.
- DF+: No. 53
- Available Yards: No. 42
Those numbers aren’t great, but they are much higher than you’d expect considering the traditional rushing defense numbers. That means the Hokies are going to find yardage in the passing game hard to come by yet again. In many ways, this matchup with the Yellow Jacket defense is similar to the one VT faced last week with Wake Forest.
Notable Georgia Tech Defenders
Only one Georgia Tech starting defender has a PFF grade above 70 this season, which shows that there isn’t really a star on that side of the ball. Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg (6-3, 310, r-Sr.) is that player, and he has four tackles for loss on the season and is the Yellow Jackets’ most consistent run defender. He’ll make life difficult for a banged up and unsettled Virginia Tech offensive line.
Edge defender Amontrae Bradford (6-2, 255, So.) has only played 93 snaps but has been an effective pass rusher with eight pressures and two sacks. However, he can struggle against the run at times, which is one of the reasons for his limited snaps. It’s a similar story with fellow edge Brayden Manley (6-2, 255, Jr.). Manley starts and has 15 pressures on the season, but he has also missed seven tackles, which is a lot for a defensive lineman. He was one of the top pass rushers in FCS football with Mercer last season.
Georgia Tech will rotate four linebackers. Kyle Effort (6-2, 225, r-Jr.) leads the team with 28 tackles in five games. However, its four linebackers have combined for just one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks, so it’s certainly not a play-making group.
In the secondary, safety play has been a major issue at times, while the cornerbacks have been pretty good. The Hokies need to find a way to put the safeties and linebackers in compromising positions.
The Yellow Jackets don’t force a lot of turnovers (3, No. 119 in the country). As a group, this defense only has eight sacks on the season, which ranks No. 103 nationally. Its pass-rushing grade as a team on PFF ranks No. 104 in the country.
On paper, this will be a welcome respite for Virginia Tech’s offensive line, and considering the overall lack of havoc caused by the Georgia Tech defense, this is an opportunity to play a clean football game.
Special Teams
Georgia Tech kicker Aidan Burr could give John Love a run for his money. He is a perfect 10-of-10 on his field goals this year, with a long of 55 and three other makes from beyond 40 yards. He also doubles as the kickoff man, and 30 of his 33 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.
Punter Marshall Nichols averages 46.8 yards per punt, which is good for No. 16 in the nation. Opponents have managed only four returns against him this year. Between all the touchbacks on kickoffs and exceptional punting, the Hokies aren’t likely to come up with any big yardage in the return game. Bailey Stockton and Eric Rivers have combined to average 9.5 punt returns this season, and both have one return each of 20-plus yards.
Georgia Tech has also blocked a field goal this year. Their SF+ (FEI and S&P+ special teams ratings combined) is a very solid No. 27 in the country this season. The Hokies rank No. 29 in the same metric, so on paper, neither team is likely to gain an advantage over the other.
Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech Prediction Poll
Before our staff makes their picks, tell us what you think will happen Saturday.Final Thoughts
As well as Georgia Tech has performed against ranked teams under Brent Key, its record against unranked teams has been underwhelming. It is 16-14 in such games, and it really should be 15-15 had the officials not blown the call against Wake Forest a couple of weeks back. Yeah, GT has a number next to its name, but this isn’t some kind of uber-talented superteam the Hokies are facing this week.However, when I look at the matchups, they aren’t favorable to the Hokies. VT’s one advantage is running the ball against the Yellow Jacket defense, but we don’t know if Stewart can play. The VT passing game struggles against everybody, and GT has a pretty good pass defense.
The biggest thing that concerns me, however, is Georgia Tech’s rushing attack. Virginia Tech’s run defense has been good in four of its six games. However, the two games in which it was bad were against teams that are similar to the Yellow Jackets. That’s what makes me lean heavily in the direction of the home team this week, though I do believe the Hokies will cover.
Chris’ Prediction: Georgia Tech 34, Virginia Tech 23
Will Stewart (Founder): Coming into this season, Jackets head coach Brent Key was basically a .500 coach. After taking over four games into the 2022 season, Key was 18-16 from 2022-2024. That said, he had earned a lot of respect among fans as a “good coach.”
That’s probably on the back of some impressive wins and performances. Five times, Key’s Yellow Jackets have beaten teams that finished the season with nine or ten wins:
- 2022: Pitt (9-4), Duke (9-4), UNC (9-5)
- 2024: Duke (9-4), Miami (10-3)
But most impressive are Georgia Tech’s performances in losses to powerhouse rival Georgia. In 2023, GT lost 31-23 to the Dawgs, and in 2024, it took eight overtimes for Georgia to beat GT 44-42.
Someone said that Key has a reputation for losing games to teams he shouldn’t… but not really. Sure, Georgia Tech only went 7-6 last season, but its losses were all to teams that finished with winning records, except for one: Virginia Tech. The other five teams that beat Georgia Tech averaged 10.2 wins. So much for that.
And now the Jackets are 5-0 in 2025, but as Chris noted, they’re not exactly blowing people out. So how good are they? We’ll get another piece of the puzzle Saturday against the Hokies.
I could sit here and talk about Georgia Tech’s offense and what it might do against Virginia Tech, but what I really don’t trust is the Hokie offense against the Jacket defense, especially if Terion Stewart isn’t available and healthy. I think GT might be able to pass against the Hokies (like Wake Forest did, to my surprise), but I don’t think VT will generate much of a passing game, and if the Hokies can’t muster a good running game, then they’re really in trouble.
Will’s Prediction: Georgia Tech 31, Virginia Tech 20
David Cunningham (Managing Editor): On paper, this isn’t a good matchup for Virginia Tech, particularly with Terion Stewart banged up after last Saturday’s game against Wake Forest. Georgia Tech has a really talented offense, and though its run defense has some holes, it’s solid against the pass.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off an open week, too, after a close shave against the Demon Deacons. I think they’ll bounce back the right way, and though the Hokies will have an opportunity, I think it’ll take a mistake-free game for them to be in it late in the fourth — something they haven’t shown the ability to do very much.
David’s Prediction: Georgia Tech 34, Virginia Tech 16
Andy Bitter (Senior Staff Writer): This feels like a tough matchup for the Hokies’ young linebackers, having to contend with a physical Georgia Tech rushing attack that heavily involves the quarterback. And if the Yellow Jackets are scoring points, it’s going to be tough for the Virginia Tech offense to keep up, at least based on how much the pass game struggled last week.
Georgia Tech is coming off an open week, and it got a wake-up call the week before in a game it should have lost to Wake Forest, so perhaps the Hokies won’t catch the Yellow Jackets sleeping. Still, Brent Key’s crew seems to get up for games against ranked ACC teams and sort of does just enough against non-ranked teams. The Hokies are decidedly in the latter, which is why I think they’ll at least cover.
Andy’s Prediction: Georgia Tech 34, Virginia Tech 23
Nick Brown (Director of Media): Annnnnnd the Hokies come screaming back down to earth after a 30-23 loss to Wake Forest. It was a weird game that I thought screamed by as a blur. Oh well, onto the next.
Georgia Tech is very good, Brent Key is very good and, most importantly, Haynes King is very good. Still, the Yellow Jackets flirt around way too much with unranked teams, and it feels as if Key can’t get his guys up for these games. However, the counterargument is that Coach Key is PISSED about not being in the top 10, and I could definitely see him pouring it on late for style points.
For what it’s worth, my grandparents have read every TSL game preview for over a decade now, and they both teased me after the Wake Forest game for always picking the exact opposite of what actually happens. Here’s to hoping that stays true this week!
Nick’s Prediction: Georgia Tech 38, Virginia Tech 17
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24-11 |
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44-20 |
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 45-26 |
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38-6 |
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23-21 |
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 30-23 |
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35-20 |
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42-34 (2 OT) |
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28-16 |
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34-14 |
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34-17 |
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| Fan Poll | Score | ||
| Gamecocks Win by 11+ (39%) |  |
Gamecocks 24, Hokies 11 | |
| Hokies Win by 1-10 (50%) |  |
Vanderbilt 44, Hokies 20 | |
| Hokies Win by 1-10 (36%) | |
ODU 45, VT 26 | |
| Hokies Win by 11+ (62%) | |
Hokies 38, Terriers 6 | |
| Wolfpack Wins by 11+ (59%) | |
Hokies 23, Wolfpack 21 | |
| Hokies Win by 1-10 (58%) | |
Deacs 30, Hokies 23 | |
| Jackets Win by 11+ (63%) | |
Jackets 35, Hokies 20 | |
| Hokies Win by 1-10 (52%) | |
Hokies 42, Golden Bears 34 (2 OT) | |
| Cardinals Win by 11+ (64%) | |
Cardinals 28, Hokies 16 | |
| Seminoles Win by 11+ (49%) | |
Seminoles 34, Hokies 14 | |
| Canes Win by 11+ (79%) | |
Hurricanes 34, Hokies 17 | |
| Hokies Win by 11+ (46%) | |
Hokies 37, Hoos 17 | |
| Gophers by 11+ (45%) | |
Gophers 24, Hokies 10 | |