AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 29
Monday, October 29, 2007
With/without Choice, Jackets must buckle up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chan Gailey left open, if only slightly, the door for Tashard Choice to play Thursday night against Virginia Tech, suggesting again that he’s recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery quickly, jogging, and, well, being Tashard.
If the decision were left entirely up to Choice, you know he’d play Thursday. Gailey jokingly said Tuesday that, “you know he’ll lie,” a reference to Choice saying before the Virginia game that his hamstring was good to go only to last four carries or so.
Whether Choice plays or not, the Yellow Jackets probably can’t afford to give up uncommon points, like by special team return, or turnover return, and Virginia Tech is very good at that. Ask Clemson.
The odds of scoring a lot of points offensively against Va. Tech are not very good, although LSU put a major whipping on them way, way back in September. But the Hokies clamped down on Boston College for 57 or so minutes Thursday night before Matt Ryan amped up his Heisman campaign. And BC may be the No. 1 team in the nation, as Matt Rhodes suggested Thursday. (Odd stat: Va. Tech is 13-3 in ESPN Thursday night games, all three losses — and three wins — coming against BC).
If the defense clamps Va. Tech down (and the Hokies’ offense is uncommonly pedestrian, as even their running game is well off its annual pace), but the Hokies get points on special teams or off turnovers, then Ga. Tech’s odds decrease big time.
It could be that whichever team gets the most points from special teams, or perhaps defense, wins this game.
