It was simply an option play.By the time Roddy Jones finished tightroping his way down Georgia's sideline, a rivalry was recharged.There were many big plays in Georgia Tech's 45-42 victory over Georgia in Athens last season. But none was bigger than Jones' 54-yard, game-winning touchdown run with 7 minutes, 13 seconds remaining.

Jordan Luallen is 520 miles from his home in Greenwood, Ind., give or take a few feet.Will Jackson is 220 miles from his home in Knoxville.David Sims is 240 miles from his home in St. Matthews, S.C.They are a few of the true freshmen on Georgia Tech's football team who will hop in their cars after today's 9:45 a.

Georgia at Georgia TechWhere: Bobby Dodd StadiumWhen: 8 p.m. SaturdayTV: ABCWhat it means to me"The rivalry means a lot to me. I enjoy it. I love it. It's a thing where I graduated from Gainesville High School. I guess that's there in UGA land, so that was always a big thing coming from classmates and coaches and teachers and whoever.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt already knew Zachery Peacock was a "team guy" by the way he ran his sprints and plays in practice."You're talking about a guy he pours every bit of energy he has into whatever you're doing," Hewitt said. "If we're working on defense, if we're doing a running drill, a line drill, he wants to be at the front of the pack.

Combined they've played in more than 200 games.But Saturday's 8 p.m. game against Georgia will be the last at Bobby Dodd Stadium for Georgia Tech's seniors.Though there are only six seniors on scholarship, which includes five fifth-year players, the class has contributed to 35 wins the past four years.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said it doesn't matter to Tech if injured wide receiver A.J. Green plays for Georgia in Saturday's 8 p.m. game at Bobby Dodd Stadium."A.J. Green is probably one of the best players in the country. He might be the best receiver in the country," Johnson said.

Coach Paul Johnson Weekly Press Conference: 11-24-09Opening Statement:"Good morning. I think the week off last week came at the right time. I was encouraged by what I saw in practice yesterday. The guys were excited to be out there after a few days off.

The gameWhere: Bobby Dodd Stadium, AtlantaWhen: 8 p.m. SaturdayTV: ABCLatest line: Georgia Tech by 7-1/2.What it means to me"It means a lot. It's an old-school rivalry. Pure hatred. I was born into it. Coming here they put it all in here [pointing to his chest].

For all the criticism it received early in the season, Georgia Tech's defense appears to be rounding into form at the right time. The No. 7 Yellow Jackets (10-1) are allowing an average of 20 points during the past five games, compared to 26.5 during the first six.

• When: 8 p.m. Saturday• Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium• TV/Radio: ABC; 750 AM, 790 AM, 106.7 FM

What it means to me

Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said he doesn't have a magic wand that he waves at halftime to suddenly bring his offense to life.Fans, coaches and players at Duke, Virginia Tech and FSU, to name a few, may beg to differ.Six times this season, the Yellow Jackets have rushed back out of the tunnel to score on their first possession of the second half.

Tech forward averaged 14 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocked shots in Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta When: 8 p.m. Saturday TV: WSB

What it means to me

Despite Georgia's disappointing season, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said his team will not be overconfident for Saturday's 8 p.m. game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the 105th meeting between the two teams.The No. 7 Yellow Jackets (10-1) were off this week, while the Bulldogs (6-5) were defeated by Kentucky 34-27 in Sanford Stadium.

Iowa and Penn State ended their seasons eligible for an at-large BCS selection, and Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech are also in position to become eligible for big-money bowl bids.The top seven teams in the BCS standings released Sunday were unchanged from last week, with Florida, Alabama and Texas still in control of the destinies in the national championship race.

Before the fifth-place game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt told backup Zachery Peacock that he would need to contribute two 3-pointers against Boston University.Peacock delivered without a hitch, going 2 for 2 beyond the arc.

C.J. Spiller scored a touchdown Saturday in his final game at Death Valley and No. 18 Clemson beat Virginia 34-21 on the day the Tigers wrapped up their first trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.The Tigers (8-3, 6-2 ACC) won their sixth straight game, but had the Atlantic Division wrapped up as they kicked off thanks to North Carolina's 31-13 victory against Boston College.

Former Georgia Tech left-hander Lee Hyde and four other minor-league pitchers were added to the Braves' 40-man roster Friday, protecting them from being poached by other teams in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.Also added were right-handers Kyle Cofield and Jeff Lyman and lefties Jose Ortegano and Jonny Venters, leaving the Braves with two roster openings.

Forty-nine percent of football players who enrolled at Georgia Tech between 1999 and 2002 graduated within six years, according to the NCAA's Graduation Success Report, which was released Wednesday.The men's basketball team graduated 38 percent of its players.

Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson signed a one-year contract extension Friday that ties him to Tech through 2016.Johnson has led the No. 7 Yellow Jackets to a 10-1 record this season and a spot in the ACC championship game in Tampa on Dec. 5. He has a 19-5 record in less than two seasons at Tech.

Jackets' junior had 18 points and 14 rebounds in the consolation round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Some broke geographic ties. Others wanted playing time.Others broke family ties. Some wanted a family feel.Oh, and there's the education.Recruiting classes and football teams come together in odd ways, and Georgia Tech is no exception.Starting safety Morgan Burnett's older brother, Cap, was a starter at Georgia, but Burnett liked Tech's coaches and players.

Michael Palmer will touch Howard's Rock and run down the hill in Clemson's Memorial Stadium for the last time Saturday.And Palmer, a senior from Parkview High School, couldn't pick a better situation.Should the Tigers defeat Virginia, they will win the ACC's Atlantic Division and will play Georgia Tech in the conference's championship game Dec.

After 21st-ranked Georgia Tech was forced into overtime in an exhibition game against Division II Indiana (Pa.), sophomore guard Iman Shumpert got some questions from fellow students."Everybody was a little worried," he said.Shumpert wasn't. He thought the Yellow Jackets had just come out flat, and a dominant win over Florida A&M in the season opener supported his theory.

Georgia Tech starting center Sean Bedford still is using crutches, and coach Paul Johnson said that Bedford's status remains uncertain for the Georgia game."We'll see as the week goes on," Johnson said.The No. 7 Yellow Jackets (10-1, 7-1) will host the Bulldogs (6-4, 4-3) at 8 p.