Georgia Tech hopes for its best game Thursday

This year is like 2008.

The Yellow Jackets must defeat Virginia Tech on Thursday, win its remaining two league games, and hope the Hokies can lose at least one of their remaining ACC games in order for the Jackets to make it to Charlotte, site of this year's championship game.

So Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said his team hasn't give up hope.

"We still talk about it, until we are mathematically eliminated," he said.

Another win would make Tech bowl eligible for the 14th consecutive season. It also would establish some momentum for the pending important game Nov. 13 against Miami, which waxed the Jackets 33-17 last season, as well as games against Duke and rival Georgia, which may need to defeat the Jackets to become bowl eligible.

So for the Jackets, there is a season's worth of value left ... if they can slap some old gold-colored duct-tape on the parts that aren't working with efficiency.

Chief among them, and the two biggest concerns when facing the Hokies, are run defense and special teams.

Tech can't afford to continue the mental mistakes on special teams because the Hokies rank in the top five in the ACC in the four major special-teams categories: kickoff coverage, kickoff returns, punts and punt returns. Tech enjoys that company in kickoff coverage. It's 10th in both punt-team categories. Numerous special-teams mistakes cost the Jackets in their loss to Clemson.

If the Jackets can improve there, they must then deal with the Hokies' rushing attack, which is second to Tech's in the ACC. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor is the maestro. He averages more than 200 yards passing and is the team's leading rusher (65.9 yards per game).

Johnson and defensive coordinator Al Groh were effusive in their praise of Taylor. Johnson joked, sort of, that they haven't tackled him in two years, while Groh said that Taylor's maturation as a pocket quarterback has made him the most dynamic player in the ACC.

"He's without a doubt the premier player in the league by a mile," Johnson said.

Taylor was held to 159 yards passing and 63 yards rushing in last year's game, largely because the Jackets dominated time of possession by an almost 2-to-1 margin in their 28-23 win. Slowing him this season will require a similar performance by Tech's offense and the patience and discipline on defense that it tried to use against N.C. State's Russell Wilson, who most similarly resembles Taylor among the ACC's quarterbacks. The Wolfpack quarterback shredded the Jackets earlier this season for 368 yards passing, 16 yards rushing and four touchdowns.

Taylor is only part of the problem. The Hokies feature three running backs who have combined for more than 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. Tech allows more than 160 yards rushing per game.

"We know they have a lot of dangerous weapons, especially Tyrod Taylor with his ability to run and throw," defensive end Jason Peters said. "We have to play the best game we've played all year to give ourselves a chance."

Peters said the defense is close to playing well. As with many of Tech's issues this season, the errors are traced to failures in fundamentals or mental lapses.

Tech spent its bye week reinforcing those areas in hopes that it can put together four of its best games, starting Thursday with the Hokies.

"We know that if we don’t win this week there won’t be much to talk about," Johnson said.