In what Virginia coach Al Groh said was his team's "most complete game of the year," the Cavaliers downed No. 24 Georgia Tech by a score of 27-17 Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium. With the victory over the Yellow Jackets (6-3, 4-3 ACC), Virginia (6-3, 3-3 ACC) becomes bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year under Groh.
The Cavaliers leapt out to a 14-0 first quarter lead behind two 70-plus yard drives capped by 15-plus yard touchdown runs from senior running back Wali Lundy. Lundy's first touchdown came on a power run to the right side, with freshman guard Brandon Albert clearing a path to the end zone. On Lundy's second touchdown of the afternoon, Virginia wide receiver Fontel Mines helped clear the way for Lundy.
"The running game is back," Lundy said. "We're getting a lot out of our offensive line and our wide receivers are blocking downfield. We're playing good football as a team right now."
In the drive following Virginia's second touchdown, the Cavaliers encountered two corresponding scares. First, nose tackle Keenan Carter appeared to injure himself making a tackle on Georgia Tech running back P.J. Daniels. Carter's presence on the field became vital for the Cavaliers this week, as the suspension of senior Kwakou Robinson left Carter as only one of two nose tackles on Saturday's roster. Luckily for Virginia fans, Carter returned to the game shortly thereafter.
Safety Nate Lyles, however, was not quite as fortunate as his defensive teammate. After colliding with Daniels with just over four minutes remaining in the quarter, Lyles lay motionless for some time before leaving the field on a stretcher. Groh said after the game that Lyles is expected to be fine following the hit.
"We had to step up [after Lyles went out]," junior corner Marcus Hamilton said. "We lost one of our leaders, but we had other guys step up and make plays."
With Lyles out of the game, sophomore safety Jamaal Jackson joined redshirt freshman safety Byron Glaspy in the Virginia secondary for the remainder of the game. The safety combo combined with Hamilton to limit Georgia Tech's All-American candidate wide receiver Calvin Johnson to 41 yards on four catches.
"Calvin is a rare player," Groh said. "His size is almost overwhelming, but Marcus [Hamilton] did a good job on him. Our defense stepped up and did what they had to do."
Following the first of two Conner Hughes field goals on the day, the Yellow Jackets got on the board with a one-yard touchdown run up the middle from sophomore running back Tashard Choice. After a miscommunication between Virginia wide receiver Deyon Williams and quarterback Marques Hagans led to an untimely Cavalier interception, Georgia Tech pulled to within a touchdown behind a 48-yard field goal from Yellow Jacket kicker Travis Bell, the longest of his career.
Georgia Tech tied the game in the third quarter when Yellow Jacket senior wide receiver Damarius Bilbo beat Cavalier freshman Mike Brown for a 28-yard touchdown reception. Virginia's defense, however, tightened following Bilbo's touchdown, holding the Yellow Jackets and junior quarterback Reggie Bell scoreless for the last 22 minutes of the game.
With Virginia's defense holding strong throughout the fourth quarter, Hagans and Williams made up for their earlier miscommunication by connecting for a 21-yard touchdown pass with nine minutes remaining, pushing Virginia's lead to 10. Williams, the Cavaliers' leading receiver, hauled in 10 catches on 107 yards on the night.
The Cavaliers will not have long to enjoy Saturday's win, however, as they must begin preparations for No. 8 Virginia Tech's visit to Charlottesville next weekend. Certainly, Virginia will need to repeat its "complete game" performance from Saturday to pull out a much-needed win against the one-loss Hokies.
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