Cavaliers Travel to Georgia Tech for 3:30 p.m. Saturday Contest

Story Links

Game Details
Venue: Bobby Dodd Stadium
Capacity: 55,000
Playing Surface: Grass
Series vs. GT: UVa leads, 16-15-1
In Atlanta: GT leads, 12-7
Last Meeting: 2009 (GT, 34-9)

Telecast: ESPNU
Radio: Virginia Sports Network (affiliates)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 212, XM 190

Live Stats: Click here for the link to the LiveStats page. Note: Link available 30 minutes before kickoff. Allow 1-2 minutes for it to load at the start.
Rosters: Virginia Georgia Tech
Game Notes: Virginia Georgia Tech
Depth Charts: Virginia Georgia Tech
Statistics: Virginia Georgia Tech

Virginia and Georgia Tech Battle in Atlanta
• Virginia owns a slim 16-15-1 edge in the series with Georgia Tech and has won five of the last seven meetings.
• The programs have met every season since 1982.
• UVa is 7-12 all-time in Atlanta against the Yellow Jackets; in the Cavaliers’ last visit, UVa scored a 24-17 win over the No. 21 Jackets as Cedric Peerman rushed for 118 yards.
• Last year Georgia Tech won for the first time in Charlottesville since 1990 with a 34-9 victory over the Cavaliers.
• Overall the home team has won 12 of the last 15 meetings.
• The home team won nine straight from 1995 until UVa’s 30-10 victory in Atlanta in 2004.
• The game is the first this year for Virginia against a fellow Coastal Division foe – UVa was 1-4 against Coastal opponents in 2009.

More on the UVa-GT Series
• Since 1996 Virginia’s seven victories have come by an average of 8.2 points, while Georgia Tech’s five wins have come by an average of 13.8 points.
• All six meetings between 1996-2002 were decided by a touchdown or less.
• Since the Yellow Jackets began playing an ACC schedule in 1983, the teams have met 27 times and 14 of the games have been decided by eight points or fewer.
• Since 1983, the series has featured one tie and other games decided by one point (two games), three points (3), four (2), five (1), six (1), seven (3) and eight points (1).
• Georgia Tech’s win last year in Charlottesville was its first since Nov. 3, 1990, when the No. 16 Yellow Jackets knocked off the top-ranked Cavaliers, 41-38, on a last-second field goal.

Turnovers Make a Difference
• Since 1982, UVa is 9-1 vs. Georgia Tech when committing fewer turnovers. The lone loss occurred in 1991.
• Georgia Tech, on the other hand, is 6-4-1 when it commits fewer turnovers.
• There have been seven games since 1982 (‘82, ‘87, ‘98, ‘02, ‘05, ‘08, ‘09) where the teams had equal turnovers; UVa won in 1987, 2005 and 2008.
• In the last six meetings, Virginia has recorded 15 takeaways and turned them into 57 points.
• The Yellow Jackets have turned the ball over at least once in every game since 2001 (16 total).

How Cavaliers Have Fared vs. Georgia Tech
• Noting some of the current Virginia players’ top performances vs. Georgia Tech:
• Marc Verica, in his first trip to Georgia Tech in 2008, was 29-for-39 passing for 270 yards, two TDs and two INTs.
• Ras-I Dowling has 14 career tackles, including one for loss, in three games vs. Georgia Tech.
• Zane Parr had a career-best 12 tackles in the 2009 contest vs. Georgia Tech.
• Jared Green has four receptions for 37 yards in a pair of games vs. the Yellow Jackets.
• John-Kevin Dolce has nine tackles in two games vs. GT.
• Kris Burd has three receptions for 21 yards in a pair of games vs. Georgia Tech; Dontrelle Inman had two catches for 37 yards in the 2007 win over Georgia Tech.

Virginia in Conference Road Openers
• This is the Cavaliers’ ACC road opener. UVa has had mixed results in ACC road openers of late, going 5-5 over the last decade.
• Virginia first-year coaches are 2-8 in their initial ACC road games – Al Groh (26-24 win at Clemson in 2001) and George Blackburn (21-17 at North Carolina in 1965), are the only UVa head coaches to win their first road ACC games.
• Virginia is in the midst of its 57th season in the Atlantic Coast Conference; UVa first competed in the ACC in 1954.

Cavaliers Reunited with Former Coach
• Virginia will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline this week in Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Al Groh.
• Groh was head coach at Virginia from 2001-09.
• The 1967 UVa alum posted a 59-53 record in his nine seasons and led the Cavaliers to five bowl games.

Last Meeting: 2009 (GT 34, UVa 9)
• Georgia Tech rushed for 362 yards in a steady rain in a 34-9 win over the Cavaliers on Oct. 24, 2009, at Scott Stadium.
• QB Josh Nesbitt ran for 82 yards and threw for 85, but he attempted only two passes in Georgia Tech’s four touchdown drives – all of which consisted of 10 or more plays.
• Georgia Tech broke an eight-game Charlottesville losing streak, winning at Virginia for the first time since 1990.
• Virginia’s scoring came on three field goals from Robert Randolph, including a career-long 49-yarder.

Noting the Florida State Game
• Marc Verica’s 76-yard touchdown pass to Kris Burd in the third quarter marked his longest career completion. Verica’s previous long was 51 yards, which he recorded against Richmond earlier this year and against Maryland in 2008.
• The 76-yard touchdown pass also marked Burd’s longest career reception. His previous long came against Richmond, when he and Verica connected for a 51-yard score.
• The 76-yard touchdown pass from Verica to Burd was the Cavaliers’ longest pass play for a score since Emmanuel Byers connected with Deyon Williams for a 90-yard touchdown against Miami in 2005.
• With his third quarter score, Burd has now tallied a receiving TD in all four of Virginia’s games this year. He is the first Cavalier to do so since Heath Miller scored receiving touchdowns in the first five games of the 2002 season.
• With 118 yards receiving, Burd has posted consecutive 100-yard receiving games (119 vs. VMI). He is the first UVa player to record back-to-back 100-yard receiving days since Heath Miller racked up 110 yards receiving vs. Georgia Tech and 145 yards against Virginia Tech in 2003.
• With his 211-yard passing day, Verica moved into 13th place on UVa’s all-time passing ledger. Verica now has 3,101 career passing yards and passed Symmion Willis (3,003) and Bob Davis (3,095) on the list.
• Ausar Walcott posted a career-high 10 tackles – his previous high was six at USC earlier this season.
• Virginia’s 25 yards rushing marked the Cavaliers’ fewest rushing yards since UVa recorded minus-3 yards rushing against Wyoming in 2007.
• The Seminoles’ 10 first-quarter points marked the most allowed by the Cavaliers in the first quarter this year. Virginia gave up first-quarter touchdowns to both Richmond and VMI.
• Virginia’s 27-point halftime deficit against the Seminoles marked its largest at home since 2001, when the Cavaliers trailed Virginia Tech, 31-0, at the half.
• FSU scored more points in the first half alone than Virginia has given up against any opponent this season.

For full game notes, click on link at top of page