Wake Forest Predictions - your call

It is time for predictions again. Here are my thoughts and opinions on the keys to the game

- Wake Forest capitalizes on mistakes - they lead the conference (& 5th in nation) in turnover margin. WF has a high scoring % on those turnovers and their opponents have a low scoring % on the few mistakes they do make. Georgia Tech has been very prone to fumbling. We fumbled 6 times against NC ST and were fortunate to get 5 of them back. Drop 6 this week and we lose - bottom line.

- What will give?? WF is the least penalized team in the conference. GT is not far behind (3rd least in ACC). However, Georgia Tech OPPONENTS happen to be the MOST penalized on average in the conference. Sympathy by the refs?? Who knows. What will give? Again, both teams need to focus on not making bonehead plays.

- Passing Offense - both teams are at the bottom of the ACC in offense. Both teams have shown flashes of greatness and more flashes of frustration. Which team can find their sweet spot? Can Reggie continue his progression and play at or better than the level he did against NC ST? Can Cory Randolph (soph) make some big plays? Will the offensive line protect Ball - they have not shown a great ability to do that although some of this is Ball's inexperience in the pocket. However WF only has 2 sacks this year, so hopefully they will give Reggie time. If that happens watch out. Wake's offensive line has done a good job all year, only giving up 4 sacks (#1 in conference). ADVANTAGE GATECH

- Rushing Offense - Can PJ Daniels consistently move the ball upfield? WF has been giving up 133 yards/game on the ground. Despite appearance, PJ has NOT consistently moved the ball upfield. He had a 50+ yard run against FSU and a 50+ yard run against NC ST. Take those away and his yards per carry goes down significantly. However, PJ's hidden strength is his blocking ability, where his a real freak. And the offensive line MUST create some holes. Wake is 3rd in conference in rushing (157yds/game). If they run the ball well against us, this could be trouble. ADVANTAGE WF

- Defense - the big question - Can Tech stop WF's running game? On the surface the answer should be yes. We lead the ACC in rushing defense (86 yards/game) and are #17 in the nation against the run. Logic says yes. However, will WF, with their unique offensive schemes, multiple alignments, misdirection, confuse the defense? Will Tenuta be able to come up blitzing schemes that do not leave us vulnerable to big plays? I believe it will be very difficult to hold WF to under 100 yards rushing. WF defense is just OK - good, not great. If they can pressure Ball enough, it could create problems. But I am more worried about Ball's ability to read this zone defense than I am the actual defense's ability. In other words, will Ball's inexperience show through? ADVANTAGE GATECH

- Special teams - WF has a solid special teams unit and again, they do not make too many mistakes. Tech special teams has been a roller coaster ride. Riding the highs of 90 yard kickoff returns to the lows of fumbles, missed x-points, etc. ADVANTAGE WF

- Last comment - WF seems to have had a number of big plays against them and has completed a number of big plays. We have to keep their big plays to a minimum.

- Intangibles - Home game for WF AND it is their homecoming game. Bye week for WF coming in. ADVANTAGE WF

- Bottom line. I think the team that makes the fewest mistakes and gives up the fewest big plays will win. If we can put a halt to WF's rushing game and force them to rely on the passing game, I think we can win. They will make some mistakes if that happens. Sounds basic but there it is.

Final Score Prediction - GaTech 24 WF 21 Jackets WIN!!!