To complement my “Better Know an Opponent” series, I’ve enlisted the help of some knowledgeable beat writers around the country who can help give a little more perspective about the teams the Hokies will be playing in 2013.

For Georgia Tech, I once again asked Ken Sugiura of the the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to help me out. Follow him on Twitter here, read his coverage of the Yellow Jackets here. and read his blog here. 

If you missed the first part of my look at Georgia Tech, you can get to it here.

Now to the questions …

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AB:  It seems like we’ve been hearing about the coming of quarterback Vad Lee for a while now. What’s the feeling about him at Georgia Tech now that he’s been anointed the starter? What does he offer that Tevin Washington didn’t?

KS: There’s a lot of optimism in Lee that he can be the sort of true dual-threat quarterback that Paul Johnson has not had since coming to Georgia Tech in 2008. (Somewhat remarkably, he’s only had two quarterbacks in his first five seasons – Joshua Nesbitt and Tevin Washington) Lee came in as a hyped commodity and, in spurts as Washington’s backup last year, showed off a better arm than either Nesbitt or Washington had, play-making speed on run plays and the indefinable “it” quality that all great quarterbacks have. Most memorably, he led drives that scored 55 of Tech’s point in a 68-50 win over North Carolina, the highest-scoring ACC game in history. Washington proved to be a quarterback capable of managing the Tech offense, but was not the type who could carry or will a team. Lee seems to have that potential in him. That said, he’ll start camp as the No. 1 and expected starter (Justin Thomas will push him, and probably see some amount of time), but he won’t have nearly the experience that Washington had accumulated by the end of his career.

However, as far as the passing game goes, the Yellow Jackets are in a bit of a hole in the pass-catching department. Jeff Greene, the leading receiver last season, was removed from the team. Another receiver decided not to return for his senior year. As a result, only one receiver who had significant experience last season, Darren Waller, will be back. The other contenders are redshirt freshmen, incoming freshmen and two rising juniors, one with no career catches and another who was a highly recruited athlete out of high school but decided to play baseball and is now going to try football.

AB: Is it a bigger deal that the Yellow Jackets return five offensive linemen who have started before or that the running backs lost their biggest threat in Orwin Smith? Does GT just have a stable of backs ready to fill in?

KS: Tough question. I guess to try to answer it, you can ask, What would Georgia Tech rather have, all five linemen back and no Smith, or two or three linemen back and have Smith. Re-phrasing it, it’s still a tough call, but my guess would be having five starting linemen back is pretty significant, particularly because it’s a pretty decent group. It gets lost because of their record last season (7-7), but the offense wasn’t bad – No. 2 in scoring offense in the ACC and No. 4 in total offense in league games. Shaq Mason might have been better last season than All-ACC guard Omoregie Uzzi, Jay Finch is an athletic center, Morgan Bailey and Ray Beno are effective at tackle and Will Jackson has been a starter (mostly at guard) since he was a freshman. They should take another step forward.

Smith was a terrific A-back, the Jackets’ biggest play-making threat last season and as much of a go-to player as there was on the offense. That said, because of the nature of the position, it was still difficult to get him the ball a lot – in eight league games last year, he had 61 carries (though he averaged a stunning 9.2 yards a pop). Plus, as noted, there are a handful of candidates who should be able to share the load. A player who flashed in spring was Dennis Andrews, a rising redshirt freshman who showed the ability to break tackles and make trouble after the catch. Robbie Godhigh, a returning starter, is a devastating cut blocker and an underrated ball-carrier.

AB: Ted Roof is back at his alma mater as the Jackets’ defensive coordinator. Among the changes is a shift from Al Groh’s 3-4 scheme to a 4-3, but what else is going to be different about this year’s defense under new leadership?

KS: I imagine this typically is said when a new defensive coordinator comes in, but Roof stressed effort and tackling (and pursuit angles) in his first spring back at his alma mater. Tackling, in particular, was a weak spot in Groh’s 2 ½ years as Georgia Tech coordinator. Johnson has said more than once he wants a system that is easy to teach and lets players get out and play, and it would appear Roof’s scheme is more in line with that framework that Groh’s was. Johnson had no problems necessarily with Groh’s scheme, but the results weren’t showing up on the field because players were so overloaded mentally, resulting in them being out of place or unsure of their responsibilities.

After Groh’s firing after six games, the Georgia Tech defense didn’t turn around completely, but played markedly better in the last half with a simplified scheme and a 4-3 look. There’s some talent on that side of the ball, starting with rush end Jeremiah Attaochu (who had previously played outside linebacker). Cornerback Jemea Thomas is another. First impressions indicate that Roof will be better able to unlock that ability..

AB: Of the three position groups on defense, the secondary probably had the most issues last year. Can the Jackets have a good year without a leap in performance from this unit?

KS: Probably not. A primary directive has been to limit big plays and, often, big plays happen due to lapses in the secondary. The unit had high expectations last season and underperformed. Injuries and bad tackling were big parts of the problem. So was weak pass rush. It’s not a bad group. Thomas is one of the best players in the ACC that few know about. Cornerback Louis Young has NFL potential, but was simply off his game last season. Isaiah Johnson improved over the course of last season in his second season starting at safety, but he’ll be coming back from a knee injury suffered in bowl practice. The other safety spot is kind of iffy. Fred Holton has missed the past two seasons with season-ending injuries. Chris Milton, a top special-teams performer, could end up starting there, but hasn’t had much defensive playing time.

AB: Many forget that Georgia Tech represented the depleted Coastal Division in the ACC title game last year after winning four of six down the stretch. With a Paul Johnson option offense that’s always tough to prepare for, a new outlook on defense and 16 starters returning, how do you think this team fits in the Coastal picture this season?

KS: I think, like always, they’ve got a shot. I suppose every team can play the “If only” game, but it bears mention that Georgia Tech lost in overtime both to Virginia Tech and Miami, both in games in which they held the lead in the final minute of regulation, so it’s not like they couldn’t have won it outright last year with a couple more defensive stops.That said, the Yellow Jackets have lost three in a row to the Hokies and four in a row to the Hurricanes. While the losses to Virginia Tech have typically been competitive, they’ll need to find a way to beat both to presumably have a chance.

It doesn’t help Georgia Tech’s chances that it will play division rivals Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Miami in consecutive weeks early in the season. The Tar Heels will be coming off a bye (though that didn’t help them last year when they had the same advantage) and the Tech-Tech matchup will be on five days’ rest for both teams. The Jackets will have to slug pretty hard for four consecutive weeks to have a chance, and they’ll have to do it while a new defense and a new quarterback are settling in.

I wouldn’t call them favorites, but it won’t surprise me if they play for the ACC title again.

Previous entries

• Alabama: Team overview | Ask a beat writer
• Western Carolina: Team overview | Ask a beat writer
• East Carolina: Team overview | Ask a beat writer
• Marshall: Team overview | Ask a beat writer
• Georgia Tech: Team overview

The lull of the college football offseason is in full swing over the next month. I’ll try to fill that void on the blog by taking a look at all of Virginia Tech’s 2013 opponents and (hopefully) getting some insight from a beat writer who covers each team.

The next team up is Georgia Tech, which serves as Virginia Tech’s conference opener for a second straight season.

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Who: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

When: Thursday, Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta

Series history: Virginia Tech leads 7-3 (Last meeting: 2012 in Blacksburg, 20-17 Hokies overtime win)

The coach: Paul Johnson, sixth season, 41-26 at GT; 16 seasons overall, 148-65

Last year’s record: 7-7 (5-3 ACC, t-1st Coastal), defeated USC 21-7 in Sun Bowl

How they got there: All but given up for dead after a 2-4 start that included an inexplicable 49-28 loss to Middle Tennessee and led to the ouster of defensive coordinator Al Groh, the Yellow Jackets rallied down the stretch, winning four of their final six to sneak into the ACC title game and win a bowl game for the first time under Johnson. Granted, it took Miami and North Carolina being removed from the division race for Georgia Tech to get to Charlotte, but Johnson and the Jackets still were the ones representing the Coastal second time in the last five years. With its usually strong ground game, very little in the passing game and a defense that was hit or miss, it wasn’t the strongest year for Georgia Tech, but it was one that ended on a decent note. The Jackets exceeded expectations by hanging with Florida State in the ACC title game and ended the year by beating a Matt Barkley-less Southern California in the Sun Bowl. They won’t write books about last year’s Yellow Jackets, but they can still call themselves division champs, which is more than anyone else in the Coastal can (rightfully) say last year.

By the numbers

• Rushing offense: 311.21 ypg (4th nationally, 1st ACC)
• Passing offense: 129.86 ypg (115th, 12th)
• Total offense: 441.07 ypg (35th, 4th)
• Scoring offense: 33.57 ppg (34th, 4th)
• Rushing defense: 144.21 ypg (41st, 5th)
• Passing defense: 229.79 ypg (58th, 5th)
• Total defense: 374.00 ypg (43rd, 5th)
• Scoring defense: 28.29 ppg (65th, 7th)
• Turnover margin: .29 (45th, 4th)

Offensive starters returning/lost: 8/3

Defensive starters returning/lost: 8/3

Biggest loss: OG Omoregie Uzzi. Running backs and quarterbacks come and go at Georgia Tech, but offensive linemen are the real engine for that offense. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound guard was a two-time first-team All-ACC pick who also garnered All-America recognition by a few publications. He was one of the best linemen the Jackets have had in a while.

Team linchpin: DL Jeremiah Attaochu. He was an outside linebacker last year in GT’s 3-4 defense. He’s a defensive end this year in Ted Roof‘s 4-3 scheme. In either spot, the defense relies on him to be a disruptor. An honorable mention All-ACC choice last year, Attaochu had 12 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks, the latter easily being the most on the team. He’s got 19 career sacks and should be well-suited to play for the well-traveled Roof, who has implemented an attacking style at his every stop.

Watch out for: QB Vad Lee. The Jackets lost a two-and-a-half-year starter in Tevin Washington, but Georgia Tech fans don’t seem to mind too much. That’s because the 6-foot-1, 213-pound Lee has intrigued everyone since stepping on campus. He’s only a redshirt sophomore with limited experience, but he played a starring role in the Jackets’ offensive explosion in a 68-50 win at North Carolina last year, entering the game on the third series and finishing with 112 rushing yards, 169 passing yards and three touchdowns accounted for. Washington was a veteran in running Johnson’s option offense, but Lee might offer more of a passing threat. Anything to take the pressure completely off the running game would be welcome.

The 2013 schedule

• Aug. 31: vs. Elon
• Sept. 14: at Duke
• Sept. 21: vs. North Carolina
• Sept. 26: vs. Virginia Tech
• Oct. 5: at Miami
• Oct. 12: at BYU
• Oct. 19: vs. Syracuse
• Oct. 26: at Virginia
• Nov. 2: vs. Pittsburgh
• Nov. 14: at Clemson
• Nov. 23: vs. Alabama A&M
• Nov. 30: vs. Georgia

The buzz: The Yellow Jackets somehow managed to under- and overachieve last year, only finishing .500 in the regular season and needing a waiver to even participate in a bowl game but at the same time winning the division and capping the year with a bowl win. It’s hard to think of a stranger ACC season in recent memory. Now, with 16 starters back from that team and a fresh outlook on defense in Roof, someone who directed some successful Georgia Tech defenses in his first stint at his alma mater, there’s reason to believe the Jackets will be right in the hunt in what is shaping up to be a four-team race in the Coastal. They get a schedule break in avoiding Florida State and getting both North Carolina and Virginia Tech at home, but they play the Heels and Hokies in a six-day span in September, so everyone will find out early if they’re for real. Then again, everyone gave up on Georgia Tech six games in last year and look what happened.

Why they should be excited: Johnson’s spread option is always a bear to prepare for, even for teams like Virginia Tech that see it year-in and year-out. That alone should be enough to keep the Jackets in plenty of contests. But this year’s offense, with Lee at the helm, seems like it has the potential to be more than just a grind-it-out group. Lee showed that he can be a dynamic play-maker, not just an option caretaker. The Jackets usually have a stable of backs to choose from (David Sims, Robert Godhigh, Zack Laskey, Deon Hill and B.J. Bostic are all options) and return an offensive line that has six players back who have started a combined 96 games. If Lee can open up the passing game even a little, Georgia Tech will be a handful. The defense, under Roof, can’t be much worse than it was early last year under Groh. Perhaps going from a read-and-react style to an attacking one will invigorate this group. Roof was unfairly criticized in his time at Auburn, where he helped come up with the defensive game plan that limited Oregon in the 2011 national title game, and his Penn State crew exceeded expectations last year. With a ball control offense that can keep his group from being on the field all day, there’s a chance this defense could take a step forward. Returner Jamal Golden is a bonus threat, the only player to finish in the top 10 nationally last year in both kick and punt returns.

Why they should worry: With new quarterbacks, you never quite know what you’re going to get. Lee has everyone excited, but Washington was an often-underrated signal-caller who ran Johnson’s option offense with a craftsman’s touch. Running back Orwin Smith, who averaged 8.6 yards a carry last year, is gone, meaning the Jackets are without two of their biggest offensive assets from last year (three if you want to count Uzzi). And the receiving corps has only two players — Darren Waller and Anthony Autry — who have caught a pass in their college careers (and only 11 combined receptions at that). Expecting GT to do too much in the passing game might be a stretch. Defensively, there’s an adjustment period to going from a 3-4 to a 4-3 that could take a while. The secondary, while heavy on experience, had a horrible stretch early last season before coming on strong. It’ll need seniors like Louis Young, Jemea Thomas and Isaiah Johnson to finally realize their full potential.

The more you know: Until last year, the winner of Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech had represented the Coastal Division in every ACC title game. The Hokies beat the Yellow Jackets on Labor Day night on an overtime field goal last season, but, thanks to a few NCAA sanctions, Georgia Tech still won the division.

Previous entries

• Alabama: Team overview | Ask a beat writer
• Western Carolina: Team overview | Ask a beat writer
• East Carolina: Team overview | Ask a beat writer
• Marshall: Team overview | Ask a beat writer

Before I get to the next bowl on the list, two items of note:

1) Georgia Tech had its waiver approved by the NCAA to be bowl eligible should it lose the ACC title game and fall to 6-7, according to ESPN. Read the quotes in the story from the MAC commissioner, who is rightfully ticked, since it’ll probably be one of his eligible teams that gets pushed out of a bowl.

This probably shouldn’t affect anything with the Russell Athletic Bowl. It’d be surprising if that bowl opted for a 6-7 team, considering it hasn’t taken a 6-6 team since it moved up to getting the No. 3 pick in the ACC and No. 2 in the Big East. I still think, should Florida State win the ACC title game that Virginia Tech has a good shot of getting picked for Orlando, given N.C. State’s coaching situation and the Wolfpack’s recent visit to the game.

The ACC still has a rule that the title game loser can’t fall below the Sun Bowl in the selection process. If that’s still in effect, the Yellow Jackets couldn’t go below fourth in the bowl pecking order, should they lose the conference championship game.

2) Louisville beat Rutgers last night, which all but gives the Cardinals the Big East’s BCS berth (the tiebreaker is highest BCS ranking, which Louisville currently has and figures to keep Sunday). That takes the Cardinals out of the running for the Russell Athletic Bowl, which will choose from a group that includes Rutgers, Syracuse and Cincinnati.

If Virginia Tech is picked, it’s unlikely that the bowl would go with Cincinnati, since the teams played in the regular season. Overall, Rutgers (9-3) has a better profile than Syracuse (7-5), despite their identical 5-2 conference records. The Scarlet Knights also won the head-to-head matchup 23-15, although that seems to matter little in the selection process.

Now that the housekeeping is out of the way, here’s a look at the Belk Bowl. Click on the following links to get to previous installments on the Russell Athletic and Sun.

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Belk Bowl

** Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.

** When: Dec. 27, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

** In ACC bowl pecking order: No. 5

** Hokies history at bowl: Never been

** Possible opponent: The Big East’s No. 3 selection. It looks as though it will come down to Rutgers, Cincinnati and Syracuse. The Russell Athletic Bowl gets the first pick of the trio as the Big East’s No. 2 selection. The Belk Bowl goes next. Who Charlotte goes with probably depends on the ACC choice. Like Orlando, it would avoid a Virginia Tech-Cincinnati rematch if those teams were still available. Figuring Rutgers goes to the Russell Athletic, that leaves Cincinnati and Syracuse. The Bearcats won the head-to-head matchup 35-24  – again, that doesn’t mean a whole lot — and should it beat UConn this week in its regular season finale, would finish with a 9-3 record to Syracuse’s 7-5 mark, making it a more attractive option.

** ACC competition: A lot depends on what happens ahead of the Belk. Georgia Tech, should it lose the ACC title game, can’t fall below the Sun, so it wouldn’t be an option here. That leaves whoever is left of N.C. State, Virginia Tech and Duke. All three are within easy driving distance of all three schools. N.C. State played in the game last year. Virginia Tech has made a trip to Charlotte in three of the last four seasons (two ACC championship games and a neutral-site game against East Carolina in 2008), so it’s probably not a hot destination for Hokies fans. It could be for Duke, which is bowl eligible for the first time since the 1994 season and has some forward momentum with its program for once. That’s not to say Blue Devils fans will travel in droves — it is basketball season, after all — but a drive of a little more than two hours seems like a favorable setup for fans who aren’t accustomed to the bowl experience.

** Pros for Virginia Tech: Charlotte’s close, so it wouldn’t be too hard for fans to zip down the interstate to attend the game. For a fan base that’s not particularly enthused about a postseason trip this year, a bowl that’s within driving distance might be the only thing that gets people to go. The Hokies have never played in the bowl, so the Belk folks might love to have them for a first time.

** Cons for Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech fans are very familiar with Charlotte, so the quick drive might not be a selling point. If Cincinnati is the bowl’s choice from the ACC, there’d be little desire to see a rematch in a bowl game (even though the Hokies likely wouldn’t mind some payback).

** Flight price (leaving Dec. 25, coming back Dec. 28, per Orbitz): From Roanoke — $482 (just drive, man!), from Norfolk — $285, from Newport News — $296, from Lynchburg — $496 (seriously, just drive); from Richmond — $261, from D.C. — $218, from Greensboro — (yeah, I’m not even listing this)

** Roadtrippin’ it? 173 miles from Blacksburg to Charlotte. Two hours and 41 minutes, according to Google maps.

** Tourist attraction of note: NASCAR Hall of Fame

** Beat writer happiness level: Low. Nothing against Charlotte — it’s a fun town — but the beat has been there, done that. It’d be a pretty easy trip, one that we could probably navigate around Christmas and New Year’s. The matchup against the Big East’s No. 3 team isn’t too exciting. Virginia Tech plays Big East teams all the time.

** Follow on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/belkbowl

Now that things have had some time to sink in, it’s time to look back at Virginia Tech’s dull-at-first, thrilling-at-the-end 20-17 overtime win against Georgia Tech on Monday night.

This is something new I’m trying the day after games. I’ll give five thoughts that stick out to me on the game. Again, I might tweak the formula over time, so we’ll see how this works.

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1. That was the real Logan Thomas at the end of the game, not the first three quarters.

Thomas was apologetic after the game for his performance, which was lackluster for three quarters but spot on at the end. Whether it was opening-night nerves, getting used to all the new starters on offense or the defense thrown at him by Al Groh, Thomas didn’t look anything like himself for most of Monday’s game, sailing errant throws high and wide of his receivers early on. I’m sure it made plenty of people around the country seeing him for the first time wonder what all the hype was about.

But when the Hokies needed him most, he was on the money. The 42-yard touchdown pass to Demitri Knowles couldn’t have been put in a better spot. And it’s hard to argue with the way he moved the team 51 yards in 44 seconds to get the game-tying field goal by Cody Journell at the end of regulation. Thomas’ final stats were just OK (21-for-38, 230 yards, 2 TD), but he was 9-for-12 for 140 yards in the fourth quarter, which looked a lot more like the Logan Thomas from the end of last year.

2. The receivers are deeper than anyone thought.

The consensus heading into the season is that Tech would be OK in the receiving game with seniors Marcus Davis, Dyrell Roberts and D.J. Coles, with little mention of the rest. But after Davis and Coles both left for parts of Monday’s game with injuries, the Hokies have to feel good about how Corey Fuller and Knowles stepped up. Fuller is the overlooked one of his brothers, a Kansas transfer who used to run track and had mostly been an afterthought. He had a few big scrimmages in the spring, but also had drops. He made big catches in big spots Monday, though, hauling in passes of 22 and 23 yards on Tech’s game-tying drive at the end of the fourth quarter, the second coming on a slant on fourth down that he cut up field after shucking a tackle to get the ball into field goal range. He also wisely jumped on a Davis fumble at the end of long gain to help the Hokies keep possession.

We’ve all heard about Knowles’ speed, and quite honestly, that might be enough for him at this point. The redshirt freshman ran a go route on his touchdown grab and the Georgia Tech defender couldn’t keep up with him. He made a nice catch while being dragged down in the end zone, a big deal, since the penalty only would have only been 15 yards. The Hokies obviously hope that there’s nothing seriously wrong with Davis and Coles (and if my memory serves me correct, they both returned to the game). But now they know that they’re a little deeper at receiver than first thought.

3. The offensive line and running game will be a work in progress.

It’s hard to judge this group after a game against a Georgia Tech defense that looked like it was playing very well. The positives? Thomas was only sacked twice, and the run blocking looked OK at times. The negatives? The consistency wasn’t there, as you’d expect. The Hokies finished with 96 rushing yards, their lowest total in a win since the Nebraska game in 2009. The misplayed snap on the punt lost 23 yards, skewing the numbers. Take that out, and Tech averaged 3.5 yards a carry. Not great, but not the 2.7 that shows up on the stat sheet. Michael Holmes looked OK at times (the overtime especially) and you’d figure his comfort will grow with time. Same for the offensive line, which went with the same five the entire game, with Michael Via at right guard. It’ll be interesting to see if Brent Benedict rotates in now (I’d imagine that’d be the case against Austin Peay) and just how that operation will work moving forward, but I think the coaches have to be encouraged with the way the group handled itself in the opener, even if it wasn’t pretty at times.

4. The defense is legit.

I think everyone expected the defense to be strong, but that was a pretty good opener. The Yellow Jackets had their fewest total yards (288) and rushing yards (192) against the Hokies since Paul Johnson took over as coach. Only once last year — against Miami in October — did Georgia Tech have fewer rushing yards than it did Monday night, so Bud Foster and his crew did their homework in the offseason. One demerit for that touchdown drive at the end, when Georgia Tech beat the Hokies in the air of all places. But you couldn’t have asked for much more out of this crew, particularly linebacker Jack Tyler (17 tackles), whip linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow (11 tackles) and defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins (11 tackles), who all had career highs in tackles. Safety Kyshoen Jarrett answered a lot of the questions about his physicality, finishing with nine tackles and a TFL, and bringing some pop on a few plays. I thought end J.R. Collins had an active game, with six tackles and 1.5 TFLs. For a game in which the defensive preparation is different from anything they’ll see this year, the Hokies did a commendable job.

5. Beamerball still isn’t right.

Even the TV announcers began criticizing Virginia Tech’s special teams play Monday night, and with good cause. The dropped snap by punter A.J. Hughes was the sort of thing you’d expect to happen to a freshman on the big stage for the first time (although he was OK otherwise, with three punts downed inside the 20). The return game didn’t provide major highlights, although J.C. Coleman showed some burst on a 34-yard return to start the game. And Tech missed an opportunity to down a punt inside the 5-yard line on one occasion. Journell shook off what could have been a devastating 38-yard miss to hit the game-tying field goal from 41 yards out at the end of regulation, then hit a chip shot in overtime. That might have been just what he needed to get back into the right frame of mind. Hughes could be OK, but still, the special teams lacked the game-changing plays that defined the program over the years.

Not the kind of deadline game you’d like to start a season. Here’s my game story on Virginia Tech’s 20-17 overtime win and Aaron McFarling‘s column.

Now for some more notes and quotes …

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** That was a big comeback win for Virginia Tech, and it obviously has huge implications in the Coastal Division. As has been mentioned many times, the winner of this game has won the division all seven years since the league went to a two-division format.

It was certainly not a thing of beauty, but head coach Frank Beamer thinks it had a galvanizing effect.

“I think our football team got closer together, and this is a close bunch,” Beamer said.

Virginia Tech made a couple of comebacks, taking a four-point lead after trailing 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter and rallying in the final 44 seconds to force overtime after the Yellow Jackets scored a touchdown to go ahead 17-14.

“There was no point after that touchdown that I thought we wouldn’t come back and win that game,” cornerback Kyle Fuller said. “That just shows how together our team was.”

** Virginia Tech has not played many overtime games in its history. But, going back to last season’s Sugar Bowl loss to Michigan, this makes two straight. Here are all of the Hokies’ overtime games:

• 1998 — 27-20 win at Miami, Sept. 19
• 2002 — 50-42 loss at Syracuse, Oct. 9
• 2003 — 24-23 win at Temple, Nov. 15
• 2012 — 23-20 loss vs. Michigan, Jan. 3, Sugar Bowl
• 2012 — 20-17 win vs. Georgia Tech, Sept. 3

** Kicker Cody Journell made a clutch 41-yard kick as time expired in regulation, making up for a missed 38-yarder earlier. Then he added the first game-winner of his career in overtime from 17 yards out.

His biggest kick prior to that was a long, game-tying field goal against Blacksburg High when he was at Giles, but that only forced overtime (where his team would win). It was the Hokies’ first game-winning field goal on the final play of the game since 1999, when Shayne Graham hit a 44-yarder to win at West Virginia.

Journell wasn’t reinstated to the team until this summer, facing a suspension for his arrest on a breaking and entering charge from last December. He pleaded to misdemeanor trespassing in the spring and did community service before being let back on the squad.

Afterward, Journell didn’t comment on his ordeal last winter, saying he already addressed it in a statement he issued at the start of camp apologizing to his teammates and coaches. He had a shot at redemption — on the field at least — after missing a 38-yarder earlier.

“Any time you get a chance to tie a game up with six seconds left and you kick a field goal in overtime, it’s always special,” he said. “My teammates and all my coaches let me know, hey, I’m probably going to have another kick. ‘We need you out there. If it comes down to it, we need your head in the game.’ I let everything go and did what I needed to do.”

** Not a particularly sharp day for quarterback Logan Thomas, who finished 21-for-38 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He was erratic with his throws, though, missing high or wide a lot of the time.

He was hard on himself afterward.

“The offensive line played great, the running backs played great, the tight ends played great,” he said. “I was the one holding us back.”

He made some on-target throws late, though, throwing for 140 of his 230 yards in the fourth quarter. The 42-yard touchdown pass to Demitri Knowles was on the money, and he made clutch passes to Corey Fuller on the game-tying drive in regulation that went for 22 and 23 yards.

“When Logan needed to be on target, he was on target,” head coach Frank Beamer said.

For Knowles and Fuller, it was the most they’ve contributed to a game in their careers. A Bahamas native who had a limited football background at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Knowles is the fastest player on the team. It was his first career catch.

“Words can’t even describe it,” he said.

Fuller stepped in as a receiving option after D.J. Coles injured his knee in the first half. He had five catches for 82 yards, surpassing his career totals in one night. He also jumped on a fumble by Marcus Davis that was an overlooked play.

“Honestly, I knew I had it in me,” Fuller said. “I just had to step up.”

** No news immediately afterward on the condition of Coles and Davis. Coles left in the first half after getting hit on his right knee. It was the same one he had PCL surgery on in the offseason, but the fact that he was held out was unrelated to that injury.

Davis left in the fourth quarter after his 35-yard catch brought some life to Virginia Tech’s offense. Corey Fuller replaced him on the Hokies’ game-tying drive at the end of regulation.

Davis had a big game before getting hurt, catching six passes for 82 yards, although he had a couple of drops.

** Offensive line watch: Michael Via started at right guard and played the whole game. Brent Benedict did not get in once, which is unusual, since coaches said the two would rotate.

The group has some work to do. Virginia Tech only ran for 96 yards, the first time it won a game when finishing with fewer than 100 rushing yards since the 2009 Nebraska game.

** Five true freshmen played: running back J.C. Coleman, safety Desmond Frye, punter A.J. Hughes, cornerback Donovan Riley and linebacker Deon Clarke.

** The defense effort kind of got lost in the furious finish, but there were plenty of standouts on that side of the ball. Jack Tyler, despite getting beat in coverage on the late touchdown pass, had 17 tackles. His previous career-high was 12, set last year against Georgia Tech.

Whip linebacker Jeron Gouveia-Winslow and defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins had 11 tackles apiece. Both were career highs. Virginia Tech had nine tackles for a loss and two sacks as a team.

Overall, it was one of the stronger defensive efforts the Hokies have had against Paul Johnson‘s spread option offense. The Yellow Jackets had 288 total yards and 192 rushing. In the four previous meetings, Georgia Tech’s teams have never had fewer than 340 total yards and 243 rushing. That happened last year in the Hokies’ 37-26 victory.

** I’ve seen few more ill-advised passes than the one Georgia Tech’s Tevin Washington threw in overtime while being pressured by linebacker Bruce Taylor. He had no receiver that was open and tossed it right to Kyle Fuller for an interception, eliminating any chance that the Yellow Jackets had of at least kicking a field goal. (Washington would say later that he was trying to throw it away.)

It was the only turnover of the game.

“We kind of gift-wrapped it for them in overtime,” Johnson said.

What was more puzzling about it was that Washington had a great game passing to that point. He was 10-for-15 for 96 yards and a touchdown, going 5-for-6 for 33 yards on the drive that gave the Yellow Jackets a late lead.

** Virginia Tech started a freshman at punter and it showed early. Hughes, who beat out fellow freshman Hunter Windmuller for the job in camp, dropped a snap in the first quarter, a major miscue. Georgia Tech took over deep in Hokies territory and capitalized with a 12-yard touchdown run by Robert Godhigh.

Before Journell redeemed himself late, he missed a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that could have come back to bite the Hokies.

For a team that has seen its special teams go in decline in recent years, it’s a troubling start, although Beamer thinks it’ll be fine.

“I really believe that our kicking game and punting game are going to be OK,” Beamer said. “We had a malfunction there that really cost us. I think that it is going to be OK.

“It is kind of like what I told you guys at the start: we are not as good of a football team right now, but we have the potential to be a really good football team. I think that our challenge is to keep growing and to get better day-by-day.”

** An update to a stat  from the useless information department: the Hokies improved to 6-0 when wearing Monday night’s uniform combination (maroon helmets, orange jerseys, white pants, black shoes/socks).

** Up next: Virginia Tech will try to avoid a James Madison-like letdown when it plays Austin Peay on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Fans can watch the game online on ESPN3.