Players With a Lot Riding on the Game

Collectively,
the Hokie coaches and players have a lot on the line Saturday night. Winning 11
games, positioning themselves for next year, making a statement in SEC country,
proving the strength of the ACC, and just delivering a victory for themselves
and the fans are all important goals. But as individuals, a lot of Tech’s
players have a lot on the line, as well. We present a list of Hokies who have a
little more riding on the Chick-fil-A Bowl than most of their teammates.

We’ll start with Sean Glennon, who has had a rocky year currying favor
with the Tech fans. Glennon’s season has run the gamut from a key fumble on a
blindside hit that Georgia Tech returned for a touchdown, to a great performance
against Wake Forest in a key ACC road game.

In the CFA Bowl game, Glennon heads into an environment the likes of which he
hasn’t seen in his career. The November 5th road game at Miami, against a
talented and inspired Hurricane defense, was a test, but the Orange Bowl wasn’t
close to full. Only 41,500 fans were in attendance that night, with a good
3,000-4,000 of them being Hokie fans.

The Chick-fil-A Bowl, in the Georgia Dome, will be like a road game in many
ways. The dome seats 72,000 fans, and about 25,000 of them will be Hokie fans by
my guess, but that leaves almost 50,000 other fans who will mostly be pulling
for the black and red. SEC fans know how to make noise, and the Georgia Dome is
a loud place, where noise echoes. When Tech is on offense, the Dawg fans will
make it tough on Glennon and the Hokies. The Georgia Dome is a raucous
atmosphere for the CFA Bowl, and Glennon and company will feel the heat.

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