Take Two: Revisiting the keys and grading UVa's win over GT

The Result: UVa hung on to beat Georgia Tech 33-28 at Scott Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The win pushed the Hoos to 7-3 overall and 5-2 in ACC play heading into the second open date of the season. The victory guarantees Virginia of having a winning record in conference play for the first time since 2011.

The Turning Point: A 47-yard kick return by Taveres Kelly in the final minute of the first half followed by a 43-yard run from Bryce Perkins. Those two plays set the Wahoos up in the red zone, where Perkins ultimately scored to take the lead just before half. Virginia never trailed the rest of the way.

The Stat That Tells the Story: For the second straight game, UVa didn’t turn the ball over. The Hoos were +1 in the turnover battle and that takeaway led to seven points, which ultimately was more than the final margin of victory.

Wahoo of the Week: For the second straight week, it’s Perkins. The senior signal caller had another big day both through the air and on the ground, throwing for 258 yards and rushing for 106 more to go with two TDs total.

Bronco’s Winning Formula:

24+ Points?: Yes (33)

+1 Turnover Margin?: Yes (+1)

+5 Average Starting Field Position?: Yes (+14)

1) Avoid critical mistakes

The defense had some breakdowns but overall Virginia did a nice job in this respect. Special teams didn’t make any mistakes that cost the Hoos field position and the Yellow Jackets never really tried any trickery. The offense didn’t turn the ball over and the Cavaliers won the field position battle by a significant margin. The defense did give up a few big plays, most of which came in the first half. GT’s first touchdown came on a 59-yard pass play, the longest offensive play of the season. UVa probably didn’t play its “A” game but the Wahoos didn’t give Georgia Tech any gifts that ultimately would have shifted the game into their hands.

Grade: B+

2) Stop the run

Georgia Tech’s offense was run-heavy in the first eight games and while they had a number of quality runs, the Ramblin Wreck did most of their damage through the air. On the day, UVa allowed 143 rushing yards and 4.5 yards per carry. Georgia Tech’s longest run was 28 yards and the Yellow Jackets finished with five runs of 10 yards or more. GT was not able to win the time of possession battle with long sustained drives that ate up the clock, in large part because the Jackets opted to pass the ball more often than they normally would. UVa’s run defense wasn’t perfect by any means but the Wahoos didn’t get gashed like they did against Louisville two weeks ago or even like they did at times last week.

Grade: B-