2Slick

Georgia Tech vs. Duke

GAME: Duke at Georgia Tech
TIME: 01:30 P.M. EST
VENUE: Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field



Georgia Tech has a spot in the ACC title game secured. The Yellow Jackets still have plenty to play for when they host winless Duke on Saturday in their conference finale.

The 18th-ranked Yellow Jackets (8-2, 6-1), the ACC Coastal Division champions, seek to extend their win streak to four and continue to build momentum before their Dec. 2 conference championship game appearance.

A third straight win over Duke (0-10, 0-6), which would be their 11th in the last 12 meetings, would also boost Georgia Tech's bowl resume.

The winner of the ACC championship game will be invited to the Orange Bowl, but by beating Duke, Tech likely can make sure it falls no farther than the Chick-fil-A Bowl or Gator Bowl in the ACC's bowl pecking order.

Tech faces Georgia on Nov. 25 to close the regular season.

"We have talked about wanting to finish strong and wanting to be the best we can be," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said. "The Duke game is included in that."

The Yellow Jackets were not at their best last week, but still managed a 7-0 win over North Carolina, which is winless in ACC play. It was Tech's first shutout since Nov. 9, 2000, against Virginia.

"I think the whole team is ecstatic, but on the other side we're pretty upset with how we played," Georgia Tech running back Tashard Choice said. "We feel like we should've come out and played better."

Choice scored the lone touchdown in the win to give him a career-high seven on the season, and added 119 rushing yards to increase his total to 940. The junior is hoping to become the first Tech player to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark since P.J. Daniels had 1,447 in 2003, the second-highest total in school history.

Senior quarterback Reggie Ball, who had a season-low 78 passing yards against the Tar Heels, was a freshman starter on that Tech squad.

Ball has been bothered by a leg injury suffered Oct. 7 in a win over Maryland. He has completed 41.4 percent of his passes in the four games since the injury, with four of his nine interceptions coming in that span.

Ball has completed only 47.1 percent of his passes for 1,527 yards with 17 touchdowns this season. He has struggled in three career starts against Duke, throwing six interceptions with two touchdowns.

"It still is bothering him," Gailey said of the leg problem. "There's no question he's banged up. I don't worry about that being a major factor. Is it a factor? Yes it is, but I don't worry about it being a major factor in his play."

Calvin Johnson hopes Ball can play through the injury, as the junior receiver is trying to become the first Yellow Jackets player to win the Walter Camp Award as Division I-A player of the year. Johnson leads the conference with 52 receptions for 808 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's 80 yards shy of his career best set in 2005 and needs two more scores to equal his output over his last two seasons.

The Yellow Jackets have won seven in a row over the Blue Devils at Bobby Dodd Stadium, outscoring them 59-17 in the last two meetings, both wins. Duke last defeated Georgia Tech 41-17 on Nov. 8, 2003 at Durham, with the last victory in Atlanta coming in 1994.

Duke is looking to snap an 18-game losing streak, the longest active one in Division I-A.

The Blue Devils' last victory came against Division I-AA's Virginia Military Institute on Sept. 17, 2005, and its last victory over a Division I-A opponent was over Clemson on Nov. 13, 2004. Both were at home.

Duke has dropped 15 consecutive road games, with their last victory away from Durham coming on Nov. 22, 2003 over North Carolina. The Blue Devils host the Tar Heels in their Nov. 25 season finale.

Duke lost 28-7 to Boston College on Saturday.

"Defensively, I think we're much better at this point in the season. Offensively, everybody's getting better," safety Chris Davis said. "You can still call us young - the majority of our receivers are sophomores. Offensive line, all sophomores. ... Our quarterback is a freshman. Some people might say that's an excuse. I'm definitely not using it as an excuse. But it's the facts."

The Blue Devils are one of two winless schools in Division I-A this season, joining Florida International.