Yes, the Virginia Cavaliers had a bye week before playing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, thereby gaining two weeks to prepare for the triple-option offense that makes Georgia Tech so tough to defend. Yes, Virginia head coach Mike London was able to teach his players how to prepare for the nuances of one of the most difficult systems in all of college football.

Yet, for all the good things Virginia did and for all that the Cavaliers accomplished in their massive breakthrough win this past Saturday at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia, there's one lingering question Georgia Tech must answer now that it has fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten: How did Virginia's offense manage to shorten this game and deprive Tech of better scoring opportunities?

Yes, Virginia scored one of its biggest triumphs in quite some time, certainly the biggest in the still-unfolding tenure of London, the new head coach asked to clean up the mess left by former Cavalier coach Al Groh. Yet, for all the advantages Georgia had in this contest, there should have been one very big trump card in Georgia Tech's deck: namely, the poor quality of Virginia's offense. Cavalier quarterback Michael Rocco completed only eight passes in this game and threw a pick-six which enabled Tech to erase a 14-0 deficit midway through the second quarter. Georgia Tech stumbled badly in the first quarter, but when a two-touchdown Cavalier lead quickly evaporated, it was hard to think that Tech couldn't outplay and outscore Virginia for the remaining two and a half quarters.

Someway, somehow, Virginia did the deed. The reason? The Cavaliers were able to keep the ball away from the Jackets.

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It's true that Georgia Tech was limited to "only" 272 rushing yards, well below the team's average. Virginia certainly did a great job of keying on the triple option and specifically the fullback portion of it. Georgia Tech had some success with wide pitch plays and the quick-hitting "rocket toss," which represents something of a change-of-pace play within the triple-option scheme. Virginia defensive coordinator Jim Reid certainly earned a game ball for the work he did with his charges, bottling up Tech's power running between the tackles and making the Jackets one-dimensional. Yet, this game was decided on the other side of the ball, and in an ironic twist, it was the very same Al Groh - the former Virginia coach - who played a part in the drama.

Groh, you see, is now the defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, and it was Groh's defense which let down its guard when this game hung in the balance. Virginia, which led 24-21 midway through the third quarter and kept denying the Jackets on each and every drive, got the ball back with just over six minutes left in regulation. Georgia Tech, facing a limited Cavalier offense, should have expected to get the ball back with over four minutes left. Instead, the Jackets never got the ball back - Virginia ran out the entirety of the clock by churning out one first down after another. Yes, Virginia - unable to do much of anything in the passing game - was able to complete a few swing passes for first downs. Moreover, the Cavaliers hammered the ball at the edges of Tech's defensive line with off-tackle runs. This maneuver gave UVA running back Perry Jones 149 yards on just 18 carries, a whopping 8.3-yards-per-carry average made all the more amazing when one realizes the lack of a credible passing game in the Cavs' arsenal. Groh's Georgia Tech defense got shredded, preventing the triple-option offense from staying on the field, which is part of how the Yellow Jackets succeed. Georgia Tech was never able to wear down Virginia because Virginia's offense stayed on the field too long. This was the true alchemy of an upset that has just altered the balance of power in the ACC.