Kelly Campbell (top) and Russell Matvay celebrate a touchdown in the first quarter.(AP)

"They should just put us in the national championship game," said receiver Kelly Campbell, who had a 50-yard touchdown run and caught a 33-yard scoring pass. "We're a very good football team right now. We're putting a lot of points on the board. The defense is stopping teams. You can't ask for anything more."

Godsey, already the nation's seventh-rated passer, completed his first nine throws while leading the Yellow Jackets (7-2, 5-2 ACC) to the end zone on their first three possessions.

Godsey finished 29-of-37 for 323 yards, spreading the ball around to 11 receivers. Georgia Tech piled up 304 yards on the ground, led by Joe Burns with 120.

Burns had TD runs of 17 and 3 yards, and Nate Curry finished the scoring with an 18-yard reception.

"You can't get caught up in throwing to one guy," Godsey said. "Our offense is dictated by the coverages. You've got to be able to read secondaries to be an effective quarterback."

Georgia Tech was already bowl-eligible but likely clinched its fourth straight postseason trip, which hasn't happened since the 1950s.

Virginia (5-4, 4-3) must win its final two games against North Carolina State and Virginia Tech to extend its streak of seven-win seasons to 14 in a row.

"I don't think we are executing anything right now well enough to win against a team that is going to score some points on us," Cavaliers coach George Welsh said. "This is the third straight game that we had trouble executing."

Virginia was blanked for the first time in more than 16 years, stretching back to a 55-0 loss to Clemson opening the 1984 season. Georgia Tech surrendered only 290 yards in its first shutout since a 38-0 victory over Maryland seven years ago.

This ACC series usually produces wild, high-scoring games. The last four meetings had been decided by a total of 20 points, each team winning twice.

Virginia won 35-31 in 1997 and 45-38 a year ago, sandwiched around Georgia Tech's 41-38 victory in '98, making this only the second series in ACC history where both teams have scored at least 30 points three straight times.

"The defense made a statement, especially in this series," Tech defensive end Greg Gathers said. "Everyone thought it would probably be another shootout. But we made some big defensive stops."

Offensively, the Yellow Jackets went over 600 yards for the first time since 1984 and were topped only by a 706-yard performance against the Citadel in 1948. They didn't event have to punt.

The score could have been much worse. Ed Wilder dropped a sure touchdown pass, backup kicker Dan Burnett missed two field goals, and the Yellow Jackets were stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Virginia 16.

"There's still room for improvement," Godsey said. "We sputtered a little in the red zone."

Georgia Tech led 21-0 before the game was 13 minutes old.

On the opening possession, Burns broke off a 42-yard run before streaking to the end zone on third-and-1 from the Virginia 17.

The Cavaliers went three-and-out before Campbell took an option pitch at the 50 and swept down the left sideline, untouched, for his first touchdown.

Virginia managed a first down on its next possession before punting back to the Yellow Jackets. They quickly drove 80 yards in 10 plays, with Burns scoring from the 3 with 2:34 left in the quarter.

Tech kept driving into Virginia territory, but squandered several scoring chances.

Burnett, filling in for injured kicker Luke Manget, was wide right on field-goal attempts from 29 and 34 yards. Wilder was wide open in the end zone, but dropped a soft pass from Godsey.

Virginia quarterback Dan Ellis was 14-of-30 for just 136 yards.

Antwoine Womack, the ACC's leading rusher with an average of 100 yards, managed only 44 yards on 12 carries.

"The defense was on the field too much," Welsh said, noting Tech's nearly 16-minute advantage in time of possession. "I'm not sure what happened to our offense. We've gone south."