Virginia Tech’s Brandon Pace will do his kicking indoors tonight, and he couldn’t be happier about that.

“You don’t have to deal with any of the outside elements: the wind and the cold or anything like that,” Pace said before a recent practice in Atlanta.  “And you’re always going to get a good spot on that field, so I like it.”

The 14th-ranked Hokies (10-2) meet Georgia (8-4) in the Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome at 8 o’clock.  Tech practiced in the 73,500-seat facility Monday, and it’s “bigger than I thought it was in there,” Pace said.  “I’ve kicked in the Superdome in New Orleans, but [the Georgia Dome is] bigger than I thought it was going to be.  I definitely like kicking indoors ...  It’s supposed to be, I think they said, 72 degrees, so you don’t have anything to deal with.”

A senior from Virginia Beach, Pace made 35 of 37 extra points and 17 of 18 field-goal attempts during the regular season and was named second-team all-ACC.  Jared Devilli handled most of the kickoffs, but he’s out with an injury, and Pace and Jud Dunlevy are expected to split that duty tonight.

Pace kicked off six times during the regular season, with three touchbacks.

“I’ve done it before—my freshman year I did it—and I’ve done it a few times this year, so it’s nothing new,” Pace said.  “It’s going to help for the future for me”—in his bid to make the NFL—“and that’s why I really wanted to do it this year.  But Develli’s done such a great job, you can’t take anything away from him.”

Kicking off indoors is considerably different than kicking off in an outdoor stadium.

“If there’s wind behind you, it’s going to help you, or if it’s in your face, it’s going to hurt you,” Pace said.  “It definitely make a difference.  Or if it’s cold.  These balls get real hard, and the leather swells.  It’s painful to kick when it’s real cold outside.”

-- Jeff White