Middle Tennessee State @ Georgia Tech preview
Bobby Dodd Stadium
Georgia Tech steps out of conference play Saturday when it hosts Middle Tennessee State, a Sun Belt team that is 3-1 in its last four games against ACC opponents.
This is the first meeting between the team.
The Yellow Jackets (4-2, 3-1) are coming off an emphatic performance in which they ran for 477 yards – Tech’s most ever in an ACC game – in a 33-21 home win over Virginia.
Georgia Tech leads the ACC and ranks third nationally in rushing (328 yards per game).
Quarterback Joshua Nesbitt and B-back Anthony Allen, both seniors, are the ACC’s top two rushers. In fact, Nesbitt, who averages 90.5 yards per game, could become the first quarterback to lead the conference in rushing.
Allen ran for 195 yards and three touchdowns, scoring on runs of 6, 18, and 8 yards against Virginia. All three scores came in the second half. Nesbitt added 109 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
It all starts up front for the Yellow Jackets. Senior center Sean Bedford is the anchor and sophomore guard Omoregie Uzzi is coming on strong. Uzzi had 16 knockdown blocks against the Cavaliers.
The Blue Raiders (2-3, 1-1) are giving up 185.4 rushing yards per game, and they haven’t seen an option attack like Georgia Tech’s. Not helping matters is the fact that the Blue Raiders have created just four turnovers in five games.
While Tech’s defense has shown improvement lately, including holding Virginia to 209 yards through three quarters, the unit will have its hands full with Blue Raiders quarterback Dwight Dasher.
Dasher missed the first four games due to NCAA suspension and showed some rust in his return last week. But last season he threw for 2,789 yards, ran for 1,154 more and accounted for 36 touchdowns as Middle Tennessee State won 10 games.
In his season debut last week in a 42-13 loss to Troy, Dasher threw for 172 yards.
The last time Tech faced a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, N.C. State's Russell Wilson helped hand the Yellow Jackets a 45-28 home loss.
Interestingly, Dasher and Nesbitt faced off in the Georgia high school football semifinals in 2005. Dasher’s team won 34-33 and went on to grab the Class AA title.
This time Nesbitt’s squad looks significantly more talented.
After Saturday, Tech plays four straight ACC opponents before its season-ending rivalry game against Georgia.