Miami (FL) @ Georgia Tech preview
Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field
Last Meeting ( Oct 5, 2013 ) Georgia Tech 30, Miami 45
Georgia Tech looks to keep its surprising unbeaten record intact when it hosts Miami (Fla.) in an important ACC Coastal Division contest Saturday evening. The Yellow Jackets have won two straight last-minute decisions to establish themselves as one of the conference's biggest surprises. The Hurricanes haven't won a game on the road and can't afford a second league loss if they hope to win a division title.
Georgia Tech's ground game has been one of the nation's best, averaging 292 yards to rank 11th in the country. Miami is allowing just 135.2 yards on the ground, although Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah had 229 yards against the Hurricanes two weeks ago. Quarterback Justin Thomas (team-high 443 yards) is the key to the Yellow Jackets' ground game, making him the focus of the Miami defense.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: Even
ABOUT MIAMI (FLA.) (3-2, 1-1 ACC): The Hurricanes' defense rebounded from the Nebraska loss with a solid performance in last week's win over Duke. Coach Al Golden credits the improvement to his defensive players working together and playing as a unit, not individual defenders. “It's all-in, everybody executing the correct technique, trusting their training, nobody on their own, and be a band of brothers,” Golden told the Miami Herald. “That's what college football is about. You can get exploited quickly. They're just going to come after you with yards and (big) plays if you're not all together.”
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (4-0, 1-0): While the Yellow Jackets are looking for big things from their rushing offense, they also need to be wary of the Miami ground game, led by RB Duke Johnson. Johnson had 184 yards against Georgia Tech last season and has been a big part of the defensive game plan for the Yellow Jackets. “He's a guy that you've got to finish,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He's not going down with an arm tackle. He's a guy who, you wonder how he's squirting out of there, but he does.”
EXTRA POINTS
1. Miami freshman QB Brad Kaaya ranks second in the ACC in passing touchdowns with 12, but he's also thrown seven interceptions.
2. Georgia Tech has been good at hanging onto the ball, committing just four turnovers in four games compared to 24 in 2013.
3. The Yellow Jackets hold a 10-9 advantage in the all-time series, but the Hurricanes have won the last four meetings.
PREDICTION: Miami 31, Georgia Tech 28