Yellow Jackets Look to Stay on Track visiting the Louisville Cardinals
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Louisville Cardinals battle on Friday Night at Papa John’s Stadium. Both teams are fighting for survival to make the postseason after slow starts to the season.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Georgia Tech -5.5
Georgia Tech suffered through a miserable start to the season. They lost three of their first four contests. The team hopes to continue taking advantage of a soft spot in its schedule Friday at Louisville. This is the first-ever matchup between the ACC teams.
The Yellow Jackets have struggled to get their running game on track at times this season. They piled up 372 yards on the ground in a 63-17 rout of Bowling Green last week. Now they aim for their first road victory since the 2016 Tax Slayer Bowl.
The Cardinals held a three-point lead against Florida State with two minutes remaining last week. Coach Bobby Petrino called for a pass that was intercepted that set up the game-winning touchdown in a crushing 28-24 defeat.
Georgia Tech Looks for Consistent Offensive Play
Georgia Tech is 2-3 overall and 0-2 ACC action. The Yellow Jackets were far smoother running the triple-option last week than in a blowout loss to Clemson in their previous game. They certainly benefited from the caliber of the opposing defense.
Quarterback TaQuon Marshall ran for two touchdowns and completed 5-of-6 passes for 160 yards. Backup Tobias Oliver added 115 yards rushing and two scores.
Linebacker Brant Mitchell recorded a season-high eight tackles last week.
The Yellow Jackets already have matched last season’s total of 10 forced turnovers and are tied for 13th in the nation in that category.
Louisville Cardinals Have to Play Better Overall
There were some positives for Louisville last week, as former starting quarterback Jawon Pass regained his job by throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns.
Louisville is 2-3 overall and 0-2 in ACC play. Pass completed 24-of-45 attempts and rushed for a score last week. He missed several open targets and threw interceptions on the Cardinals’ final two drives.
Louisville is 113th in the nation in rushing offense. They are averaging just 120 yards. Hassan Hall finished with 57 on 11 carries. Linebacker P.J. Blue finished with eight tackles, bringing his total over the last two games to 14.
WR Jaylen Smith recorded his sixth 100-yard receiving performance of his career last week. That ties him for 10th on the school’s all-time list.
The Cardinals are 12-5 at home in ACC play since joining the league in 2014.
PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 23, Louisville 17
ACC Football Betting Odds & Trends
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games | ||
| Georgia Tech is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games | ||
| Georgia Tech is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road | ||
| Georgia Tech is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road | ||
Louisville Cardinals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Louisville is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games | ||
| Louisville is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games | ||
| Louisville is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games at home | ||
| Louisville is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home | ||
Next up:
Georgia Tech home to Duke Saturday, October 13
Louisville at Boston College Saturday, October 13
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