[12:02 PM] #14 Miami (FL) @ Georgia Tech

Who will WIN this matchup?

#14 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (3-0)

@ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-1)

 

Current odds:

Miami (FL) Hurricanes: (-320)

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: (+260)

 

ESPN simulations have Georgia Tech as XX% favorites to win the game.

Miami (FL) is 0-0 as a road team, 0-0 as a favorite and 0-0 as a road favorite.

Georgia Tech is 0-0 as a home team, 0-0 as an underdog and 0-0 as a home underdog.

XX% of sports bets are currently on Miami (FL) to win as (XX) favorites.

The line for this game is Hurricanes by 7.

No. 14 Miami (Fla.), which had a week off to soak in its dominant 3-0 start behind a surprisingly stout defense, faces its first ACC test Saturday as it travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets will be looking to rebound from a 26-7 loss to No. 3 Clemson in which their usually prolific running game was held to only 95 yards.

Linemen Demetrius Jackson and Chad Thomas have combined for 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks while the all-freshman starting linebacker trio featuring Michael Pinckney and Shaquille Quarterman has exceeded expectations for a defense that is tied for first in sacks (4.33 per game) and No. 1 in tackles for loss (13.3). After dominating Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic on the ground, coach Mark Richt opened up the offense against the Mountaineers behind Kaaya, who threw scoring passes to veterans Stacy Coley and David Njoku while finding a new big-play option in freshman Ahmmon Richards (four catches, including a 62-yard TD). Sophomore Mark Walton is averaging 133.7 yards rushing and got the Hurricanes started with an 80-yard score on Miami’s first offensive play against Appalachian State.

Versatile quarterback Justin Thomas will look to get his team’s usually reliable running attack back on track after an error-filled outing that Johnson termed “a train wreck” while also looking to improve his passing accuracy (23-of-51) in an effort to keep the Hurricanes’ defense guessing. Freshman running back Dedrick Mills has emerged as the team’s top rushing threat (67 yards per game, five touchdowns) and sophomore Clinton Lynch has big-play ability, averaging 12 yards on 11 carries and also scoring on a 71-yard pass play. Led by lineman Patrick Gamble (2.5 sacks), linebacker P.J. Davis (24 total tackles) and defensive back Corey Griffin (25 tackles, one interception), the defense had been solid – allowing only 31 points in three wins – prior to the first-half mess against Clemson.

Richt, in his first year as Miami’s coach, was 13-2 against Georgia Tech while guiding Georgia.

Despite the loss to Clemson, the Yellow Jackets are 7-3 against ranked foes at home in Johnson’s nine years as the team’s coach.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Confidence: 5/10

Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick