12:15 pm
November 3

Georgia Tech @ North Carolina

Who will WIN this matchup?

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-4)

@ North Carolina Tar Heels (1-6)

 

Current odds:

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: (-200)

North Carolina Tar Heels: (+170)

 

• The line for this game is Georgia Tech by 4.5 points.

• Georgia Tech brings the nation’s top rushing offense – and surging confidence – into Saturday’s contest against host North Carolina while quarterback TaQuon Marshall returns to the starting lineup after missing last week’s upset of Virginia Tech with an upper-body injury. Backup Tobias Oliver rushed for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the 49-28 victory, but coach Paul Johnson stated that he plans to use both quarterbacks this week, with Marshall getting the start.

• North Carolina brings its share of problems into the matchup, having dropped four straight contests – the last three by a total of 16 points. The Tar Heels average 170.4 yards per game, a number that took a big hit after they gained just 66 on the ground in last week’s 31-21 loss at Virginia.

• Oliver attempted just one pass last week – an incompletion – but the Yellow Jackets finished with 465 yards rushing as Jordan Mason registered 82 and three touchdowns. Marshall, who has topped 100 yards rushing in three games and has passed for 100-plus on three occasions, ranks second in the conference and is tied for third nationally in points by a quarterback (54). Linebacker Charlie Thomas recorded a career-best nine tackles last week.

• Quarterback Nathan Elliott has attempted 212 consecutive passes without an interception, a streak dating back to the season opener, and finished 22-of-38 for 271 yards and two touchdowns last week. Kicker Freeman Jones ranks second in the ACC in points per game (8.4), converting 14-of-20 field-goal attempts and all 17 extra points. Linebacker Cole Holcomb averages 8.4 tackles per contest, which ranks him fifth in the conference.

• Georgia Tech became the first ACC team not to complete a pass in a game since Wake Forest in 1972.

• North Carolina is converting just 31.3 percent of its third-down opportunities, ranking 123rd in FBS.

• The Yellow Jackets snapped a three-game losing streak in the series last year with a 33-7 home victory in which they maintained possession for more than 38 minutes.

6/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
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