(14) Georgia Tech (2-0) at (20) Miami-Florida (1-0)
Thursday, September 17th, 7:30 p.m. (et)
GAME NOTES: A key top-25 battle in the ACC's Coastal Division takes place on Thursday night, as the 20th-ranked Miami Hurricanes welcome the 14th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to Land Shark Stadium.
Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets played last Thursday and knocked off the Clemson Tigers to move to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the ACC, although it didn't come easy. Tech squandered a 24-0 lead and actually trailed in the game late before a Scott Blair 36-yard field goal with under a minute to play tipped the scales in Tech's favor.
Randy Shannon's Hurricanes will be well rested for this matchup, as they sat idle last week following a huge win on Labor Day in the season-opener, a 38-34 slugfest with arch rival Florida State. The win propelled Miami back into the top-25 and their 20th spot in the poll is the highest since 2006. The Hurricanes have perhaps the toughest four-game set in the country to start the season, as after this game, the team travels to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech, before closing things out at home against Oklahoma.
Georgia Tech has opened up a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series with Miami, thanks to four straight victories.
The Yellow Jackets are a scary rushing team and that was once again evident against Clemson, as Tech churned out 301 yards on the ground. It was actually a step down from the first week, as the team is now netting 318 yards rushing thus far. The team has a true workhorse in last year's ACC Player of the Year Jonathan Dwyer, but what makes this offense so dangerous is the fact that Dwyer doesn't have to carry the load all the time. Dwyer is averaging 6.4 yards per carry on the season, but doesn't currently lead the team in rushing. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt leads the team with 184 yards on the year. Fellow junior Anthony Allen is also in the mix thanks in large part to a huge game against Clemson (127 yards and one TD).
The importance of others stepping up when defenses key on Dwyer is a must for Tech according to Johnson.
"That is the nature of what we do. There are going to be other guys that have a chance to be successful and the key is that is everybody is selling out to stop Jonathan [Dwyer] then the other guys all have to have big days."
The passing game is an afterthought in Atlanta, but that doesn't mean the team is void of talent downfield. In fact, WR Demaryius Thomas is electrifying and certainly proved that against Clemson, catching three of Tech's four completed passes, for 93 yards and one TD. On the season, the 6-3, 230-pound Thomas leads the team with seven receptions, for 197 yards.
The Georgia Tech defense has had its moments of brilliant play, but has seemed to struggle in sustaining momentum throughout games in the early going. The team is currently yielding 22.0 ppg and is giving up almost 340 yards of total offense.
One player that has dominated up front is junior rush end Derrick Morgan. The 6-4, 272-pounder leads the team in tackles (15), including 6.5 TFLs and a whopping five sacks. Sophomore safety Cooper Taylor is right behind Morgan with 14 total tackles, followed by LBs Brad Jefferson (13 tackles) and Sedric Griffin (12 stops).
The question surrounding Miami heading into the season was how sophomore Jacory Harris would handle being the unquestioned leader on the offensive side of the ball. With the QB crop thinning out with the departure of two talented youngsters just before the season began, it was important for Harris to gain some confidence and prove to his teammates that he is the right man for the job. Harris did just that against Florida State, throwing for a career-high 386 yards and two TDs.
Wideouts Travis Benjamin and Leonard Hankerson were quite the receiving tandem, with Benjamin hauling in four balls, for 128 yards and one TD and Hankerson grabbing four balls, for 72 yards.
The ground game struggled a bit against the Seminoles, although both Javarris James and Graig Cooper found the end zone once via the rush. with Cooper adding a TD reception as well.
Defensively, there wasn't a whole lot to be happy about in the opener, as Miami gave up over 400 yards of total offense to Florida State, including nearly 300 through the air. The pass defense shouldn't be a problem in this one, as Tech rarely throws the ball.
The run defense was adequate against FSU, limiting the 'Noles to 110 yards on 3.7 yards per carry.
The stop unit did record two sacks and seven TFLs in the season-opener and also forced FSU into two turnovers. Taking advantage of any Georgia Tech miscues is a real key for the Miami defense, which will likely see a lot of time on the field, with Tech's strong run game.
The Hurricanes continue to make strides forward, but may have a tough time with Dwyer and company on Thursday. If Tech gets another lead, expect the team to protect it a little better and in the process, open up league play with a big road win.
Predicted Outcome: Georgia Tech 31, Miami 24
Thursday, September 17th, 7:30 p.m. (et)
GAME NOTES: A key top-25 battle in the ACC's Coastal Division takes place on Thursday night, as the 20th-ranked Miami Hurricanes welcome the 14th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to Land Shark Stadium.
Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets played last Thursday and knocked off the Clemson Tigers to move to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the ACC, although it didn't come easy. Tech squandered a 24-0 lead and actually trailed in the game late before a Scott Blair 36-yard field goal with under a minute to play tipped the scales in Tech's favor.
Randy Shannon's Hurricanes will be well rested for this matchup, as they sat idle last week following a huge win on Labor Day in the season-opener, a 38-34 slugfest with arch rival Florida State. The win propelled Miami back into the top-25 and their 20th spot in the poll is the highest since 2006. The Hurricanes have perhaps the toughest four-game set in the country to start the season, as after this game, the team travels to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech, before closing things out at home against Oklahoma.
Georgia Tech has opened up a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series with Miami, thanks to four straight victories.
The Yellow Jackets are a scary rushing team and that was once again evident against Clemson, as Tech churned out 301 yards on the ground. It was actually a step down from the first week, as the team is now netting 318 yards rushing thus far. The team has a true workhorse in last year's ACC Player of the Year Jonathan Dwyer, but what makes this offense so dangerous is the fact that Dwyer doesn't have to carry the load all the time. Dwyer is averaging 6.4 yards per carry on the season, but doesn't currently lead the team in rushing. Quarterback Josh Nesbitt leads the team with 184 yards on the year. Fellow junior Anthony Allen is also in the mix thanks in large part to a huge game against Clemson (127 yards and one TD).
The importance of others stepping up when defenses key on Dwyer is a must for Tech according to Johnson.
"That is the nature of what we do. There are going to be other guys that have a chance to be successful and the key is that is everybody is selling out to stop Jonathan [Dwyer] then the other guys all have to have big days."
The passing game is an afterthought in Atlanta, but that doesn't mean the team is void of talent downfield. In fact, WR Demaryius Thomas is electrifying and certainly proved that against Clemson, catching three of Tech's four completed passes, for 93 yards and one TD. On the season, the 6-3, 230-pound Thomas leads the team with seven receptions, for 197 yards.
The Georgia Tech defense has had its moments of brilliant play, but has seemed to struggle in sustaining momentum throughout games in the early going. The team is currently yielding 22.0 ppg and is giving up almost 340 yards of total offense.
One player that has dominated up front is junior rush end Derrick Morgan. The 6-4, 272-pounder leads the team in tackles (15), including 6.5 TFLs and a whopping five sacks. Sophomore safety Cooper Taylor is right behind Morgan with 14 total tackles, followed by LBs Brad Jefferson (13 tackles) and Sedric Griffin (12 stops).
The question surrounding Miami heading into the season was how sophomore Jacory Harris would handle being the unquestioned leader on the offensive side of the ball. With the QB crop thinning out with the departure of two talented youngsters just before the season began, it was important for Harris to gain some confidence and prove to his teammates that he is the right man for the job. Harris did just that against Florida State, throwing for a career-high 386 yards and two TDs.
Wideouts Travis Benjamin and Leonard Hankerson were quite the receiving tandem, with Benjamin hauling in four balls, for 128 yards and one TD and Hankerson grabbing four balls, for 72 yards.
The ground game struggled a bit against the Seminoles, although both Javarris James and Graig Cooper found the end zone once via the rush. with Cooper adding a TD reception as well.
Defensively, there wasn't a whole lot to be happy about in the opener, as Miami gave up over 400 yards of total offense to Florida State, including nearly 300 through the air. The pass defense shouldn't be a problem in this one, as Tech rarely throws the ball.
The run defense was adequate against FSU, limiting the 'Noles to 110 yards on 3.7 yards per carry.
The stop unit did record two sacks and seven TFLs in the season-opener and also forced FSU into two turnovers. Taking advantage of any Georgia Tech miscues is a real key for the Miami defense, which will likely see a lot of time on the field, with Tech's strong run game.
The Hurricanes continue to make strides forward, but may have a tough time with Dwyer and company on Thursday. If Tech gets another lead, expect the team to protect it a little better and in the process, open up league play with a big road win.
Predicted Outcome: Georgia Tech 31, Miami 24
