GAMETHREAD: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Miami Hurricanes

This week, two first-year ACC coaches will face off as Geoff Collins of Georgia Tech and Manny Diaz of Miami face each other. These two coaches have had very different seasons thus far, with Miami sitting at 3-3 and Tech sitting at 1-5. Miami comes into this game as a pretty heavy favorite, so what needs to go right for Tech to win this game? Well, in short, a lot.

Can Tech cause enough havoc to win this game?

Georgia Tech is causing a 15 percent havoc rate so far this season, which is not that great. What’s good for the Yellow Jackets is that Miami is allowing a 25 percent havoc rate, thanks in large part to a very young offensive line. This would be a great opportunity for the guy who earned the nickname “Minister of Mayhem” to really show what he’s got. I’m hoping to see some more blitz packages to take advantage of a young offensive line. I think it’s also worth noting that N’Kosi Perry (54.2 percent) has been far less accurate passing the ball than Jarren Williams (71.4 percent).

Offensive consistency

Georgia Tech has had a lot of issues being consistent on offense, but there have been some bright moments the last two weeks. James Graham and Jordan Mason have improved the last couple games, but there’s still room to grow. Something that I think will help Graham is setting up some easy short passes to get the ball moving quickly. I can’t imagine he’ll have much time to throw this week, so setting up situations where Graham can get the ball out of his hands quickly will help offset that.

Can Georgia Tech kick field goals successfully now?

Georgia Tech surprised all of us last week when Brenton King trotted out and nailed a 42-yard field goal. Personally, I’m hoping that a sign of things to come. Obviously, I’d prefer Tech score touchdowns, but it’s nice to know that Tech can at least hit those sometimes.

Score Prediction

This game is very likely not to go well, and I wish I was more optimistic about this game, but Miami’s defense alone is enough for them to win this game. The Yellow Jackets have been inconsistent on offense, which has the potential to make Miami’s defense look better than its stats even indicate. I don’t think Miami will score a ton of points, but they’ll score more than enough to win. I’ll say they win 31-14.

What’s your score prediction?