To open up Georgia Tech’s home schedule, the Yellow Jackets are playing host to the alma mater of their current and most recent head coach: the Western Carolina Catamounts.

The Catamounts got off to a strong start last week in their match-up against Charleston Southern. WCU won 52-38 in large part due to the play of QB Carlos Davis, who completed close to 80 percent of his passes for 433 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. His main target was Raphael Williams, who hauled in 10 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. Censere Lee also broke off a 72-yard touchdown (his lone catch of the game).

Though the Catamounts won, Charleston Southern was able to easily take advantage of the WCU passing defense. Buccaneers QB Ross Malmgrem passes for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns.

The Yellow Jackets are looking to bounce back on a short week following a Week 1 loss to the Clemson Tigers. Facing an FCS opponent, most Tech fans are expecting to win the game with ease, but with it being a short week after such a devastating loss, I worry this could be a trap game. It is imperative that Tech comes out and makes a statement early in this game to avoid that.

How to watch Georgia Tech vs. Western Carolina

Game Time: 7 p.m.

Channel: ACC Network Extra

Streaming: ACCNX, ESPN+

Betting Odds: Because WCU is an FCS opponent, there were no published odds for this game.

Get ready for the game!

Georgia Tech Above the Line Chart | Western Carolina Depth Chart

Annotated News & Notes:

In his weekly column, Sammy McMillan gives an interesting zoology lesson about what exactly a catamount is. Additionally, he shares his excitement about seeing the Yellow Jackets open their home schedule at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

In lieu of an advanced stats preview, Robert Binion wrote a more traditional preview of this weekend’s game. He noted that the tandem of Carlos Davis and Raphael Williams will be one to watch out for this weekend. He also make notes of the Catamounts’ inability to stop the run, which could play to Tech’s favor very well after facing Clemson’s stout run defense.