The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets play host to the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday afternoon from Bobby Dodd Stadium in a crucial ACC showdown. Duke bounced back nicely from their final non-conference game against Kansas, grabbing the win at home against Virginia last week. For Georgia Tech, a wild week that saw them fire their head coach on Monday, then saw them spring the upset over Pittsburgh over the weekend. The Yellow Jackets have won two in a row overall in the series and considering what is at stake for both teams in this one, it should be an intriguing matchup.
The Blue Devils were picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC standings but so far this season, they've managed to be one of college football's most pleasant surprises. Their lone loss came to Kansas on the road, which is far from a harsh result given the Jayhawks' success this season. Wins against Northwestern on the road, as well as over Virginia in the ACC opener last week have things trending in the right direction for this group. Going on the road could change things, especially against a Georgia Tech team that is also surging of late, though the Blue Devils will still be favored to get off to a 2-0 start in ACC play. Given they haven't been able to take down the Yellow Jackets since 2019, starting fast will be key for this group in rushing off some jitters early.
It has certainly helped the Blue Devils that they've been able to remain healthy this season. With nobody of note questionable o r out as they head into the weekend, the depth of the Blue Devils, as well as consistency in their playing time, could be enough to put them over the top.
Oh hey! pic.twitter.com/ZeXdFV8FVa
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) October 2, 2022
Offensively, Duke fails to excel at being as explosive as they were at times under the previous staff, though with their ability to take care of the ball, they have a nice thing going. They rank 40th nationally in total yards and 38th in scoring offense. It'll be key for fans to keep an eye on the ground game, where the Blue Devils have the nation's 27th-best ground game, compared to a Georgia Tech defense that has struggled to control opponents in the trenches. Jaylen Coleman (5.3 yards per carry) has teamed up well with quarterback Riley Leonard (7 passing touchdowns, 4 rushing touchdowns) to scorch opponents on the ground and if Georgia Tech can't contain at least one of the duo, Duke's balance will be too much in this one.
The concern for Duke going forward will be on the defensive side of things, especially against a Georgia Tech attack that looked dangerous last week. Despite the struggles in stopping opponents fro m moving the ball, they still rank 28th nationally in scoring defense, as they'll be looking to hold the Yellow Jackets to field goals as opposed to touchdowns. Duke has one of the best secondaries in the country and they should be flying around the field in this one. Darius Joiner (41 tackles) and Jaylen Stinson (30 tackles) have been forces, while one of the league's most experienced linebacking cores should have a field day as well.