The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-3.5) and Pittsburgh Panthers are set to do battle on the grass at Heinz Field. This vital daytime game is scheduled to get underway at 12:30 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to CHSS.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Preview
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, Georgia Tech is tabbed as the favorite and is currently giving up 3.5 points. The Yellow Jackets are also receiving -175 moneyline odds while the Panthers are +155. It appears that there will probably be some good live betting possibilities while this showdown is taking place.
The opening line was originally set at 0 and the general public’s been hammering the Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets are down 1.8 units so far and 0-2 against the spread (ATS). The team’s recorded an O/U mark of 1-0. The Panthers have lost 1.0 unit this season. The team is 0-2 ATS and also owns an O/U record of 1-0.
The Yellow Jackets are 1-1 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any ACC competition yet. The Panthers are 1-1 SU overall and are also 0-0 SU in conference play.
The Yellow Jackets fell to South Florida 49-38 in a contest where their defense allowed the Bulls to run for 219 yards on 43 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. On the offensive side, TaQuon Marshall completed only nine-of-18 passes for 183 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Tobias Oliver (97 yards on 18 rush attempts, three TDs) and the signal-caller Marshall (113 yards on 13 carries, one TD) led the running attack. Clinton Lynch (three receptions, 111 yards, one TD) and Qua Searcy (two catches, 39 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
A week ago, Penn State knocked off this Pittsburgh team by a score of 51-6. Kenny Pickett completed nine-of-18 passes for 55 yards and one interception. Qadree Ollison (119 yards on 21 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Pickett (30 yards on 14 carries) spearheaded the running attack as Shocky Jacques-Louis (two receptions, 21 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Georgia Tech has run the ball on 75.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Pittsburgh has a rush percentage of 68.5 percent. The Yellow Jackets have produced 429 rush yards/game and have eight touchdowns on the ground this year. The Panthers are averaging 242 rush yards per game and have three total rushing TDs.
Judging by the early season results, it seems like the Yellow Jackets ought to hold an edge in terms of RB effectiveness. Their running backs has produced 7.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.2 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Panthers have ran for 5.4 yards per carry and given up 4.4 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Yellow Jackets offensive scheme has tallied 144 yards per contest in the air overall and has two passing TDs so far. The Panthers have produced 112 pass yards per game and also have two total pass scores.
Defensively, Georgia Tech should have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 148 yards and pass for 138 yards per game. The Pittsburgh defense has allowed 221 yards per game to opposing passers and 135.5 yards per game to opposing runners. The Yellow Jackets are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.74 to opposing QBs, while the Panthers have given up a 5.92 ANY/A.
Offensively, Marshall is up to 183 passing yards on the year. He’s completed 50 percent of his 18 attempts with one scores through the air and two interceptions. Marshall has a 5.15 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.79 over the last two outings.
The Yellow Jackets have tried to control the pace by putting the ball into the hands of their running backs. In addition to TaQuon Marshall (zero receiving yards), Qua Searcy (52 rush yards, 39 receiving yards) and Jordan Mason (95 rush yards) have delivered in the Georgia Tech offensive scheme.
In the other locker room, Kenny Pickett has completed 9-of-18 passes for 55 yards, zero TDs and one INT. Pickett’s ANY/A sits at a terrible -0.95 for the year and 2.91 over his past two games.
The Panthers should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. Shocky Jacques-Louis (21 receiving yards) has stepped up lately, but Qadree Ollison (119 rush yards, one rush TD) and A.J. Davis (38 rush yards) have gotten a lot of looks lately.
When these two programs faced each other last year, Georgia Tech got the victory over Pittsburgh, 35-17.
NCAA Tip: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
SU Winner – Pittsburgh, ATS Winner – Pittsburgh
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
Each team has produced one pass play of 40 or more yards and one pass play of 30+ yards.
The Georgia Tech defense has allowed zero pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Pittsburgh has given up two such plays.
The Georgia Tech offense has created 10 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Pittsburgh has created three such runs.
The Yellow Jackets defense has allowed one rushing play of 20 yards or more, while the Panthers have given up six such runs.
The Pittsburgh defense has produced double the sack total of Georgia Tech this season (six versus three).
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