The Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division was a hard division to predict before the college football season began. Georgia Tech has moved in front, but can it stay there now?
Duke Blue Devils @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Saturday, October 11th – 12:30 PM ET
Odds: Georgia Tech (-3.5)
Why The Blue Devils Will Cover
They are coming off a bye week, something the team really needed after a very poor offensive performance against Miami in a 22-10 loss. Duke’s offense has been very sloppy and sluggish so far this season. The Blue Devils ended 2013 on a strong note as far as their offense was concerned. Duke moved the ball up and down the field against Texas A&M in a high-scoring shootout in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, giving the program confidence that it could compete with not only tough teams in the ACC, but in the SEC as well.
However, that level of form on offense has not continued into this season despite having a veteran quarterback who should be playing a lot better than he is. Anthony Boone, though, has the chance to use this last bye week on Oct. 4 as a way of jump-starting his season. Boone has a quality arm. He has just not been making good decisions with the ball. The Blue Devils’ running game has also not been as powerful as it hoped to be, and with Georgia Tech, a ball-control team, being the opponent this week, Duke knows that while it needs to score, it also wants to keep its defense fresh and rested. If Duke and head coach David Cutcliffe make the right adjustments on offense, the Blue Devils can take hold of this game against a Georgia Tech team that will play tougher games in future weeks.
Why The Yellow Jackets Will Cover
They are playing at home, for one thing, and they’re full of confidence after beating the same Miami team which silenced Duke’s offense. Georgia Tech’s defense is what has really helped this team to get off to such a great start in the ACC Coastal this season. The Yellow Jackets are coming up with big takeaways, and they’re also saving their best performances for the second half. Georgia Tech is clamping down more on defense as a game goes along. The Jackets changed their games in the fourth quarters of their wins over Virginia Tech and Miami, making this the first time that Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson was able to beat both the Hokies and the Hurricanes in the same season since he came to Atlanta to coach this program. Georgia Tech might not be a great team overall, but it has managed to be better than any other team in its division, with the possible exception of up-and-coming Virginia.
What Georgia Tech also has to like is the way Duke quarterback Anthony Boone has been playing. Boone has thrown a modest seven touchdown passes this season, against three interceptions. That doesn’t seem too bad, but Boone has had a lot of passes almost get intercepted. He’s completed under 60 percent of his throws, which rates as a disappointment for Duke head coach David Cutcliffe. Boone is not playing nearly well enough for Duke to win. Unless you see a change in Boone’s game, you shouldn’t be swayed.
Outlook
If Boone plays well, Duke should win, but there’s just not enough reason to think Boone will step up and take this game by the horns. Georgia Tech should be better on its home field.
Pick: Georgia Tech (-3.5)
