Justin Thomas and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets take on Qadree Ollison and the Pittsburgh Panthers in a game that will feature two of the ACC’s best players to start this young season. Pittsburgh (4-1) goes into this contest hoping to keep up its positive momentum, while Georgia Tech (2-4) will be desperate to pick up a much-needed win. The game kicks off Saturday, Oct 17 at 12:30 p.m. ET and will be shown on ACCN.
In last week’s matchup, Georgia Tech lost to Clemson 43-24. Ricky Jeune had a solid performance in the loss, grabbing two receptions for 69 yards and one TD. Justin Thomas put up 159 yards and two TDs through the air. Pittsburgh is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it defeated Virginia 26-19. Scott Orndoff had a good performance for the Panthers, pulling in two receptions for 63 yards and one TD. Chris James had 94 rushing yards on 11 carries.
As a small three-point underdog, the Panthers look to upend the Yellow Jackets. The Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable currently.
With a 2-4 record both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Yellow Jackets will look to improve as they head into Week 7. The Yellow Jackets run the ball often. Their 52.7 rushing attempts per game are the fourth-highest in the country. As for the Georgia Tech defense, a few key matchups could decide this game. The Panthers are not likely to throw the ball very often at Georgia Tech. They are one of the least-effective passing teams in the nation, averaging 174.4 passing yards per game. An important aspect of the game will be if the Panthers can fend off Georgia Tech’s ability to take the ball away. The Yellow Jackets currently rank 23rd in the nation with 2.2 turnovers per game. The Yellow Jackets are one of the best in the country at scoring in the fourth quarter, averaging 10 points. Georgia Tech hopes to continue their focus and discipline this week. They are the least penalized team in Division I, averaging only 2.7 penalties per game.
As for their opponent, the Panthers head into Week 7 with records of 3-2 ATS and 4-1 SU. Passing the ball has resulted in a high success rate for the Panthers, who average the 19th-best completion percentage in the nation at 67.3%. Moving on to the Pittsburgh defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. Stopping the pass doesn’t have to be Pittsburgh’s first priority since the Yellow Jackets aren’t putting up scary numbers through the air. Georgia Tech ranks 121st in the nation with a passing average of 132.3 yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Pittsburgh, ATS Winner – Pittsburgh
Notes
Georgia Tech is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Georgia Tech is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Georgia Tech is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home.
Pittsburgh is 4-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Georgia Tech is 2-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Pittsburgh is 2-1 SU this season in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (2-0 SU) in games where it loses the turnover battle.
The Georgia Tech passing attack is ranked only 121st in the nation, while the Pittsburgh pass defense is ranked 26th. The Panthers passing game is ranked just 106th, compared to the 40th-ranked pass defense of the Yellow Jackets.
