A matchup of Power Five schools that are struggling meet up in the Peach State. The Vanderbilt Commodores take a short trip south to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a SEC vs. ACC matchup Saturday afternoon. Kickoff from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia is set for 12:30 pm ET. The game is available digitally through the ACC Network Extra, powered by ESPN. The week 3 odds have Georgia Tech favored by 6.5 points in this contest with the over/under set at 42.5 points.
Vanderbilt evened their record with a 47-24 trouncing of Middle Tennessee last week. Georgia Tech remained unbeaten with a 35-10 demolition of FCS program Mercer last week. This is the 38th meeting between the schools in their history. Georgia Tech holds a 19-15-3 advantage in the series. The Yellow Jackets won the last five meetings between the teams. That includes a 56-31 triumph in Nashville in the last meeting back in 2009.
Vanderbilt bounced back from a second half meltdown against South Carolina to whip the Blue Raiders last week. The Commodores trailed 10-5 after the first quarter but exploded to outscore Middle Tennessee 28-7 in the second quarter. The 33-17 halftime edge for Vanderbilt was more than enough to get the victory. The Commodores were outgained 495-344 in the game but took advantage of a pair of Middle Tennessee turnovers. Vanderbilt also recorded a safety on defense. The Commodores put the game on ice with a pair of fourth quarter scores.
The Commodores have scuffled offensively, picking up 293 yards of offense per game this season. Vanderbilt is just 125th in the FBS in passing offense with 93 yards a game. The team is 56th in rushing as they average 200 yards per contest. The Commodores need more from the passing attack: Kyle Shurmur is 23 of 50 for 186 yards and a touchdown. His 3.72 yards per pass attempt is atrocious. Ralph Webb is doing his part with a team leading 49 carries for 308 yards and two scores. Khari Blasingame chips in 87 yards and three scores on 21 carries. Trent Sherfield (26 yards) and Webb (23 yards) lead the team with just four receptions. Tommy Openshaw hit all seven extra point attempts and two of three field goal attempts this year with a long of 36 yards.
Georgia Tech rallied from a 7-0 deficit in the first quarter to take a 21-7 advantage at the half. The Yellow Jackets handled Mercer relatively easily the rest of the way to remain unbeaten. Georgia Tech held a 444-320 edge in total yards in the game. As is the norm for the Yellow Jackets, the majority of the damage was done on the ground. Georgia Tech ran the ball 52 times for 364 yards and five touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets threw the ball only 10 times in the game, completing five for 80 yards. Georgia Tech did commit the game’s two turnovers, something they have to watch out for.
The Yellow Jackets put up 341 yards of offense and 26 points per game this season. Even running the triple option, where a pass play is roughly 17th on the play chart, Georgia Tech is passing better than the Commodores. The Yellow Jackets are 124th in passing with 99.5 yards per game. Georgia Tech is averaging 241.5 yards a game on the ground, which is 24th in the FBS. Justin Thomas is 13 of 25 for 199 yards while ranking second on the team with 85 rushing yards plus a score. Qua Searcy leads the team with 87 yards on nine carries. Marcus Marshall has 19 carries for 82 yards and a score while Dedrick Mills adds 68 yards on 18 carries and a score. Ricky Jeune leads Georgia Tech with six receptions for 102 yards. Searcy chips in four grabs for 72 yards.
Vanderbilt showed they can score points but Webb can’t do everything. Shurmur has to start hitting some passes down the field to open up some running lanes. Everyone knows Georgia Tech runs, runs and runs some more. The problem most defenses face is that they don’t see the triple option much. Georgia Tech takes advantage of that situation and playing at home, gets the victory. Check us out for more free college football picks!
Georgia Tech is 5-1 ATS in their last six after a straight up win of at least 20 points and 6-2 ATS in their last eight after a straight up win. Vanderbilt is 1-4 ATS in their last five after a straight up win and 0-5 ATS in their last five after running for at least 200 yards.