Georgia Tech vs. Miami: Official breakdown and score prediction

Can Georgia Tech upset Miami on the road on Saturday?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Oct 5, 2023 10:33 AM EDT

In this story:

Georgia Tech travels to Miami on Saturday for a matchup with No. 17 Miami, a former ACC Coastal rival. With the new scheduling format, the Yellow Jackets and the Hurricanes are not going to play every season as they once did.

Both of these teams are coming into this game feeling very different. Miami scored a big early win over Texas A&M and has surged to No. 17, while Georgia Tech is coming off of a bad loss to Bowling Green last week. The Yellow Jackets were hoping to come into this game 3-2 and above .500 in October for the first time since 2017.

So how will the Yellow Jackets bounce back?

That is the question that is surrounding Brent Key and his team this week and while the odds might be stacked against them this week, seeing how this team responds could be a sign as to how the rest of the season might go.

Let's break down the matchup.

Georgia Tech's passing offense vs. Miami's passing defense

Georgia Tech has one of the top passing attacks in the ACC and if they are going to have a chance in this game, quarterback Haynes King is going to have to have his best game of the season. Miami's defense is very good, but they have allowed some downfield passing plays to be completed in both the Texas A&M and Temple games this season.

King is currently the leading passer in the ACC, with 1,480 yards in five games. He is in front of some notable quarterbacks like Drake Maye (ACC preseason Player of the Year), Florida State's Jordan Travis, and Miami's Tyler Van Dyke (though Van Dyke has played in only four games). King struggled against Bowling Green on Saturday but has been fantastic this season and provided stability at the position. He had his worst game of the season against Bowling Green last week with two interceptions and is going to need to bounce back.

Georgia Tech has explosive playmakers at the wide receiver position and the top playmaker is true freshman Eric Singleton Jr. Singleton has become a starter for the Yellow Jackets now and is sixth in the ACC in receiving yards with 335 yards, trailing Virginia's Malik Washington (556 yards), Louisville's Jamari Thrash (444 yards), Miami's Xavier Restrepo (355 yards), Virginia's Malachi Fields (355 yards), and Boston College's Lewis Bond (350 yards). Singleton is averaging 18.6 yards per catch and is tied for second in the ACC with five touchdown catches.

Dominick Blaylock had his best game as a Yellow Jacket last week, going over 130 yards. Malik Rutherford and Christian Leary are guys to watch this year and either one could have a big game.

The offensive line had its worst game of the year last week in terms of pass protection and they are going to be facing the best defensive line they have faced all season. Miami might be down a couple of defensive linemen, but still have plenty of athleticism up front. Defensive tackle Leonard Taylor is a projected first-round pick and true freshman Reuben Bain is one of the most impressive freshmen in the entire country. Right tackle Jordan Williams is out for another game this week and Jakiah Leftwich will get another start.

The Miami secondary is getting Kamren Kinchens back this week and Kinchens is arguably the top safety in the country. I think Miami's corners are the weakest part of the defense, but that does not mean they are bad players. Te'Cory Couch leads the ACC in interceptions and UCF transfer Davante Brown is a playmaker as well. Being able to dial up explosive plays is going to be key in this game for the offense.

Edge: Tie

Georgia Tech's rushing offense vs. Miami's rushing defense

Georgia Tech has been unable to run the ball the past couple of weeks and it has hurt their offense. The bad news for Georgia Tech is that they are going against the No. 1 rushing defense in the country. Miami is allowing only 48 yards per game on the ground and their front seven is miles better than it was just a year ago.

While Miami's defensive line might be the strength of the team, they have gotten significant upgrades at linebacker. Washington State transfer Francisco Mauigoa leads the Hurricanes with 18 tackles and he is always around the ball.

The Georgia Tech running game has slowed down a little bit these past couple of weeks, but Jamal Haynes is still the third-leading rusher in the ACC and he is closing in on second. Haynes has 376 yards this season, trailing North Carolina's Omarion Hampton (383 yards) and Louisville's Jawhar Jordan (510 yards). Trey Cooley has been quiet the past two games and Georgia Tech will need him to get back to being an explosive part of the offense.

The offensive line has been an average run blocking unit this season and will need to have their best performance against the Hurricanes.

Miami is in their first season under defensive coordinator Lance Guidry and he is one of the most aggressive defensive coordinators in the country. Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is going to have to adjust well in this game and be ready for blitzes from the Miami defense.

Edge: Miami

Miami's passing offense vs Georgia Tech's passing defense

Tyler Van Dyke gets set to throw during a game vs Duke — Tyler Van Dyke has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country in 2023
Tyler Van Dyke. Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech's secondary has not been bad this season, but they have yet to face a passing attack this good. Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke is playing one of the best quarterbacks in the country and is a darkhorse for the Heisman Trophy. He has thrown for over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns in four games, completing 75% of his passes. He had nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns against Texas A&M earlier this season.

Miami's receivers might not have a first-round pick type of talent, but they have good players. Restrepo is one of the top slot receivers in the ACC, while Jacolby George is in the midst of a breakout season. Colbie Young is also a threat on the outside.

Miami has not involved their tight ends much this year, but that is because Elijah Arroyo has been hurt this season. It is unknown if he will play this weekend, but watch out if he does.

The Georgia Tech secondary struggled last week to make plays against Bowling Green and it was disappointing considering how well they played against Wake Forest. Safeties LaMiles Brooks, Clayton Powell-Lee, and Jaylon King are the leaders in the secondary and will need to have big games this weekend and not allow Miami to have any explosive plays through the air.

Miami has one of the best offensive lines in the country and they are excellent in pass protection. True freshman Francis Mauigoa is having a great season and UCF transfer Matt Lee has been one of the best in the country. Georgia Tech tallied eight sacks against Wake Forest two weeks ago, but has been unable to consistently get pressure on the quarterback. Kyle Kennard has four sacks this season, fourth in the ACC, and he is going to need to step up this week. Georgia Tech's interior defensive line has struggled this season in all phases.

Edge: Miami

Miami's rushing offense vs Georgia Tech's rushing defense

This is the part of the game that should scare Georgia Tech the most. Miami is the top rushing team in the ACC, averaging over 220 YPG on the ground and Georgia Tech is 128th in rushing success rate allowed. The Yellow Jackets allow well over 200 yards per game and they are one of the worst tackling teams in the country.

Henry Parrish leads the Miami ground game with 331 yards on 42 carries and he averages nearly eight yards per carry and has scored three touchdowns this season. He is not the only talented player in the backfield for the Hurricanes though. Donald Chaney, Nebraska transfer Ajay Allen, and true freshman Mark Fletcher help form one of the best ground games in the country.

Linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer is now the defensive coordinator after Andrew Thacker was demoted to safeties coach and it will be interesting to see how he tries to stop the Miami ground game.

Trenilyas Tatum and Paul Moala are the starters at linebacker for Georgia Tech, but they will surely rotate players at the position and see if someone can have a standout game.

This is the biggest mismatch in the game for Georgia Tech, but they will have to find a way to slow Miami's ground attack or the game could get out of hand.

X-Factors

For Georgia Tech to stay in this game and give them a chance to win, they are going to have to find a way to win the turnover battle and hit explosive plays. Georgia Tech is not likely to drive the ball on Miami consistently because of their disadvantage at the lines of scrimmage and they will need to hit big plays through the air if they want to hang around.

Miami has not turned the ball over much this season, but the Yellow Jackets will have to find ways to get pressure on Van Dyke and force some mistakes.

Prediction

Brent Key has pulled some big upsets as the head coach of Georgia Tech, but this is going to be one of the toughest. Miami has a significant advantage in nearly every area of the game and they might just be able to run the ball the majority of the game and be able to win comfortably. Georgia Tech should come out throwing and throwing often because I don't think they have much of a chance to run on Miami. They will need to play a bend but don't break style on defense and hope they can stop Miami in the red zone. At the end of the day, I think Miami is just a much better team than Georgia Tech and will win decisively on Saturday night.

Final Score: Miami 45, Georgia Tech 17