Head Coach Paul Johnson and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-4) are coming into the Quick Lane Bowl as favorites against Coach P.J. Fleck and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The matchup gets going at 5:15 p.m. ET and ESPN is scheduled to televise the action.
Betting Preview: Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Minnesota is projected as the underdog and is currently getting 4 points in this game. The Golden Gophers are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Yellow Jackets are -175. If one school can create a bunch of points early it would create a worthwhile live betting scenario. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 61 points.
The line opened at -4 while the total hasn’t changed since it was set initially at 61.
The Golden Gophers have gained 1.6 units so far in 2018 and are 7-5 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 6-6.
The Yellow Jackets are down 1.4 units this season. The team is 5-7 ATS and owns an O/U record of 8-3.
The Golden Gophers are 6-6 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Yellow Jackets are 7-5 SU.
The Golden Gophers are coming off a resounding 37-15 win over Wisconsin on November 24Their defense allowed the Badgers to rush for 170 yards on 31 attempts. Jonathan Taylor had a productive day for the Badgers in that one with 120 rushing yards on 19 attempts. On the offensive side, Tanner Morgan completed just nine-of-16 passes for 124 yards. Mohamed Ibrahim (121 rushing yards on 26 attempts, one TD) and Bryce Williams (50 yards on eight carries, two TDs) led the ground attack while Tyler Johnson (four receptions, 76 yards) and Chris Autman-Bell (three catches, 26 yards) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Georgia Tech just lost an ugly 45-21 game to Georgia. The defense allowed the Bulldogs to eat up the clock by running for 285 yards on 42 rush attempts, including two rush TDs. D’Andre Swift had a productive showing in the win, recording 105 rushing yards and a score on 14 attempts for Georgia. For Georgia Tech, TaQuon Marshall completed four-of-12 passes for 69 yards and one touchdown. Marshall (39 yards on 20 rush attempts) and Jerry Howard (39 yards on 12 carries) spearheaded the running game while Brad Stewart (two receptions, 54 yards, one TD) and Marshall (one catch, 22 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Minnesota has run the ball on 59.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Georgia Tech has an overall rush percentage of 86.0 percent. The Golden Gophers have produced 163.4 rush yards per game and have 21 scores on the ground this year. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 334.9 rush yards per game and have 45 total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Yellow Jackets should hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game. Their backfield has logged 5.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 4.5 to opponents. The Golden Gophers have recorded 4.1 yards per carry while allowing 5.2 YPC to opponents.
The Gophers offense has averaged 215.2 yards in the air overall and has 18 passing scores so far. The Yellow Jackets have recorded 84.3 pass yards per game and have seven total pass TDs.
Defensively, Minnesota has let opponents run for an average of 170.7 yards and throw for 223.7 yards per game. The Georgia Tech D has given up 218.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 149.4 yards per game to opposing runners. The Gophers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.92 to opposing QBs, while the Yellow Jackets have allowed a 6.60 ANY/A.
Marshall has connected on 43-of-92 passes for 787 yards, five TDs and four INTs for Georgia Tech. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt sits at 6.44 for the year and 4.70 over his past two games. In the other locker room, Morgan has put up 1,072 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 63-of-107 attempts with six passing touchdowns and four interceptions. Morgan has an 8.73 ANY/A for the year, although that number is 4.37 over the past two games.
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Georgia Tech, ATS Winner: Georgia Tech, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- Minnesota has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over its past three contests and 3.8 over its last two.
- Georgia Tech has averaged 4.1 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 4.0 over its past two.
- The Georgia Tech offense has lost 12 fumbles this season while Minnesota has let 11 get away.
- The Golden Gophers offense has created seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Yellow Jackets have accounted for three such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed nine pass plays of 40 or more yards and 14 pass plays of 30+ yards.
- The Minnesota offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Georgia Tech has created 36 such runs.
- The Golden Gophers defense has allowed 24 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Yellow Jackets have given up 12 such runs.
- The Minnesota D has sacked opposing QBs 22 times this season. Georgia Tech has registered just 16 sacks.
