Two teams that prefer to deploy their running games, Head Coach David Cutcliffe and the Duke Blue Devils (+2) are gearing up to face off against their in-conference counterpart Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-2) at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. CHSS will broadcast the action and this vital afternoon game is scheduled to get underway at 12:20 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Duke Blue Devils
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, Georgia Tech is getting picked as the favorite and the team’s currently giving up 2 points. The Blue Devils are also receiving +100 moneyline odds while the Yellow Jackets are -120. Some good live betting possibilities might exist during this showdown.
The line for this matchup initially opened at -3.
The Blue Devils have gained 0.5 units this season and are 3-2 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 3-2.
The Yellow Jackets have been a disappointment to moneyline bettors in 2018, losing 3.5 units. They’re 2-4 ATS and four of their games have gone over the total.
The Blue Devils have gone 4-1 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against ACC opponents. The Yellow Jackets are 3-3 SU overall and are also 1-2 SU in conference play.
The Blue Devils are reeling from a 31-14 defeat to Virginia Tech on September 29 where their secondary allowed the Hokies to air it out for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Dalton Keene logged a productive day for the Hokies in that one with 82 yards and a score on two catches. On the offense, Daniel Jones completed 23 passes for 226 yards, along with a TD and an interception. Deon Jackson (only 34 rushing yards on 15 attempts, one TD) and Brittain Brown (35 yards on 12 carries) led the ground attack in the loss while Johnathan Lloyd (eight receptions, 44 yards) and Chris Taylor (five catches, 58 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Georgia Tech is coming off of a lopsided 66-31 win over Louisville. The defensive unit allowed the Cardinals to pass for 370 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 113 yards. Chatarius Atwell had a productive showing in the loss for Louisville, recording 79 yards and two touchdowns on four catches. As a group, the Yellow Jackets collectively completed one-of-two passes for 12 yards. TaQuon Marshall went one-for-two for 12 yards while Brad Stewart was -of- for yards. Marshall (175 rushing yards on 23 attempts, two TDs) and Jordan Mason (78 yards on 13 carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground game in the win while Brad Stewart (one receptions, 12 yards) led the Georgia Tech pass-catchers.
Duke has run the ball on 58.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Georgia Tech has an overall rush percentage of 83.2 percent. The Blue Devils have produced 189.8 rush yards/game and have nine scores via handoffs this year. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 373.0 rushing yards per game (336.0 in conference) and have 29 total rush TDs.
The Blue Devils offensive scheme has averaged 217.4 yards through the air overall and has 12 passing TDs so far. The Yellow Jackets have produced 97.0 pass yards per game (45 against ACC competition) and have three total pass scores.
Defensively, Duke has let opponents run for an average of 122.8 yards and pass for 226.4 yards per game. The Georgia Tech defense has given up 234.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 143.0 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Blue Devils have given up an ANY/A of 5.79 to opposing QBs, while the Yellow Jackets are yielding an ANY/A of 5.73.
Offensively, Harris is up to 216 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 44 percent of his 36 attempts with three scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. Harris has a 6.95 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 9.42 over the past two outings.
The Blue Devils will likely try to control tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. Backfield mates Brittain Brown (199 rush yards, one rush TD, zero receiving yards) and Deon Jackson (194 rush yards, three rush TDs, 47 receiving yards) have been focal points in the offensive game scripts for Duke.
TaQuon Marshall has managed to complete 26-of-59 passes for 394 yards, two TDs and four INTs for Georgia Tech. His ANY/A sits at a horrendous 3.34 for the season and 21.50 across his last two outings.
The Yellow Jackets should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Tobias Oliver (zero receiving yards), TaQuon Marshall (515 rush yards, seven rush TDs) and Jordan Mason (382 rush yards, two rush TDs) have gotten a multitude of touches recently.
When these two teams faced each other last year, Duke won handily 43-20.
Duke Blue Devils vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets NCAA Pick
SU Winner: Duke, ATS Winner: Duke
Team Betting Trends
- Georgia Tech has lost five fumbles this season while Duke has let two get away.
- The Duke defense has 10 sacks on the year while Georgia Tech has eight.
- As a team, Duke has averaged 4.80575539568345 yards per carry across its past three outings and 4.7 over its last two.
- Georgia Tech has averaged 6.2 yards per carry over its last three contests and 8.0 over its past two.
- Over its last three matchups, Georgia Tech is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- Duke was favored by 7 points in its previous game and the O/U going into it was 52. The under cashed and Duke failed to cover in the 31-14 defeat to Virginia Tech.
- In its last three matches, Duke is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Georgia Tech was getting 6 points in its last match and the Over/Under was set at 56.5. The over cashed and Georgia Tech covered in the 66-31 victory over Louisville.
