Miami (4-5, 2-3 ACC) at Georgia Tech (4-5, 3-3), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EST (ACC Regional)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK COLLEGE LINE: Georgia Tech by 1 1/2
Series record: Tied 13-13.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Each team is playing to reach .500 and improve its bowl hopes. The loser in the matchup of ACC Coastal Division teams will face long odds of reaching a bowl because it would need to win its final two games to gain eligibility. Georgia Tech has remaining games against two Top 25 teams, North Carolina and Georgia. Miami’s closing schedule also is challenging: at Clemson before playing at home against Pitt.
KEY MATCHUP
Georgia Tech’s offense vs. Miami’s defense. The Yellow Jackets rank near the bottom of the FBS by scoring only nine touchdowns in 31 red-zone possessions (29%). Georgia Tech ranks last in the ACC with its average of 17.4 points per game. Miami’s defense was embarrassed in last week’s 45-3 loss to Florida State. The Hurricanes rank eighth in the ACC in allowing 25 points per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Miami: QB Tyler Van Dyke’s status is uncertain after he aggravated an injury to his right throwing shoulder early in the second quarter of last week’s 45-3 loss to Florida State. One of two backups, Jake Garcia and Jacurri Brown, would start if Van Dyke is held out. Van Dyke ranks sixth in the ACC with 1,761 passing yards. He has 10 TD passes with four interceptions.
Georgia Tech: Senior LB Charlie Thomas is the leader of the Yellow Jackets’ defense. Thomas had 16 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in last week’s 28-27 win at Virginia Tech.
FACTS & FIGURES
Miami won last year’s meeting, 33-30. … Miami is trying to recover from a humbling 45-3 loss to Florida State last week in which the Seminoles outgained the Hurricanes 456-188. … Georgia Tech is 3-2 under interim coach Brent Key. … The Yellow Jackets rallied against Virginia Tech after trailing by 11 points in the fourth quarter, their biggest fourth-quarter comeback since rallying from a 27-14 deficit to beat Georgia in 2016. … Georgia Tech has its most wins since 2018, when it finished 7-6. … The Yellow Jackets rank second in the nation with a plus-15 turnover margin (22-7) after forcing three fourth-quarter turnovers last week.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
