Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Miami Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Georgia Tech

By Connor Muldowney

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 7: Wide receiver Braxton Berrios #8 of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA football game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 7: Wide receiver Braxton Berrios #8 of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA football game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Miami football will host Georgia Tech in a big Week 7 bout in the ACC. Here’s everything you need to know.

Coming off a big win over in-state rival Florida State in Week 6, Miami football is looking to build on a hot start to the season. The Hurricanes are currently 4-0 and ranked No. 11 in the polls and they’re hoping that under Mark Richt, a letdown is less likely. He seems to have this team headed in the right direction.

Malik Rosier is playing at a high level, completing 58 percent of his passes for 1,074 yards and 11 touchdowns with only three picks. He also has over 100 yards rushing and two more scores, but the run game had been monstrous thanks to Mark Walton. Unfortunately, he will be out for the rest of the year after having surgery on his ankle. Who will step up? Travis Homer seems like the top option.

No run game in college football has been as impressive as Georgia Tech’s this season, though. OK, I take that back. There’s one team in the nation that has more rushing yards per game than the Yellow Jackets, but they average 396 per outing. That’s an incredible, almost unheard of, feat.

They’re led by junior quarterback TaQuon Marshall who has 523 rushing yards and nine touchdowns but only 333 passing yards and four scores. This offense is run-first and that’s evident if you look at their stats. The offense has four rushers already with over 100 yards this season in just four games.

Here’s how to watch Saturday’s Miami vs Georgia Tech game:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 14
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Miami, Fla.
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

Obviously the main key for the Hurricanes is to stop the run. Stack the box, make Georgia Tech try and beat your with the arm of Marshall. Which won’t happen. The Hurricanes haven’t played a run game like this one yet, but halting Marshall’s ground game will be priority No. 1. Offensively, they need to figure out a way to get Travis Homer going against one of the nation’s best run defenses. He will be filling some big shoes and the Hurricanes need to get him some confidence.

For Georgia Tech, getting pressure on Malik Rosier will be important. If the Yellow Jackets are going to hit the road to pull off the mammoth upset, they will need to make sure the pass game is essentially eliminated. Offensively, the Yellow Jackets need to keep doing what they’ve been doing on the ground. Miami’s defense will have a hard time stopping 60-70 carries per game.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round after Week 6

Prediction

I think Miami will get some important stops in this one and force Georgia Tech into some third-and-longs, forcing Marshall to use his arm more than he’d like. Paul Johnson’s team doesn’t like to throw the ball and Richt knows that. Expect a stacked box on a regular basis and Miami to put the pressure on. It will still be a one possession game, but the Hurricanes will have a two-score lead until a late Yellow Jacket touchdown makes it more interesting than it should be.

Final Score: Georgia Tech 28, Miami 36

Home/Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets