Full preview and final result prediction

Gameday is coming up for Georgia Tech, and this week they will welcome the program’s first meeting since 1988 to VMI. This is the 16th time Georgia Tech and VMI have played each other, and the Yellow Jackets have a 14-1 advantage over the Keydets in the series. There is a chance of nasty weather, such as rain and thunderstorms, for this game tomorrow, so that could be a factor.

The Yellow Jackets are looking to rebound from a loss to Syracuse, their first of the season. Despite a fourth-quarter win, it wasn’t a great performance by Georgia Tech on the day, and while VMI isn’t a high-caliber opponent, Georgia Tech would like to have a good showing before next week’s road game against Louisville.

So how do these two teams match up and how could the game play out tomorrow afternoon? Let’s analyze the game.

Georgia Tech Offense vs. VMI Defense

The Yellow Jackets still have one of the best offenses in the ACC and the country this season, but they need to rebound after not being able to run the ball last week against Syracuse. With the weather likely to be a factor, you can see Georgia Tech leaning on its running game against the Keydets.

The best player on the Georgia Tech offense last week was quarterback Haynes King. King threw two touchdowns last week and finished 29-39 for 266 yards. He also ran for 67 yards on the ground to lead the offense. King has been very efficient early in the year and has taken care of the ball through the first three games, and I expect that to continue Saturday. How much will we see King running the ball with the Louisville game on the line next week? That’s something to monitor.

Jamal Haynes is one of the best backs in the ACC, but he struggled last week against Syracuse, rushing for just 35 yards on 11 attempts and scoring one touchdown. Against a weaker opponent, I think Haynes could have a great day, but like King, I wouldn’t want to give Haynes a heavy workload with Louisville a week out.

Malik Rutherford has led the wide receiver corps this season, but Eric Singleton Jr. and Chase Lane have also made impact plays. This would be a good game to test the depth of the group and see players like Christian Leary, Bailey Stockton, Leo Blackburn, and Abdul Janneh get some reps, and maybe even young players like Isiah Canyon.

The tight end position has seen an uptick in receiving production this season. After moving from wide receiver, Avery Boyd has looked like a mismatch at times in the offense. He had a game-high 56 yards on four receptions last week. Jackson Hawes was the best blocker of the group, but guys like Ryland Goede, Josh Beetham and Luke Harpring will also get a chance.

The offensive line had its worst day in run blocking last week, but still didn’t allow a sack in three games and protected King well. They’ll have a big advantage over VMI tomorrow. The Yellow Jackets offensive line averages 6’5 309 lbs, while the VMI defensive line averages 6’2 269 lbs.

VMI employs a 4-2-5 defense and has failed to stop their opponents so far this season. Through two games, VMI ranks 88th in the nation in FCS in PPG allowed, 59th in rushing yards allowed per game, 95th in passing yards allowed per game and 89th in total yards allowed per game.

The weather could pose some problems for Georgia Tech if they are not careful, but they should be able to move the ball however they want as long as they don’t turn it over. I expect a big day from this unit on Saturday.

Georgia Tech Defense vs. VMI Offense

After a poor performance against Syracuse, Georgia Tech should improve defensively on Saturday.

VMI will be without quarterback Collin Shannon and will likely rely on a ground game led by running back Hunter Rice, who has had a strong season through two games. Rice carried the ball 35 times for 247 yards and three touchdowns, averaging more than seven yards per carry. Expect Rice to have multiple carries tomorrow afternoon.

Georgia Tech has struggled with the pass rush this season, but I don’t know if they’ll have much of an opportunity tomorrow. With the weather and VMI playing a backup quarterback, the defensive line will likely be forced to focus on stopping the run. The Georgia Tech linebacker, who may have been under the radar this season (three sacks, 1.5 TFL in three games) but hasn’t Focus on professional football is DL Jordan van den Berg. PFF ranks Van den Berg as the No. 29 interior defensive lineman in the country this season in overall defense (79.2 grade) and No. 35 in run defense (78.8). He’s probably been the best defensive lineman on the Yellow Jackets this season. I’d expect the core group of guys to play tomorrow with Sylvain Yondjouen, Kevin Harris, Romello Height, Thomas Gore, Zeek Biggers, Makius Scott, Josh Robinson, but keep an eye out for the young guys like Amontrae Bradford, Jordan Boyd, and Jacob Cruz who will get some plays if the game gets out of hand.

Kyle Efford has been the leader of the defense for the first half of the season, with Trenilyas Tatum the starter alongside him. Jackson Hamilton had a few plays last week, and this could be a game where freshman linebacker Tah’j Butler will see a lot of plays as well. Efford is second in NCAA Division I FBS with 29 tackles in three games this season — 10 against No. 10 Florida State (Aug. 24), a record 13 against Georgia State (Aug. 31) and six last Saturday at Syracuse.

The secondary allowed a lot of yards against Syracuse last week, but Warren Burrell and Ahmari Harvey have been a strong duo this season. Pro Football Focus ranks Burrell as the No. 5 cornerback in the ACC this season with a 79.7 pass coverage grade.

LaMiles Brooks was banged up last week, which allowed freshman Taye Seymore to get plenty of action and have a solid game against Syracuse.

The X Factor

Unless Georgia Tech loses the ball and the weather has a major impact, this shouldn’t be a close game. I’m curious to see if Georgia Tech can get off to a fast start, play hard, and put Syracuse’s performance behind them. If they can do that, this shouldn’t be a close game.

How to watch

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game if you can’t make it to Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday:

TV: ACC Extra Network

• Game Report: Shawn Kenney

• Analyst: Forrest Conoly

• Mobile App: ESPN

• Online: WatchESPN.com

RADIO: Georgia Tech Sports Network

• Game report by Andy Demetra

• Analyst: Sean Bedford

• Sideline Reporter: Chris Mooneyham

• In Atlanta: Xtra 106.3 FM/1230 AM

• Throughout Georgia: Visit RamblinWreck.com for a list of affiliate stations

• Satellite: SiriusXM 113 or 202

• Mobile Apps: GT Yellow Jackets, Xtra 106.3, SiriusXM, TuneIn

• Online: RamblinWreck.com, Xtra1063.com

Chances

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Georgia Tech will be a 42.5-point favorite against VMI on Saturday. This is the second time this season that Georgia Tech has been a massive favorite, as they were a 20.5-point favorite against Georgia State two weeks ago. The over/under for this matchup is set at 56.5.

Forecast

That’s easy to say, but there’s no reason this game should be close unless weather plays a factor and Georgia Tech loses the ball. The Yellow Jackets have been good with the ball this year, so I don’t think that will be an issue. Expect the running game to dominate and the defense to force a lot of turnovers in a big win.

Final Score: Georgia Tech 52, VMI 7