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NC ST vs. Georgia Tech
Betting Line: Georgia Tech -8.5 o/u 57.5
9/25/10
Are you familiar with “The Perfect Storm”? No, I’m not talking about some silly movie. I’m talking about the North Carolina State offense. That’s what they call themselves. While they are very good, the team they are playing this week might have something to say about that. Georgia Tech can Scorepoints with the best of them too. The last time these teams met was in 2006 and the Yellow Jackets won 31-23. HC Tom O’Brien has his Wolfpack playing better than anyone could have predicted. Can they keep the ball rolling with a huge road victory?
Georgia Tech is a very strong 10-2 against NC State since 1995. The Wolfpack were 1-3 ATS as a road dog in 2009. They handily defeated UCF on the road this year 28-21. The home team in this Game has lost three in a row. The Yellow Jackets were 1-3 ATS in 2009 after going 4-1 in 2008. Georgia Tech was 5-1 at home SU in 2009.
QB Russell Wilson is one of the most athletic players in the country. He also plays baseball and was drafted by an MLB team earlier this year. He decided to stay and play for the Wolfpack his senior year. He looked like a Heisman candidate against Cincinnati connecting on 26/40 passes for 333 yards and 3 TDs. He can really light opposing defenses up! He had 31 total TD passes last yer and rushed for 4 more. Wilson will be hard for the Yellow Jackets to contain. Freshman RB Mustafa Greene has been rock solid so far. The quick runner has 174 yards on 40 carries and 3 TDs.
The NC State defense played well last week holding the Cincinnati Bearcats to 12 points. The Bearcats are having a slow start, but this is impressive none the less. They seemed to get a bit tired towards the end of the Game. LB Audie Cole had 4 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, and 4 passes broken up while leading the team in tackles at 85 last year. It will be up to him to lead this team against a tricky triple option offense. There is no telling how they will respond to seeing this type of offense for the first time.
Georgia Tech is going to be pumped up for their first “real” big home Game of the year. QB Josh Nesbitt was 1st Team All ACC last year. The agile runner had 1,205 yards on the ground last year and 18 TDs. He passed for 10 more and 1,701 yards. He had 180 total yards and 2 TDs last week against North Carolina. Senior RB Anthony Allen has been a big part of the offense this year. He has 232 yards in 2010. Sophomore RB Orwin Smith broke loose for 73 yards and a TD against the Tar Heels. This offense is tough to Game plan for and will give the Wolfpack a unique and tough challenge.
Georgia Tech’s defense is a bit suspect. They allowed 24.8 PPG last year and return 8 starters from 2009. They’ve been solid in 2010, holding TJ Yates Tar Heel’s to 24 points. This was a good effort considering Yates is playing out of his mind right now. They allowed 28 in a loss to Kansas on the road. The Wolfpack have the best offense GT has faced in this young season. Stopping Russell Wilson won’t be easy. The Wolfpack have athletic WRs and a good rushing Game. They can get points in many different ways. They will test Georgia Tech to the fullest.
Tough to make coNCrete judgements about either of these squads after 3 Games each, against the teams they have played. These two don’t play every year. Howevrer, they have played 5 times or so over the last decade with most of those Games decided by a TD or less, with a few 10 point decisions thrown in. No major talent GAp between the schools. That being said, as we like to say, the back door is always open when you have a live dog that can put points on the board with the best of them. NC ST +8.5