First look: Duke Blue Devils travel to Atlanta for ACC football game with Georgia Tech
Having slain rival North Carolina for the first time since 2018, Duke continues its chase for more history Saturday night at Atlanta.
Duke hasn’t won its first seven games of a season since 1994, but the Blue Devils (5-0, 1-0 ACC) have a chance to match that feat this season if they win their next two, including Saturday at 8 p.m. against Georgia Tech.
Duke rallied from 20 points down in the third quarter to beat UNC, 21-20, at Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday night and claim its first win over the Tar Heels since 2018.
Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2 ACC) began the season by beating Florida State, 24-21, in Dublin, Ireland. But the Yellow Jackets have dropped consecutive league road games to Syracuse, 31-28, and Louisville, 31-19. Georgia Tech enjoyed a weekend off from games while Duke battled UNC.
The Blue Devils have their first open weekend next week.
Key matchup
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King is a dual-threat player not content to stay in the pocket. Averaging eight rushing attempts per game, he’s already run for four touchdowns and is averaging 5.54 yards per carry. That’s in addition to what he does in the passing game, where he’s completed an ACC-best 73.9% of his throws (102 of 138) for 1,274 yards and six touchdowns.
Duke’s defense has been stingy when it comes to giving up points this season (16.2 points, No. 4 ACC). The 288 total yards Duke has allowed per game is also No. 4 in the league.
The two sides will certainly challenge one another.
Player to watch: RB Star Thomas
With Jaquez Moore still not healthy after suffering a foot injury on Sept. 6. at Northwestern, Duke will continue to rely on Star Thomas as its main running back. What looked like uncertainty three weeks ago is now a big part of Duke’s success.
Thomas has started Duke’s past three games and his rushing totals keep getting better and better. From finishing off Duke’s 26-20 double-overtime win at Northwestern with 58 yards, Thomas has gained 122, 111 and 166 yards over the the next three Blue Devils wins.
He’s now fourth in the ACC in rushing with 480 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Against UNC on Saturday, he scored touchdowns on rushing and passing plays.
Georgia Tech’s defense has proven difficult to run the ball against, though. The Yellow Jackets are No. 3 in the ACC in rushing defense, allowing just 90.2 yards per game.
Vegas betting odds
Georgia Tech opened as a 7.5-point favorite on Sunday with the over-under total at 54.5 points.
Duke at Georgia Tech
Teams: Duke Blue Devils (5-0, 1-0 ACC) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-2, 1-2 ACC)
Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta
Date: Saturday, Oct. 5
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
Stream: DIRECTV Stream, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, SlingTV