Duke @ Georgia Tech preview
Bobby Dodd Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 14, 2009 ) Georgia Tech 49, Duke 10
Georgia Tech will try to become bowl eligible for the 14th straight year when it hosts lowly Duke on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets (5-5, 3-4 ACC) are struggling, having lost three straight for the first time since the end of the 2006 season. Coach Paul Johnson hadn’t lost three in a row since 2002 - his first season at Navy.
In last week’s 35-10 home loss to Miami, Georgia Tech allowed 277 rushing yards and 6.0 yards per carry. The Hurricanes drove 88 yards for touchdowns on their first two possessions.
Backup quarterback Tevin Washington, summoned in the wake of Joshua Nesbitt’s broken forearm, ran for 122 yards and threw for 101 more, but the offense stalled due to two costly fumbles. Powerful B-back Anthony Allen was held below his season average as he gained 77 yards on 15 carries.
Georgia Tech had no answer for Miami’s stable of running backs, and the secondary was exploited by the combination of freshman quarterback Stephen Morris and wideout Leonard Hankerson (3 catches, 132 yards, 1 TD).
The Yellow Jackets should have an easier time against the Blue Devils (3-7, 1-5). Georgia Tech leads the all-time series 46-30-1 and has won the last six meetings, including 49-10 last year in Durham, N.C.
The Blue Devils were eliminated from bowl contention in last week’s 21-16 home loss to Boston College. In that game, Duke finished with four rushing yards, its worst total since 2006. It was a crushing blow for the Blue Devils, who had entered on a rare two-game win streak. Duke has had one winning season since 1990.
Duke brings a potent passing attack led by quarterback Sean Renfree. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound redshirt sophomore has thrown for 2,558 yards and 12 touchdowns, but he’s been intercepted 15 times. His favorite target is Connor Vernon, who has 61 catches for 851 yards and four scores.
Defensively, the Blue Devils are porous. They’re giving up 37.1 points per game, which ranks second-to-last in the ACC.
Nesbitt, who was injured in Georgia Tech’s Nov. 5 loss at Virginia Tech, underwent surgery a couple days later and says he will try to return for a potential bowl game.
With the Yellow Jackets visiting arch-rival Georgia for the regular-season finale Nov. 27, Tech would be well advised to clinch that bowl berth this Saturday.