Georgia Tech @ Louisville preview

Georgia Tech suffered through a miserable start to the season, losing three of their first four contests, but hopes to continue taking advantage of a soft spot in its schedule Friday at Louisville in the first-ever matchup between the ACC teams. The Yellow Jackets, who have struggled to get their running game on track at times this season, piled up 372 yards on the ground in a 63-17 rout of Bowling Green last week and now aim for their first road victory since the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl.

“It’s hard to win, in general,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson told reporters Tuesday regarding his team’s six-game road losing streak. “It’s hard to win on the road. We don’t talk about that.” The Cardinals held a three-point lead against Florida State with two minutes remaining last week, but coach Bobby Petrino called for a pass that was intercepted, setting up the game-winning touchdown in a crushing 28-24 defeat. “You’ve got to work at it, fight through it, improve, have a good attitude and get better,” Petrino told reporters on Monday, accepting the blame for the play call. There were some positives for Louisville last week, as former starting quarterback Jawon Pass regained his job by throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Georgia Tech -4

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (2-3, 0-2 ACC): The Yellow Jackets were far smoother running the triple-option last week than in a blowout loss to Clemson in their previous game, certainly benefiting from the caliber of the opposing defense. Quarterback TaQuon Marshall ran for two touchdowns and completed 5-of-6 passes for 160 yards, while backup Tobias Oliver added 115 yards rushing and two scores. Linebacker Brant Mitchell recorded a season-high eight tackles last week.

ABOUT LOUISVILLE (2-3, 0-2): Pass completed 24-of-45 attempts and rushed for a score but missed several open targets and threw interceptions on the Cardinals’ final two drives. Louisville is 113th in the nation in rushing offense, averaging just 120 yards, but Hassan Hall finished with 57 on 11 carries. Linebacker P.J. Blue finished with eight tackles, bringing his total over the last two games to 14.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Louisville WR Jaylen Smith recorded his sixth 100-yard receiving performance of his career last week, tying him for 10th on the school's all-time list.

2. The Yellow Jackets already have matched last season’s total of 10 forced turnovers and are tied for 13th in the nation in that category.

3. The Cardinals are 12-5 at home in ACC play since joining the league in 2014.

PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 23, Louisville 17