Alcorn State @ Georgia Tech preview

There is little mystery surrounding how Georgia Tech plans to succeed in 2015, and as the Yellow Jackets kick off the season at home Thursday against Alcorn State, their high-powered rushing attack is ready for another huge year. The No. 17-ranked Yellow Jackets, directed by dual-threat quarterback Justin Thomas, led FBS in rushing last season and has accumulated 200-plus rushing yards in 14 consecutive games – the longest streak in the nation.

Georgia Tech won the ACC Coastal Division title last season and nearly upended Florida State in the ACC championship game before closing the campaign with a 49-34 victory over Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl – the ninth time in 14 games the Yellow Jackets scored 35 points or more. The Yellow Jackets are a popular pick to repeat in the Coastal but face a schedule that includes nine bowl teams. Thomas is the key to the offense, coming off a season in which he passed for 1,719 yards and rushed for 1,086 yards. The Braves won their first SWAC title since 1993 last season and also feature a passing/rushing threat at quarterback in John Gibbs Jr.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN South, ESPN3. LINE: NL

ABOUT ALCORN STATE (2014: 10-3): Gibbs, who passed for 2,842 yards and rushed for 1,006 yards in 2014, is back to direct an offense that averaged 44 points per game last season – second in FCS. Eight receivers who caught 14 or more passes in 2014 return, and the duo of Arron Baker (725 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Darryan Ragsdale (691 yards, seven scores) anchor the backfield. The Braves’ biggest holes are on defense, where four of last season’s top five tacklers are gone.

ABOUT GEORGIA TECH (2014: 11-3): The Yellow Jackets return 13 starters – including four on the offensive line – but lost standout running backs Zach Laskey and Synjyn Days, and receivers Darren Waller and DeAndre Smelter. Thomas completed 51.3 percent of his passes and threw for 18 touchdowns last season, added eight scores on the ground, and will be the offensive focal point while new starters settle into the backfield and receiver spots. Jabari Hunt-Days, who recorded 129 tackles in 2012-13, returns after being ineligible last season to anchor a defense that led the ACC in turnover margin (plus-11) and touchdowns scored (six) a year ago.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Georgia Tech has won seven of its past eight season openers and has not lost a home opener since falling to Notre Dame in 2006.

2. Yellow Jackets LB P.J. Davis returns after leading Georgia Tech with 119 tackles in 2014.

3. The Yellow Jackets have reached a bowl game in 18 consecutive seasons, the second-longest active streak in the nation (Virginia Tech, 22).

PREDICTION: Georgia Tech 58, Alcorn State 13