ATL All Day
Fansided

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs Mark Richt’s Miami Hurricanes

By Kathryn Morrison

facebooktwitterreddit

Mark Richt’s coaching record in games in Atlanta against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is perfect. Will it remain that way when the Yellow Jackets take on the Miami Hurricanes at home this Saturday?

All in all, Mark Richt is 13-0 in Atlanta as a coach against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, as well as 5-0 as an assistant at Florida State, and 8-0 most recently as the coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. This time, Richt is headed to Atlanta as first year head coach of the Miami Hurricanes as the No. 14 team opens their ACC schedule against the 3-1 Yellow Jackets.

The Hurricanes have played well against Tech in previous years, winning four of the last five meetings. Though Mark Richt’s records don’t guarantee a victory for the Hurricanes, it does insinuate that he knows exactly how to prepare for the Yellow Jackets and their triple-option offense. Additionally, this weekend’s matchup will be the first time Coach Richt will return to the state of Georgia since his time with the Bulldogs ended.

As former coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, he has plenty of experience playing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets annually. However, the Georgia-Georgia Tech matchup, though a major rivalry, has no significance as far as conference standings go. A win for the 3-0 Hurricanes is vital if the team wants a legitimate shot as a contender in the race for the ACC Coastal Division title. In his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Coach Richt explained his previous success against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

More from ATL All Day

VIA Matt Porter of the Palm Beach Post:

"“There were different head coaches and different schemes. Since Paul was there, I think he was there seven years, [we went] 5-2 and the games that were lost were against Paul Johnson’s teams. We won one that I think was in overtime, so it could have been 4-3 really easily. I think even last year’s game was really close. Very, very evenly-matched games, for the most part.“The common thread is can you defend the triple option? Can you defend the spread option? It’s not all option football, but they have that element to it. When they have a quarterback runner who can throw as well as they can, it creates more problems than you want to be dealing with. That’s the biggest part. Obviously the offense has to move the ball and has to score, get touchdowns in the red zone and not field goals, we can’t turn it over…those are things that will get you beat against anybody.“But when you have two teams that go high-tempo, there’s a lot of possessions. You might have 12 possessions in a game, or 13 or 14 – a bunch of them. If one team goes slow and chews up clock, you might get eight possessions in a game. Then, all of a sudden, they seem more precious – and they are more precious. You better take advantage of it. I think that’s one of the things – they can make people feel very uncomfortable.”"

Where does that leave the Yellow Jackets in this matchup? According to most circulating predictions: defeated, with Miami as a 7 point favorite.

VIA Dave Miller of Campus Insiders:

Miami vs. Georgia Tech Prediction

"The Hurricanes will begin ACC play in an environment that has been very friendly to Richt. While it is difficult to prepare for the spread option, Diaz has this defense playing very well. It’s hard to envision GT moving the football consistently on the ground. Outside of a few big gains, Miami should keep the rushing attack in check and find the end zone fairly consistently to never have the outcome be in doubt.Miami vs. Georgia Tech Score Prediction: Miami 38, Georgia Tech 20"

Next: Georgia Bulldogs: Three Reasons the Vols Should be on Upset Alert

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will take on the Miami Hurricanes this Saturday, October 1 at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. Catch the game at 12 PM ET on ESPN2.

Home/Georgia Tech Football