An old ACC Coastal rivalry is going down in Pittsburgh, PA tonight.
While the Yellow Jackets and the Panthers don't play every season like they used to, the games they do play are generally memorable, one way or the other. Last season, Georgia Tech hosted Pitt in the program's biggest game in over a decade, with a win sending them to the ACC Championship game and giving them a chance to play for the college football playoff. Pitt won the game and helped start this downward spiral the program has been on since.
But just four years ago, Brent Key led Georgia Tech to Pittsburgh to face a ranked Panthers team in his first game as the interim head coach. The Yellow Jackets pulled a massive upset, and that was the first of many upset wins for Key as the head coach of his alma mater.
Can he get another one tonight? Here are three bold predictions for tonight's game.
While the Panthers have the nations second best rushing defense, they are 127th against the pass. While Georgia Tech does not have a player in the same stratosphere as Miami's Malachi Toney, they have two capable big play receivers in Dalen Penson and Jordan Allen who could make big plays down the field.
I think that if Georgia Tech's offensive line hold up more often than, big plays through the air are going to be there and if Mendoza can be on target, Georgia Tech could have an explosive day.
This might be too bold considering how terrible the Yellow Jackets have been at forcing turnovers, but they could be due.
Pittsburgh's offense is not as much of a threat as they were before quarterback Mason Heintschel went down with an injury and while the Yellow Jackets defense has been dreadful in every which way, I think that safety Tae Harris will find a way to pick off a pass and the Yellow Jackets will force a strip sack and recover a fumble.
Boy, did Georgia Tech miss Tawfiq Thomas last week vs Boston College. The Eagles ended up rushing for 399 yards and the Yellow Jackets could not slow them down. They were missing Thomas and fellow starter Vincent Carroll-Jackson and I think that Thomas is going to come back in a big way today against the Panthers O-Line.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/georgiatech as Three Bold Predictions For Georgia Tech-Pittsburgh Matchup .
