Football Spreads: Georgia Tech vs Mississippi State

Written October 2, 2009 by Hector Garza

Georgia Tech has been in and out of the rankings over the last two weeks. After suffering a demoralizing loss to then #20 Miami 33-17, they’ve bounced back nicely by defeating then #22 North Carolina 24-7. At 3-1 and ranked #25 in the nation, they take on unranked Mississippi State (2-2) at 7:10 p.m. EDT. The Bulldogs are a 5.5 point underdog according to the most up-to-date NCAA football spreads. The total is set for 47.

Offensively has been hit or miss for the Yellow Jackets. In the loss to Miami, they rushed for a season low 95 yards. In the win last week, star RB Jonathan Dwyer ran for 158 of the 317 total rushing yards. Aside from Miami, their option has been a reliable force, averaging 262 ypg on the ground, 4th nationally. The team is led by QB Josh Nesbitt, who’s a bigger threat to run than to pass. So far this year he’s completed only 42.1% of his passes for two td’s and 2 int, but he’s second on the team in rushing averaging 4.0 ypc.

Last week the team surprised North Carolina by changing from a 4-2-5 scheme to a 4-3, and had great results. They limited the Tar Heels to 17 yards rushing and 154 total yards. LB’s Brad Jefferson and Sedric Griffin have combined for 37 tackles and are a big reason why they’ve only allowed one rushing td this year. DE Derrick Morgan has been a freak garnering 5.5 sacks, and S Morgan Burnett has been a force of his own with 3 interceptions.

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The Bulldogs have a new attitude along with a new coach this year, and they’re looking to avenge last year’s embarrassing 38-7 loss to the Yellow Jackets. They lost last week to now #7 ranked LSU 26-30 in which they could have easily pulled off the upset, and are playing with confidence. Senior RB Anthony Dixon is having a great year, averaging 107 ypg running the football which is 16th in the nation. QB Tyson Lee has struggled with his decision making, with more interceptions (3) this year than td’s (2). State will no doubt look to get it going on the ground before airing it out,

438 yards rushing. That’s what MSU gave up in last year’s route against Georgia Tech, and that is the focus for this week’s contest. The defense came up big last week, holding a potent LSU offense to 30 yards rushing and 263 total yards of offense. If they can limit the Yellow Jackets to similar numbers they’ve an excellent chance to pull off the upset. The secondary has 3 interceptions and has only allowed 3 td’s in the air, and won’t look to be tested much unless they can stop the run.

Georgia Tech leads the series 3-0, and the option offense this year is humming to the tune of 27 ppg. If the Yellow Jackets can run successfully, it could be a long day for MSU. However, the Bulldogs defense, giving up 3.4 ypc, will no doubt be up to the task. Their offense is averaging 27.5 ppg, but will need to cut down on the turnover margin (4 last week) to pull off the upset. Look for Dan Mullen and State to stun the Yellow Jackets this week at home.

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