Georgia Tech vs Boston College: Matchup Breakdown and Score Prediction

Can Georgia Tech defeat Boston College on Saturday?

Jackson Caudell | Oct 20, 2023

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Georgia Tech is looking to get above .500 for the first time this season and have a two-game winning streak. The Boston College Eagles are coming to Atlanta and they are trying to get above .500 as well. BC is on a two-game winning streak and they have found an emerging star in quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

Both teams are coming off of a bye week and both teams are going to need this game if they hope to get to a bowl game and that is what makes this game so intriguing. Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley is also on the hot seat and Georgia Tech can expect a a big effort from Boston College this weekend?

So how do these teams matchup and who wins? Let's break it down.

Georgia Tech's offense vs Boston College's defense

Georgia Tech comes into this game with the No. 6 offense in the ACC in terms of yards per game. The highlight of the offense remains the passing attack and that has been the case for this season. Quarterback Haynes King is looking to have a great second half of the season and that starts tomorrow against Boston College, who has a secondary that might not be as good as the numbers suggest.

On the surface, you might think that Boston College has a good secondary, as the Eagles are 6th in the ACC in passing yards allowed. Look a bit deeper and you will see that Boston College has only played two teams that have good passing attacks.

Florida State and Louisville represent the only two passing attacks that are above average that Boston College has played. Louisville's Jack Plummer threw for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns against the Eagles earlier this season and while Florida State did not have the same amount of success, they were still effective. The other four teams that Boston College has played are Northern Illinois, Holy Cross, Virginia, and Army and none of those teams have a competent passing attack.

The Georgia Tech receivers are going to have a chance to make a lot of big plays against the Eagles tomorrow. Eric Singleton Jr, Malik Rutherford, and Dominick Blaylock are sure to see a lot of playing time tomorrow, but Chase Lane is slated to be back and was listed on the depth chart this week. If Lane is back, that will make the Yellow Jackets that much more explosive on offense.

The running game needs to get going. The Yellow Jackets have not been able to run the ball in the last two games and I think one of the keys to win on Saturday is being able to run the ball and keep the Boston College defense honest. The Eagles rank 11th in the ACC in rushing yards allowed per game and their defense is 13th in points per game allowed (31.7). This is a defense that can is not good at stopping any opposing offense and Georgia Tech is going to have to make sure they don't go into any "lulls" like they tend to do in games.

One matchup to keep an eye on is Georgia Tech's offensive line vs Boston College's front seven. The Eagles are one of the worst teams in the country in terms of sacking the quarterback and Georgia Tech has protected the quarterback well this season. If the offensive line continues that, the passing game should be able to make plays against the Eagles secondary.

Georgia Tech vs Boston College: Three Things to Watch for

Georgia Tech's defense vs Boston College's offense

Can Georgia Tech stop Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos? / Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

This is where the game is going to be decided. Boston College has a very successful running game, especially with their quarterback Thomas Castellanos, and Georgia Tech has one of the worst run defenses in the country. This is going to be the second game where Kevin Sherrer is coordinating the defense and he is hoping the defense carries over some of the good things they did against Miami.

While Miami did rack up 450 yards of offense, Georiga Tech did not allow them to rip off any explosive runs and they forced Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to throw three interceptions. They will likely try to employ the same kind of bend but don't break style against the Eagles.

Boston College is 9th in the ACC in points per game and 8th in the ACC in yards per game.

Boston College has the second-best rushing offense in the ACC, running for 192.7 yards per game and a big reason for that is quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Castellanos has emerged as a true dual-threat quarterback and is the 4th leading rusher in the ACC coming into this game (500 yards and seven touchdowns).

The passing game is not as lethal for Boston College. The Eagles weakness is their passing game, which ranks 12th in the ACC. Boston College might be getting UCF transfer Ryan O'Keefe back this week, but Lewis Bond (24 catches, 356 yards, five touchdowns) is one guy that the Georgia Tech defense is going to have to gameplan for. If Georgia Tech can't contain Castellanos, that will force the defense to play in a more heavy box and try to stop the run game which could open up the passing game.

Boston College is 33rd in the country in sacks allowed and Georgia Tech has been unable to get a consistent pass rush going. Kyle Kennard (four sacks) is the Yellow Jackets top pass rusher, but they are going to have to get other guys to step up and make the difference. This front-seven is going to have to make a difference in stopping this Boston College offense or it could be a long day for the defense.

X-Factor

I think this game can really be boiled down to Georgia Tech stopping the Boston College run game. If they do, I think they can run away with this game, but Castellanos is gaining confidence with each start and Georgia Tech has allowed quarterbacks to hurt them on the ground this year (Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart ran for nearly 200 yards) and Castellanos is the best running threat at the position they have faced. If the defense struggles to tackle, it will open up their entire offense and make them that much tougher to stop.

Prediction

Georgia Tech needs to win this game, but it is not going to be easy. Head coach Brent Key is 1-3 when his team is favored and has not covered the spread once. He has been great when his team is the underdog, but he has struggled to win as a favorite. This kind of offense is the kind that Georgia Tech has struggled to stop and there is a scenario where Castellanos runs wild on the defense. However, I think Georgia Tech will figure out a way to force turnovers and I think this passing attack will have a big day against Boston College. This will be a close win for Georgia Tech, but they won't cover the 5.5 point spread.

Final Score: Georgia Tech 33, Boston College 31

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