Georgia Tech vs Louisville: Three Storylines to Watch on Saturday

Can the Yellow Jackets get another ranked win on Saturday when they face Louisville?

Sep 14, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the sideline against the Virginia Military Institute Keydets in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

After dominating VMI at home on Saturday, Georgia Tech is heading back on the road to face No. 19 Louisville and it promises to be a big test for the Yellow Jackets. The Cardinals have not played a strong schedule yet, but they have looked dominant themselves through the first few weeks of the season. The offense is clicking and the defense looks strong, but Georgia Tech is going to be their biggest challenge of the year by far.

So heading into Saturday, what are the storylines to keep an eye on in this game?

1. Georgia Tech's Defense vs Louisville's passing game

My biggest concern heading into the season for this Georgia Tech team was the pass rush. I thought when they faced good passing attacks, that would be a problem and a bad matchup for the Yellow Jackets. The only real passing attack that Georgia Tech has faced this season has been Syracuse and they did not pass that test at all. The Orange racked up 515 total yards, with Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord going 32-46 for 381 yards and four touchdowns. At least four receivers caught five passes and the duo of Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden combined for four touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets defense could not get stops and most noticeably, could not get any pressure. McCord had all day to throw and he had as good of a game as you can have in college. It was a bad day for the Georgia Tech defense (which is improved in some areas), but they have a chance to show they have improved in a matter of a couple of weeks. You could argue that Syracuse has a better passing game than Louisville, but the Cardinals are going to be tough to stop.

When you look at the matchup, it does lean in Louisville's favor. The Cardinals are 19th in dropback success rate at 46% while Georgia Tech's defense is 112th in dropback success rate allowed. Louisville is 39th in EPA/dropback (expected points added) while Georgia Tech is 94th in EPA/dropback allowed. Now again, we have not seen Louisville play a good opponent yet, but their numbers look good through two games.

2. Can Brent Key continue to defeat ranked ACC opponents on the road?

Brent Key is 5-0 when facing ranked ACC teams and four of those five wins have come on the road. This is the kind of game that Key has been able to win in the past. Not many people are showing Georgia Tech the same kind of love they were since they lost to Syracuse and there are some out there that think Louisville can compete with Miami and Clemson to win the ACC. Maybe the Cardinals are that good, but the Yellow Jackets are the best team they have faced this season and they have history on their side. Can Key pull another road upset vs a ranked ACC team?

3. Can the running game get back on track?

While the Yellow Jackets did rush for 190 yards against VMI, they had a bad rushing performance vs Syracuse in their last game vs a power four team. Syracuse's defense held Georgia Tech to 112 yards on the ground and most of that came from quarterback Haynes King. Louisville has a more talented defense than Syracuse and will be tougher to run against. King has been great throwing the ball this year, but Georgia Tech is built to run the football. Will they be able to bounce back and show the Syracuse performance was just a fluke?