Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest: Official Matchup Breakdown and Prediction

Georgia Tech is facing Wake Forest in a critical game on Saturday

Jackson Caudell | Sep 22, 2023

Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest: Official Matchup Breakdown and Prediction /

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech is back on the road this week for a very important game against Wake Forest.

The Yellow Jackets come into this game with a 1-2 record, but they have been competitive in the two losses. Brent Key's team blew a 15-point lead against Louisville in week one and they were trailing by only seven points on the road at Ole Miss with less than 10 minutes remaining. This team appears to be improved, but that is going to be tested this week with a road game against a 3-0 Wake Forest team.

The Demon Deacons are undefeated, but it is hard to say how good they actually are due to their strength of schedule up to this point. Wake has wins over Elon, Vanderbilt, and Old Dominion, but they had to overcome a big deficit to beat the Monarchs. Head coach Dave Clawson has built a very good and consistent program, but this team has not proven yet it is one of the ACC's best.

So who wins this very important game on Saturday? Let's break it down and make a prediction.

Georgia Tech's passing offense vs. Wake Forest's passing defense

Haynes King, Trey Cooley — Haynes King has been one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC this season / Nathaniel Caudell

Georgia Tech's offense has been one of the surprises around the ACC and I think this is the biggest advantage they have in the game. While wide receiver Chase Lane is still out with an injury, he is going to be traveling for the game and should be back in the future.

Georgia Tech has an emerging star wide receiver in true freshman Eric Singleton Jr. He is the leading receiver for the Yellow Jackets, with 200 yards on 10 catches and three touchdowns and averaging 20 yards per catch. He is getting better with each game and he is going to be drawing the start in Lane's absence. Malik Rutherford has had a good start to the season as well and guys like Dominick Blaylock and Christian Leary are going to contribute as well.

Wake Forest ranks near the bottom of the ACC in passing yards allowed per game and that is concerning given who they have played this season. The Demon Deacons are 11th in the conference in passing yards allowed, allowing an average of 231 YPG. That is going to spell trouble going against the ACC's leading passer, Haynes King, who is off to a terrific start to the season. Wake's defense ranks 105th in passing success rate allowed.

What is going to be one of the keys to the game is how Georgia Tech protects King up front. Wake Forest leads the ACC in sacks with 16 and 10 of those came in the last game against ODU. The Yellow Jackets offensive line has only allowed three sacks this season, but defenders like Jacob Roberts (5 sacks, 1st in the nation) and Jasheen Davis (4.5 sacks, 2nd in the nation) are going to be tough to block. GT held up well against a good Ole Miss defensive line and this will be another big test.

This is an advantage for Georgia Tech and for the Yellow Jackets to win, King and the passing attack are going to have to play well.

Georgia Tech's rushing offense vs. Wake Forest's rushing defense

Georgia Tech has been better at running the ball this season, but you would like to see them get better at it.

Jamal Haynes and Trey Cooley have been explosive in the backfield, with both averaging over six yards per carry, but on a down-to-down basis, the running game leaves a little to be desired. Georgia Tech ranks 83rd in rushing success rate currently and I am hoping that can improve.

Wake Forest has one of the better run defenses in the ACC so far, allowing only 93.3 YPG, but they have yet to face a pair of backs as talented as Cooley and Haynes. King is also a capable runner, whether it is by design or on a play breakdown.

It is tough to get a read on who has the advantage here. Wake has the better numbers, but the running attacks they have faced this year are subpar. Let's see who wins this battle on Saturday.

Georgia Tech's rushing defense vs. Wake Forest's rushing offense

This is the part of the game that scares me. Georgia Tech has been horrible in run defense this season, ranking 120th in rushing success rate allowed. Tackling has been a consistent issue through the first three games and if it is not any better, Wake Forest will have their way on offense.

The Demon Deacons have some talented backs that they are going to be relying on for the ground game. Demond Claiborne leads Wake in rushing with 269 yards while averaging 5.4 yards per carry and one touchdown. Tate Carney has 13 carries for 117 yards and he is averaging nine yards per carry. Justice Ellison also is over 100 yards. That is a good three-headed monster in the ground game and Georgia Tech is going to have to be disciplined and be able to tackle well.

Georgia Tech's passing defense vs. Wake Forest's passing offense

Wake Forest has had one of the best passing attacks over the past few seasons in the ACC and while I don't know if they are on that same level, it is still a good group.

Mitch Griffis has taken over for Sam Hartman and he is off to a solid start this season. He has thrown for 837 yards, completing 62% of his passes, and thrown for three interceptions. One interesting stat about this Wake Forest passing attack: the offensive line has allowed Griffis to be sacked 10 times. Georgia Tech has been unable to generate a pass rush so far this season, having only one sack, but this could be the game that the Yellow Jackets pass rush can get started.

Wake Forest has four wide receivers that can make big plays, but Jahmal Banks is the guy to know. I think he is one of the top wide receivers in the ACC and he is off to a good start this season. Banks has 18 catches for 223 yards and three touchdowns and is averaging 12.3 yards per catch. Taylor Morin has 12 catches for 176 yards and touchdowns while averaging 14.7 yards per catch. The deep threat on this offense is Wesley Grimes, who is averaging over 21 yards per catch. Ke'Shawn Williams has 11 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown while averaging 13.6 yards per catch.

While Wake has talented players on offense, they are only 97th in success rate. Georgia Tech gave up two big plays in the 4th quarter against Ole Miss and has been prone to allowing explosive plays. The secondary is supposed to be the strength of this defense, but they have not been able to find any consistency.

X-Factor

How will Georgia Tech's offensive line hold up on Saturday? / Nathaniel Caudell

I think the offensive line is going to be the X-Factor this week. While the defense is always going to garner attention until they improve, the offensive line is faced with another tough assignment this week.

The sack numbers for Wake are going to be inflated because of their performance against ODU, but they are good players. Roberts and Davis will be looking to get after King and disrupt the Georgia Tech passing attack because if they don't, I think King could have a career day against this Wake Forest secondary.

Prediction

This is a game that Georgia Tech needs to win. The Yellow Jackets are hoping to get back to a bowl game for the first time since 2018 and it is hard to envision them doing that if they lose on the road to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are a bit of an unknown in this game due to their weak schedule, but Clawson is an excellent coach and has built Wake Forest into a winner.

For Key and his team to show they are improving as a program, they need to get a win on Saturday. I think they do because they have the better quarterback in the game and they can get a lot of momentum heading into October after getting a win.