The Yellow Jackets destroyed the Fighting Irish when these teams last met eight years ago, but Notre Dame should make it a much better fight this time around as this game is one of the best of the weekend as the No. 8 Irish host No. 14 Georgia Tech.
ODDS ANALYSIS
BookMaker opened with the Fighting Irish the slight favorites over the Yellow Jackets, but that’s changed quickly with Georgia Tech now the two-point chalk.
Notre Dame is at home and the higher ranked team according to the AP, but the Irish need to find answers on defense with questions popping up and at quarterback with Malik Zaire going down with an ankle injury in the third quarter on Saturday.
Zaire’s injury was a huge blow not only to the Fighting Irish’s chances here in Week 3, but also their chances the remainder of the year.
WHEN GEORGIA TECH HAS THE BALL
The Yellow Jackets are all about the ground game. They finished second in the nation in rushing yards per game last year with 342.1 and have maintained that philosophy this season, ranking first in the sport with 915 yards on the ground through two games to go along with 15 rushing touchdowns.
Notre Dame took it seriously trying to find a way to defend the triple option, but that shouldn’t scare bettors who should be comfortable picking another big performance on the ground with Patrick Skov and Marcus Marshall leading the way.
Skov has gotten the most touches with 23 carries and the most touchdowns with four, but his 122 yards pales in comparison to Marshall who’s been the more dynamic back in the first two weeks with 221 yards thanks to 15.8 yards per carry.
While we haven’t seen too much of Justin Thomas on the ground, yet, bettors should be aware that the quarterback averaged 5.7 yards per carry last year and has 5.6 through 13 carries this year.
Thomas has handed the ball off more frequently in the first two weeks, but with Notre Dame likely to be on Skov and Marshall, Thomas’s legs provide a good alternative.
Of course, his arm does, too. Thomas is an efficient passer, completing 10 of 13 passes for three touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets pass strategically and bettors should be cognizant of that while pass attempts are low, Georgia Tech has a passing touchdown in both games this year.
Of course, also consider that the Notre Dame pass defense has its issues.
WHEN NOTRE DAME HAS THE BALL
Malik Zaire is out and so is Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant, leaving the running game to C.J Prosise.
While more unproven than those that were ahead of him in the pecking order, Prosise ran well on Saturday with 155 yards and a touchdown.
Bettors should also be weary of jumping ship on the Flying Irish’s passing game before seeing how DeShone Kizer responds to the Georgia Tech defense. Keep tuned to the inexperienced QBs reads. He’s the one that nailed Will Fuller for the game winning touchdown against Virginia.
Kizer will have a week to prepare as the starter and keep an early eye on how he looks to see if he’s a bit more consistent than he was in his late game appearance against Virginia.
TREND TO TRACK
No matter what your measure, the Yellow Jackets have been a very good bet of late. They’re undefeated ATS in their last nine games and 5-1 ATS in their last six on the road.
In addition, Georgia Tech is 4-1 ATS in its last five September games, undefeated ATS in four games against non-conference teams and undefeated ATS in six against teams with a winning record.
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Fighting Irish were positioned as 1.5-point favorites. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Notre Dame Fighting Irish square off on Saturday, September 19, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Notre Dame Stadium. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
