No. 17 North Carolina looks to bounce back against Georgia Tech

2023-10-26 23:49

No. 17 North Carolina will be looking to bounce back from a shocking loss when the Tar Heels travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. Coach Mack Brown's team was riding high until last week's 31-27 stunner against one-win Virginia

North Carolina (6-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) at Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-2), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network).

Line: North Carolina by 11 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Georgia Tech leads 32-21-3.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

North Carolina's hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff were wiped out by last week's shocking loss to Virginia, but the Tar Heels still have a shot at the ACC championship game. Georgia Tech needs a win to bolster its hopes of becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2018.

KEY MATCHUP

North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton vs. Georgia Tech defensive front. Hampton has rushed for 770 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. The Tar Heels will try to get him the ball more after he had only five touches in the second half against Virginia. Considering the Yellow Jackets gave up 308 yards rushing in last week's loss to Boston College, Hampton certainly has a chance to put up some big numbers.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

North Carolina: WR Devontez “Tez” Walker has made a big impact on the Tar Heels offense after missing time due to a prolonged NCAA eligibility debate. He had six catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns in the win against Miami, followed by 11 catches for 146 yards and a score against Virginia.

Georgia Tech: QB Haynes King is one of only two FBS players, along with LSU's Jayden Daniels, to total at least 1,800 yards passing, 350 yards rushing and 17 touchdown passes. But King is coming off a tough outing against Boston College, completing just 14 of 32 with three interceptions.

FACTS & FIGURES

Georgia Tech has won two straight in the series and eight of the last 10 meetings in Atlanta. ... North Carolina tumbled seven spots in the AP Top 25 after the Virginia loss. ... The Tar Heels had scored at least 30 points in their first six games for the first time since 1914 before Virginia held them to 27. ... North Carolina QB Drake Maye completed better than 70% of his passes through the first five games, but is just 50.6% (41 of 81) over the past two games. ... King's 17 touchdown passes are tied for the most in Georgia Tech history through seven games. Joe Hamilton also had 17 at the same point in the 1999 season, when he finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

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