Running back Isaac Brown is the bigger problem for Georgia Tech. He piled up 199 yards and 4 touchdowns against Stanford, and he's listed probable on the game-day report, so expect him to play. Louisville was in a close game for a half against Stanford, then pulled away after Tayon Holloway scooped up a fumble and took it in. The Cardinals do have holes. Guard Anwar O'Neal and corner Antonio Watts are still out, and receivers M. Quisenberry and K. Hughes have been missing too. That leaves Kienholz short on targets, which is one more reason this offense runs through Brown. The board has Louisville as a heavy road favorite, and the spread has moved further toward the Cardinals this week.
Georgia Tech's defense is the main story on its side. Jason Semore is in his first year as coordinator, and the Jackets have given up 34, 49 and 34 in the 3 straight losses that followed the Duke win. The 49 from Boston College came at home. A defense that can't get off the field against the middle of the ACC now gets the hottest offense on its schedule in weeks.
Louisville's 5-3 record could easily look better. Both ACC losses were by 3 points: 30-27 at home to Wake Forest and 31-28 at NC State. After those, the Cardinals beat Florida State by 24, won at Syracuse and ran over Stanford. They share one opponent with Georgia Tech. The Jackets lost 34-27 at Stanford, and Louisville beat the same Stanford team by 28. Every comparison between these two looks about like that.
Georgia Tech's case is the home field. The Jackets' only win in the last 5 came at Bobby Dodd, 28-25 over Duke, and they keep games close at home. The game-day forecast is calmer than the early one: 57 degrees, cloudy, 0% chance of rain and wind around 8 mph. That takes away the weather excuse for a short-handed Louisville passing game, so Kienholz should be able to throw downfield if he wants to.
This game matters more to Georgia Tech than its 2-6 record suggests. After Louisville come a trip to Clemson, Wake Forest at home and then Georgia, so this is one of the few winnable games left. Louisville is 4-2 in the ACC and playing like a team that sees the top of the conference. A slip in Atlanta would cost the Cardinals more than a win would gain them.
