DATE: Saturday, November 9, 2024

WHERE: Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, GA

TIME/TV: Noon EST/ESPN

LIVE AUDIO: 560 WQAM

MIAMI: Official Site | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter

GEORGIA TECH: Official Site | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter

The No. 4 ranked Miami Hurricanes (9-0, 5-0 ACC) will travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech (5-4, ACC 3-3) for the 21st time in school history. The all-time series between the two teams is tied at 14.

Georgia Tech has won three out of the last five games in the series and has split the last four games in Atlanta with Miami.

The home team has won 17 of the 28 games in series history, including a 10-6 record for Georgia Tech against Miami at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Five of the last six games in the series have been decided by seven points or less.

The Yellow Jackets defeated the Hurricanes 23-20 last season. In the game's waning moments, a late fumble by Miami allowed Georgia Tech an opportunity for a go-ahead touchdown.

Head Coach Mario Cristobal admitted he should have taken a knee before the fumble occurred to run out the clock.

Storylines and Notables

Miami is off to a 9-0 start for the first time under Cristobal. Last time out, Miami put together a dominant second half to top Duke, 53-31.

Miami is looking to start a season 10-0 for the first time since 2017 when it also started the season 10-0. The Hurricanes have not started 11-0 since 2002 as national runners-up (12-1 finish).

Following the win over Duke last time out, Miami moved up to No. 4 in both the LBM Coaches Poll and Associated Press top 25 rankings released on Nov. 3. Miami had been No. 5 in both of last week’s polls.

Stats

Miami

With three games remaining in the regular season, Quarterback Cam Ward managed to tie Miami’s single-season touchdown pass record set by Steve Walsh in 1988 (29) after throwing for five touchdowns in the win Saturday over Duke. Ward finished the game 25-for-41 with 400 passing yards, five scores, and one interception.

No quarterback in Power-4 has thrown for more touchdowns than Cam Ward, who ranks first in FBS with 29 TDs.

Ward (17,022), a fifth-year senior, moved past Landry Fields (16,646) for fifth on the NCAA’s all-time, all-division passing yards list last time out vs. Duke.

Wide receiver Xavier Restrepo took over first place in Miami’s all-time receiving yards list last time in a win over the Blue Devils, passing Reggie Wayne (2,573).

Restrepo finished with a career-best three touchdown catches, moving into first place on Miami’s star-studded all-time receiving yards (2,573) with 146 on eight catches. He also moved into a first-place tie with Mike Harley for the most career receptions (182) at Miami.

Andy Borregales moved into sole possession of third place in all-time made field goals at Miami with three field goals vs. Florida State on Oct. 26 and booted another one in a win over Duke on Nov. 2; he is tied for second in FBS among active kickers in career field goals with 68.

Borregales had nine points vs. the Blue Devils (one field goal, six extra points), moving him to 371 career points. Borregales currently trails only Carlos Huerta (397) & Michael Badgley (403) in career points, ranking third at UM.

Notable Team Stats

Miami is the nation’s third down conversion rate leader, capitalizing on 58.8% as an offense.

The Hurricanes rank No. 1 in all of FBS in total offense, averaging 556.9 yards per game.

Miami is ranked No. 1 in FBS in plays of 20 or more yards (74) and No. 1 in plays of 10 or more yards (185). Of the 74 plays of 20 or more yards, 59 are passing - most in FBS. Of the 185 plays of 10 or more yards, 130 are passing. The Canes had only 48 passing plays of 20 or more yards and 129 of 10 or more pass yards in 2023.

Miami is No. 1 in FBS in games of 500 or more yards (8), ahead of North Texas (6), Clemson (5) & Ole Miss (5).

Miami is ranked No. 1 in FBS in scoring differential in second halves; UM’s +17.56 scoring difference is ahead of Indiana (+17.34), Ohio State (13.50), Texas (+12.13), and Penn State (11.88) entering Week 11 of 2024.

Entering Week 11, the Hurricanes rank No. 12 in the nation in “defensive mayhem” - plays on defense featuring a tackle for loss, an interception, or a gained fumble. Miami has a 13.84% mayhem rate on defense; the Hurricanes have racked up a 7.99% sack rate, an 11.11% tackle-for-loss rate, and a 4.18% interception rate in their 9-0 start.

UM ranks No. 11 in FBS in team sacks (3.00), No. 21 in tackles for loss (6.8) & No. 7 in passes intercepted (13).

Against FBS competition, Miami’s offense has gone three-and-out on just 5.26% of drives this season, which ranks as the best mark in the country. Only three teams in the nation have a three-and-out percentage of less than 10% on offense - No. 1 Miami (5.26), No. 2 LSU (8.54) and No. 3 Illinois (9.76%).

Miami is one of just six teams to rank in the top 20 of both total offense (#1) and total defense (#19) entering Week 11 of college football. The Canes rank first in the ACC in both categories - total offense and total defense.

Miami is one of just four teams whose average time of possession is more than 34 minutes per game—34:02, the third-highest mark in FBS.

The Hurricanes have remained strong this year; Miami is ranked No. 29 in FBS in the middle eight this year (+2.6). From 2014 to 2019, teams that won the “middle eight” minutes of the game at the FBS level won 74% of the time.

The Hurricanes eclipsed the 50-point mark for the fourth time at Louisville - the first year Miami posted four-game performances in a single season in Miami history. They made it five games with a 52-31 win over Duke.

Miami last had a season featuring at least three offensive outputs of at least 50 points in 2001, when it won the national title.

UM is the only program in the country with two players with at least 18.0 career sacks each (Akheem Mesidor, 21.0). The Hurricanes have three players in the top 40 in FBS in career sacks entering Week 11 - DL Simeon Barrow with 16.0 sacks. His streak of three straight games with at least one sack ended last time out vs. Duke.

The Hurricanes score points on 61.05% of their offensive possessions - the best mark in the nation. Miami scores touchdowns on 49.47% of possessions - the third-best mark in all of FBS (Army + Indiana tied for No. 1, 50.0%).

Miami’s 5.26% three-and-out percentage on offense is by far the best mark in the nation.

The nation's lowest mark is the Hurricanes’ 16.84% punt percentage on all offensive drives.

The Hurricanes’ 3.32 points-per-possession average is the best mark in the country.

Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech returns from its second of three bye weeks to face its most formidable challenge of the season: a visit from No. 4-ranked and undefeated Miami (Fla.).

For only the second time in head coach Brent Key's two-plus seasons at the helm of the Yellow Jackets, Georgia Tech has lost consecutive games — a 31-13 defeat to then-No. 12 Notre Dame on Oct. 19 and a 21-6 defeat at Virginia Tech on Oct. 26. The Jackets played without starting quarterback Haynes King and leading tackler Kyle Efford in both games, due to injury.

The Yellow Jackets have never lost three-straight games under Key, with their last three-game skid coming in 2021. The Jackets are one of only four Atlantic Coast Conference teams without a three-game losing streak since the beginning of the 2022 season, joining Clemson, Duke, and NC State.

Georgia Tech is 5-1 against nationally ranked ACC teams in its two-plus seasons under Key, including last season's 23-20 win at No. 17 Miami.

However, Tech is searching for its first win over a top-five opponent in 15 years, dating back to a 28-23 home triumph over Virginia Tech in 2009. The Yellow Jackets have just eight victories all-time over top-five teams, but one of those is a home win over Miami, a 14-10 triumph over the No. 3-ranked Hurricanes in 2005.

Saturday's matchup pits Miami's offense, which leads the nation in points (47.4) and yards (556.9) per game, against a Georgia Tech defense that surrendered just 233 yards against Virginia Tech on Oct. 26. This was the fewest that the Jackets allowed to an NCAA Division I FBS opponent in a decade (190 vs. Clemson—2014).

King's .712 completion percentage ranks sixth nationally and leads the ACC.

King has accounted for more than 300 yards of total offense three times this season — 302 on Aug. 31 vs. Georgia State (275 passing, 27 rushing), 333 on Sept. 7 at Syracuse (266 passing, 67 rushing), and 370 on Sept. 21 at Louisville (312 passing, 58 rushing).

Backup quarterback Zach Pyron's 314 yards of total offense against Notre Dame (269 passing, team-high 45 rushing) were just five shy of his career high of 319 (253 passing, 66 rushing), set in a 28-27 win at Virginia Tech on Nov. 5, 2022.

Pyron ranks third on the team with four touchdowns this season (all rushing), behind only RB Jamal Haynes (nine TDs, eight rushing) and King (six TDs, all rushing).

Georgia Tech r-Jr. Jamal Haynes, one of the nation's top running backs, has rushed for 598 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games this season.

Haynes ranks among the ACC and national leaders in rushing yards (598), rushing touchdowns (8), and total touchdowns (9).

Haynes has scored the winning points in each of Georgia Tech's last two victories, as his 3-yard touchdown reception vs. Duke — his first receiving TD of the season and second of his career — gave the Yellow Jackets' a 17-14 lead with 10:40 to go in the game and proved to be the winning points in the Jackets' 24-14 victory.

Miami native r-Jr. Malik Rutherford has led Georgia Tech in receptions in 7-of-9 games this season and in receiving yards in 4-of-9 contests.

Rutherford is threatening to become only the third Yellow Jacket ever to lead the ACC in receptions, joining Calvin Johnson (5.43/gm - 2006) and Harvey Middleton (5.8/gm - 1996) and/or receiving yards, joining Johnson (85.9/gm - 2006) and Middleton (73.1/gm - 1996).

Rutherford has caught at least one pass in 25 straight games, dating back to Nov. 12, 2022, vs. Miami (Fla.). His 25 consecutive games with a catch are the seventh-longest streak in Georgia Tech history.

Notable Team Stats

Georgia Tech has allowed just four sacks this season and is ranked second nationally with 0.44 sacks allowed per game.

After finishing 93rd nationally with 21 turnovers lost last season, Georgia Tech is tied for ninth nationally with just six turnovers lost through nine games this season.

In addition to being tied for ninth nationally in fewest turnovers lost the Yellow Jackets are also tied for second nationally in fewest fumbles lost (1) and tied for 29th nationally in fewest interceptions thrown (5).

The Yellow Jackets are 29-for-32 in the red zone this season, with 23 touchdowns and six field goals. The Jackets rank second in the ACC and 29th nationally in red-zone offense (.906).

Tech's .638 completion percentage (185-of-290) ranks 40th nationally. Before QB King missed the last two games due to injury, the Yellow Jackets had a .706 completion percentage (144-of-204), which led the ACC, ranked 10th nationally, and was on pace to shatter the single-season school record of .652 (208-of-319), set in 1999.

With three 200-yard rushing games this season (371 vs. UNC, 245 vs. Duke, and 225 vs. Georgia State on Aug. 31), Georgia Tech has rushed for at least 200 yards in nine of its last 16 games (dating back to Oct. 21, 2023, vs. Boston College).

Georgia Tech is one of only 12 nationally—and the only ACC team—with three players who have rushed for at least four touchdowns this season. Of those 12 teams, Tech is the only one with two quarterbacks among the three players. The Yellow Jackets are the only team in the nation with multiple quarterbacks who have rushed for at least four touchdowns.

Tech's defense is the fifth-most improved in the nation this season in terms of total yards allowed per game.

Georgia Tech's 7.7-point improvement in scoring defense ranks 20th nationally and is tied for second in the ACC, behind only Cal (-15.5 ppg).

Most impressively, the Yellow Jackets have the second-most improved rushing defense in the nation this season (and the most improved among Power Four conference teams).

The Yellow Jackets have surrendered less than 100 yards on the ground in 5-of-9 games this season. The four games allowing less than 100 rushing yards are the most for Georgia Tech in any season since it held 6-of-14 opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground in 2013.

The Yellow Jackets also held Virginia Tech – the ACC's top rushing team going in to the game at 209.3 yards per contest – to just 99 yards on the ground.

Tech has had seven or more TFL in four of its five games this season - 7 vs. Florida State (Aug. 24), 8 vs. Georgia State (Aug. 31), 12 vs. VMI (Sept 14) and 11 at Virginia Tech (Oct. 26)..

Stats are as of November 8, 2024

Miami Athletics and Georgia Tech Athletics contributed to this report.

Line: Miami - 13

Over/Under: 63.5

Weather: 69 Degrees, 20 percent chance of rain

Talk with Miami fans on Canes Talk, Inside Canes Hoops, and Canes on the Diamond

• Subscribe to the Storm Tracker Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Spotify

• Subscribe to the Canes County YouTube Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @Canes_County, @BenjaminRivals, @AnthonyYero1, @MichaelYero, and @Najitobias

• Follow us on Instagram: @Canes.County

Follow us on Facebook