Duke football opens as comfortable underdogs against Georgia Tech
By Hugh Straine
Duke football has begun a season 5-0 for the first time since 1994 in year one under head coach Manny Diaz. This week, as Diaz highlighted in his press conference ahead of the matchup, the Blue Devils face their toughest opponent yet in the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Duke has opened up as a comfortable underdog as the line sits with the Blue Devils' spread at +9.5 with a +260 moneyline on the road against the 3-2 Yellow Jackets.
Despite being 5-0, the Blue Devils have certainly had their fair share of challenges against inferior opponents. It's taken down power conference teams in the likes of Northwestern and North Carolina, but both efforts took a huge late-game comeback. It also struggled against Connecticut in a game where the Blue Devils were double-digit point favorites.
Georgia Tech garnered a lot of attention early after beating then #10 Florida State in Dublin in the opening week of the season, but that victory is becoming a lot less notable after the Seminoles have slipped all the way to a 1-4 record with its season completely unraveling before our eyes.
The Yellow Jackets' other two wins aren't particularly impressive with them being over VMI and Georgia State, both at home. But, Georgia Tech won those games by a combined score of 94-19. Its two losses have both come on the road against Syracuse and #19 Louisville, yet only by a combined total of five points.
With one of the best run defenses in the ACC, Duke will need to find ways to keep its run attack alive to diversify the offense as it's been doing over the last several weeks. Running back Star Thomas has grown into one of the best backs in the conference, and with Jaquez Moore continuing to heal from injury, that tandum will be one Duke should utilize this week.
The Yellow Jackets secondary has struggled against the pass so far this season, paving the way for Duke's air-raid offense to go into effect and take advantage of opportunities.
This will be a big week of preparation for the Blue Devils to make their biggest statement of the season on the road as comfortable underdogs. You can catch the game on October 5th at 8:00pm EDT on ACC Network.