It is gameday once again for the Georgia Tech Football Program.

When the ACC schedule came out back in January, Georgia Tech fans surely had this game vs. Pittsburgh circled right away. Last November, the two teams met on The Flats, and if the Yellow Jackets had found a way to win the biggest game for the program in more than a decade, they would have gone to the ACC Championship Game and had a chance to play for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

But the game ended up being a nightmare in Atlanta. The Panthers jumped out to a 28-0 lead and despite valiant aattempts at a comeback, Pittsburgh won and more or less started the spiral that the Yellow Jackets are still on. Georgia Tech is 3-9 in their past 12 games and one of those wins is against an FCS program.

So what can we expect from Georgia Tech today? Brent Key and his team come into the game with a 2-5 record and the stakes are much lower than they were a year ago. Pitt on the other hand comes into the game 5-3, but they are 0-3 since star quarterback Mason Heintschel went down with a season ending injury. They have lost to North Carolina, Boston College, and No. 1 Miami since the injury, but Georgia Tech is not as good as any of those teams.

So who wins today?

Georgia Tech Offense vs Pittsburgh Defense

I think this matchup and possibly the entire game might come down to how well Georgia Tech's offensive line can protect Alberto Mendoza.

Why is that? Pittsburgh has the No. 2 rushing defense in the entire country (behind only Miami) and I think that it is going to be tough for Georgia Tech to beat up the Panthers on the ground.

Where Pitt is vulnerable though is through the air. While Georgia Tech is nowhere near as good as the Hurricanes, Miami was able to carve Pitt through the air and other teams have had success as well. If you can handle the pressure that Pat Narduzzi is going to throw at you, there should be open players in the zone. Can Mendoza hit them?

Mendoza did not play very well against Boston College last week, though he was far from the only problem for Georgia Tech. The running game was not there and the offensive line could not hold up.

I think that Mendoza, Jordan Allen, and Dalen Penson are going to be the most important players on the Yellow Jackets offense today. Allen has been the top target for Mendoza this season, but Penson is capable of big plays. They make up the majority of the Yellow Jackets receiving production this season and against the 127th ranked pass defense, big plays can be had.

Josh Petty is going to be making his first career start for the Yellow Jackets and he had a really strong showing last week against Boston College. This is going to be a whole new challenge for him. though, going against one of the most aggressive defenses in tthe ACC, but he is ready for what the Panthers are bringing:

“Obviously props to those guys. Number one run defense in the ACC. They're playing their a** off right now. But, you know, we we want to go take it to them. You know, we've always believed in what we do here and we want to go do that at a high level against them and do our job. Put a hat on a hat and beat somebody,” said Petty. 

Another thing to watch up front is who plays left guard. Key announced earlier this week that Kevin Peay Jr was going to miss the rest of the season, leaving a big gap along the interior. On the depth chart, first-year guard Courtlin Heard is listed as the backup, but he is questionable for this game. If he is available, does he start? If he is not available, who starts? Against a front four like this, having uncertainity up front is not ideal.

If Georgia Tech can protect Mendoza, they could put up some points in this game. If not, I think it will be a long day for the Yellow Jackets offense.

Georgia Tech defense vs Pittsburgh offense

As bad as Georgia Tech's defense has looked this season, they are going to face a Pittsburgh offense that is missing their star quarterback and who could be down other contributors on offense, particularly running back Ja'Kyrian Turner.

The Panthers had one of the best offenses in the ACC with Heintschel, but without him, it is has been far from that and the passing offense has taken a serious downturn. However, they have found a way to continue to put up yards, as they have put up at least 360 yards total in their last three games.

How big of a boost will the return of defensive tackles Tawfiq Thomas and Vincent Carroll-Jackson give Georgia Tech? Both interior defenders were out last weekend vs. Boston College and need to make a big difference today.

Coming into the game, Pitt is 49th in PPG, 72nd in rushing offense, 12th in passing offense, and 39th in total yards per game.

Even without Heintschel, it is hard to have faith in Georgia Tech stopping the Panthers. They are 114th in points allowed per game, 131st in rushing yards allowed, 41st in passing yards allowed, and 117th in total yards allowed per game.

Two injuries to watch for Georgia Tech are going to be CB Daiquan White and DE Jordan Walker. Both are questionable for this game and both would be impact players if they could play.

If Georgia Tech can't slow the run, I think that is going to make this game hard to win for them. If they are able to stop the run, whether it is Turner or Damon Ferguson (Pitt's leading rusher), that will put a lot of pressure on Holden Geriner to win the game. Against this defense, he is not incapable, but he has not gone out and done that in the games that he has played in this season.

I think this battle of coordinators is the biggest mismatch in the game. Pitt OC Kade Bell is one of the best in the game, while Jason Semore has been coaching one of the worst defenses in the country. Can Semore find any way to disrupt the Panthers' offense?

Final Score Prediction

The ACC is a crazy league, and Brent Key has gotten his teams to pull upsets before in situations not too dissimilar from this one. In fact, the last time that the Yellow Jackets faced Pitt on the road, Key got his first win as the interim head coach and upset a ranked Panthers team.

Fast forward four years and Georgia Tech is heading to Pittsburgh once again, desperate for a win to turn around some of the misfortune they have had this season. Could they come out and give an inspired effort against a banged up Panthers team? Sure, I won't say a win is impossible, but Georgia Tech has to prove me wrong.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 34, Georgia Tech 17