Georgia Tech heads to Louisville to face an undefeated Cardinals team that knocked off the Jackets in a heartbreaking comeback win last year to open the 2023 season. The Jackets will be looking for some revenge against the #19 Louisville squad on the road, this time away from Atlanta. We caught up with a long-time friend of the site Matt McGavic from Louisville on SI to get his thoughts on the matchup as we go behind enemy lines.

If you ask me, on paper, this Louisville team is better than last season’s. Going from position to position, you can make the argument that they either improved or broke even in terms of talent/production at every position group on the roster but the running back spot. That being said, this team will very likely have a worse regular season record because of the schedule. Last season’s schedule was one of the easiest in the ACC, but this season, they have to face ND, Miami and Clemson, plus Georgia Tech and Boston College look much better than most expected. So while it’s be an uphill climb to get back to double-digit wins, in my opinion, this team in better than last year's.

Their identity, at least what we think it will be since we haven’t seen them play an opponent with a pulse, is that it will be the exact opposite of last season’s. The offense last year was led by two very good running backs, but both are now in the NFL, and the position now is still pretty young/inexperienced even with their hot start. Conversely, their passing game has taken a gigantic step forward. For starters, Shough has the arm strength, the playmaking ability with his legs, and - quite frankly - the confidence that Jack Plummer didn’t have. Meanwhile, there are many more viable options at the skill positions. While Caullin Lacy is still out, Ja’Corey Brooks very much looks like the former five-star prospect he was coming out of high school, and guys like Chris Bell and Jadon Thompson have seemingly stepped up their game thus far. Additionally, the tight end room last year had zero reliable pass-catching options for much of the season - and now there are several. I wouldn’t be shocked to see some 12 personnel with Mark Redman and Jamari Johnson utilized at some point.

This team excels both on the defensive line and in the secondary. Up front, you have a D-line two deep where you don’t have a massive talent/production drop-off when a starter has to sub out for a few plays or a drive. Ashton Gillotte is a known commodity, but guys Tramel Logan and Jared Dawson have had very hot starts. On the back end, it’s the same deal. You bring back an All-American candidate in cornerback Quincy Riley, and have several other defensive backs who are proven playmakers. Last season, the staff called safety M.J Griffin the best DB on the team before he had an injury in fall camp, safety/corner Tamarion McDonald has been very active at multiple spots on the field, and those are just a few examples. Linebacker would be this area’s “weak spot,” but even still, they collectively do a fantastic job against the run. The pass coverage from the linebackers, however, does leave a lot to be desired.

Some Louisville fans don’t think nearly as much of them after the Syracuse game (and after Florida State turned out to be a steaming hot pile of garbage), but most of them do think that GT has a chance in this game. Jax State QB Tyler Huff had a few moments against Louisville where he was able to make plays with his legs, and if he can do it, surely Haynes King can. But Louisville has intentionally played with a very vanilla playbook on both sides of the line of scrimmage these first couple weeks, so I think we haven’t seen yet what this team’s truly capable of when properly utilizing their entire playbooks.

I think this will come down to whose defense steps up. Louisville has a variety of weapons at their disposal on offense, and Georgia Tech certainly does as well. But which defense can get more stops? While we have only seen a handful of downfield passing plays from Louisville to start the year, Brohm has mentioned multiple times this offseason that he wants to improve the vertical, explosive passing game - so we know that’s coming at some point. Given that GT’s pass rush has had struggles to start the year, and the secondary seems to be questionable as well given what Syracuse was able to do, I’m going to say that Louisville wins and barely covers with a 41-28 win.