Georgia Tech’s game against Duke is still on for Saturday afternoon, but the stormy forecast has already forced the Yellow Jackets to change plans around it.
The school announced that the matchup with No. 23 Duke will kick off as scheduled at 3:30 p.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, even with rain and wind expected because of Hurricane Isaias’s impending landfall on the Gulf Coast. What has changed is everything around the game.
According to Georgia Tech, Helluva Block Party has been canceled, including the pregame concert by Priscilla Block, and vendors will not be on site. Yellow Jacket Alley and the marching band’s traditional pregame concert are still scheduled to go on.
That leaves the actual football game as the one thing that appears locked in, though the situation remains fluid and fans are being urged to keep an eye on updates.
The weather could make for a messy afternoon, especially in the passing game, but Duke’s identity makes this one worth watching anyway. The Blue Devils lean on the run, and Georgia Tech has struggled to stop it, which creates a difficult matchup even if Duke ends up being limited in other areas.
Georgia Tech’s injury situation adds another layer. The Yellow Jackets will be without RB Malachi Hosley, LT Ethan Mackenny, DEs Noah Carter and Jordan Walker, and CB Daiquan White.
On the positive side, DBs Savion Riley and Jaylen Mbakwe are expected back. A final availability report will come out before kickoff.
For Georgia Tech, this is the kind of game that can help reset a season, and they’ll have to do it in tough conditions. The Yellow Jackets have won five straight against Duke, and Brent Key is 3-0 against the Blue Devils. The challenge now is simple: deal with the weather, handle the run, and find a way to knock off an unbeaten team.
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