Rested Georgia Tech ready to take on Pittsburgh

Georgia Tech had an unexpected week off last week, but now the Yellow Jackets return to action, opening ACC play Saturday against Pittsburgh.

The Yellow Jackets (1-1) were supposed to travel to Central Florida last week, but the game was cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Pittsburgh (1-2) needed overtime in its season opener to defeat Youngstown State before losing to fourth-ranked Penn State and ninth-ranked Oklahoma State.

The top storylines for the game, provided by the Georgia Tech sports information office:

• After having just four days between its first two games of the season (a 42-41, double-overtime loss to Tennessee on Sept. 4 and a 37-10 win over Jacksonville State on Sept. 9), Georgia Tech will have 13 full days between the convincing win over Jacksonville State and Saturday’s ACC lid-lifter against Pitt.

• Georgia Tech is 19-15 in conference openers since officially beginning ACC play in 1983. But the Yellow Jackets are 7-2 in conference openers under head coach Paul Johnson. The Jackets’ only defeats in ACC openers under Johnson came in 2012 (20-17 in overtime at Virginia Tech) and 2015 (34-20 at Duke).

• Georgia Tech and Pitt are meeting for the 12th time overall and the fifth time as ACC opponents. The Panthers lead the all-time series 7-4, but the teams have split their first four meetings as conference foes.

• The past two meetings have come right down to the wire, with Pitt winning the 2015 matchup on a 56-yard field goal with 1:11 to go in the game and last season’s contest on a 31-yard field goal as time expired.

• Georgia Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall, who has accounted for nine touchdowns (three passing, six rushing) in just two games, continues to be one of the top stories of the young 2017 college football season. The junior leads the nation in scoring (18.0 ppg) and ranks second nationally in points responsible for (27.0 ppg).