Georgia Tech Football vs. Northern Illinois
Saturday, Sept. 4 · 7:30 p.m. ET · Atlanta, Ga. · Bobby Dodd Stadium
TV: ACC Network | Watch Online
Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network | Where to Listen (In Atlanta: XTRA 106.3 FM/1230 AM) | SiriusXM: Ch. 85 | Listen Online | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App | TuneIn
Information: Gameday Central | Game Notes/Above The Line/Opponent Depth Charts | 2021 GT Football Info Guide | News Clippings | Multimedia
Georgia Tech boasts one of the nation’s most experienced secondaries coming into 2021. The Yellow Jackets’ defensive backs have combined to make 109 career starts (Tariq Carpenter – 32, Tre Swilling – 28, Juanyeh Thomas – 21, Zamari Walton – 21, Wesley Walker – 5 and Myles Sims – 2). That ranks third nationally among all Power Five conference teams, behind only Indiana (138) and Oklahoma State (117).
Top Storylines
• Georgia Tech football opens its highly anticipated 2021 season on Saturday night when it hosts Northern Illinois at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
• Entering its third season under head coach Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech returns one of the nation’s most-experienced teams. According to a formula developed by ESPN, the Yellow Jackets rank No. 2 in the ACC and No. 13 nationally in total returning production at 83%. Based on the same ESPN formula, the Jackets return 84% of total offensive production (21st nationally) and 82% of their defensive production (23rd nationally) from a year ago.
• Statistically, Georgia Tech returns 96% of its passing yards, 98% of its rushing yards, 69% of its receiving yards, 85% of its scoring, 75% of its tackles, 70% of its tackles for loss, 74% of its sacks, 100% of its interceptions and 83% of its total takeaways from last year.
• The Jackets bring back seven players that started at least half of the games on offense in 2020 and 10 players that started at least half of the games on defense.
• Georgia Tech is 89-35-4 (.711) all-time in season openers, including last year’s thrilling 16-13 triumph at Florida State, and 96-26-4 (.778) all-time in home openers (the Yellow Jackets didn’t play any home games in 1897 and 1898).
• Georgia Tech has won eight-straight Saturday night games at Bobby Dodd Stadium, dating back to a 31-17 win over No. 6 Clemson in 2011. The Jackets haven’t lost at home on a Saturday night since 2009.
• Saturday is Georgia Tech’s annual WhiteOut game. The tradition began with a nationally televised primetime win over Miami (Fla.) in 2008. The Yellow Jackets have won five of their last six WhiteOut games, including a 14-10 win over USF in their most recent WhiteOut contest, the 2019 home opener at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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