The 2024 Birmingham Bowl features the 7-5 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets against the 6-6 Vanderbilt Commodores. Here is the 2024 Birmingham Bowl Preview.
Georgia Tech won seven games this season to make a bowl game. They defeated four bowl-eligible terms this season: Duke, UNC, Miami and NC State. All five of the their losses were to teams that made bowl games.
The Yellow Jackets score 28.4 points per game, ranking 64th in the country. They pass for 240.3 yards (ranked 49th) and rush for 186.8 yards per game (ranked 37th).
Haynes King has been the primary quarterback for the Yellow Jackets this season He has passed for 1,910 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception on 72.5 percent completion. Four receivers had over 200 yards on the season, but top receiver Eric Singleton is in the transfer portal. That means Malik Rutherford will be the primary target after having 670 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season.
Three players have at least 200 rushing yards on the season. Jamal Haynes leads the team with 808 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. King is a threat from the quarterback position with 578 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Behind them is backup running back Chad Alexander with 273 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Defensively, the Yellow Jackets concede 24.8 points per game, ranking 68th in the country. They allow 225.8 passing yards and 120.2 rushing yards per game. Linebacker Kyle Efford leads the team with 64 total tackles. He also paces the team with three sacks. Warren Burrell has made plays in the secondary with four passes defended and one interception.
Vanderbilt won six games to make their first bowl game since 2018. They defeated two bowl-eligible teams this season: Virginia Tech and Alabama. The lone loss that they suffered to a team that didn’t make a bowl game was to Georgia State.
The Commodores score 26.8 points per game, ranking 76th. They pass for 180.2 yards (ranked 116th) and rush for 139.3 yards per game (Ranked 86th).
Diego Pavia, a New Mexico State transfer, took the offense’s reins for the Commodore. He passed for 2,133 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions on 59.2 percent completion. Four receivers have at least 200 rushing yards this season. Pavia’s favorite target is Eli Stowers, who transferred in with Pavia from New Mexico State. He has 45 catches for 583 yards and four touchdowns on the season.
Two players do most of the damage on the ground for the Commodores. Pavia leads the team in rushing from the quarterback position with 716 yards and six touchdowns. The lead running back is Sedrick Alexander, who has 554 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
On defense, Vandy gives up 23.1 points per game, tying for 49th in the country. They allow 238.3 passing yards and 136.7 rushing yards per game. Bryan Longwell has led the team with 79 total tackles. Khordae Sydnor and Nicholas Rinaldi are tied for the team lead with four sacks. Randon Fontenette has made plays on the ball with seven passes defended and one interception.
Georgia Tech lost Singleton to the transfer portal, but still has plenty of offensive fire-power to put up points against Vandy. They should be able to run the ball well and control the clock. With time for their roster to get healthy, they should win the game and cover.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 41 Vanderbilt Commodores 31
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