Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky, 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know

Georgia Tech and Kentucky both went about it somewhat under the radar and put together relatively strong years. The Yellow Jackets weren’t in the Clemson-Louisville-Florida State class of the ACC, but they won eight games and beat rival Georgia.

The Wildcats were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the SEC, and instead they went a respectable 4-4 in conference play and 7-5 overall. They had a completely solid season in a year that featured much of their division crumbling around them.

And so here they are, the Jackets and Cats, with a chance to close the season strong in a completely satisfactory bowl game. They’ll play this TaxSlayer Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, the home of the Jaguars, and hopefully treat fans to a more entertaining afternoon than the venue’s primary tenant does. Both teams have pretty decent offenses, and they match up competitively. Let’s do it.

TV: 11 a.m. ET Saturday, ESPN. The announcers are Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, and Quint Kessenich.

Radio: Georgia Tech and Kentucky

Online streaming: WatchESPN

Spread: Georgia Tech opened as a 5-point favorite. The line’s gotten a bit tighter leading up to kickoff and is now sitting around a field goal.

Make friends: SB Nation’s A Sea of Blue covers UK, and From the Rumble Seat covers Georgia Tech.

1. Both teams are better on offense than on defense. They each average better than 5.8 yards per play on offense and worse than 5.6 on defense. Both teams have really strong running games, and neither defense can do anything whatsoever about stopping the run. If you’re looking for a bowl game that could break 600 total rushing yards, this is as good a bet as any. Georgia Tech also passes the ball pretty well when it tries to, but the Jackets mostly just run out of Paul Johnson’s flexbone.

2. Kentucky’s defensive line might run into some significant problems. The Wildcat front gets pushed around easily, and Georgia Tech runs an offense that’s built on taking good angles, making good decisions, and — you guessed it — pushing people around. The Jackets are 23rd in the country in Adjusted Line Yards on offense, a metric that measures run-blocking ability. The Wildcats are 123rd in the defensive measurement of the same stat. They’ll have a hard time.

3. Georgia Tech’s line might run into even bigger problems. The UK running game is powerful – not just in running backs Boom Williams and Benny Snell, but in an offensive line that grades out really well against the run (and not so well against the pass). The Wildcats are No. 5 nationally in Adjusted Line Yards, and Tech’s 121st on defense — an even bigger gap than what’s between the teams on the other side of the ball. If Kentucky can keep itself from getting into too many clear passing downs, the Wildcats could win this game by straight-up overpowering Georgia Tech.