Georgia Tech's Demaryius Thomas (8) catches a passes over Duke's Leon Wright (7) during the second half of their football game in Durham, N.C., on Saturday, Nov. 14. Thomas ran in the catch for a touchdown. Georgia Tech won 49-10. (AP Photo/Sara D. Davis)

After his visiting Yellow Jackets rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to stun Georgia 45-42 last season, Georgia Tech football coach Paul Johnson said, "I imagine it will be a fun game next year since we won."

With next year now here, it may be a matter of just how much fun the Jackets plan to have.

Georgia Tech is sizzling in Johnson's second season, racking up a 10-1 record and a No. 7 national ranking behind the in-state junior trio of quarterback Josh Nesbitt, running back Jonathan Dwyer and receiver Demaryius Thomas. The Yellow Jackets are seven-point favorites entering Saturday night's game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, which is their largest spread in this rivalry since they won a share of the 1990 national title.

The Bulldogs are 6-5 and full of doubt after blowing a two-touchdown lead in last week's 34-27 home loss to Kentucky, but Johnson isn't taking them for granted. Georgia had won seven straight in the series before last season.

"I don't think we have to worry about being overconfident playing Georgia," Johnson said. "All you've got to do is turn the tape on. They've got some great players. Saturday night, they beat Kentucky up and down the field. They had almost 500 yards to 260, but they just had some turnovers that cost them."

Georgia Tech is averaging 314.1 rushing yards a game, which ranks second nationally. Dwyer, a 6-foot, 235-pounder from Marietta, has rushed 183 times for 1,203 yards (109.4 a game) and 11 touchdowns, while Nesbitt has 218 carries for 847 yards (77.0) and 16 scores.

Those numbers are slightly better than a year ago, when the Jackets went 9-4, but what's drastically different is Nesbitt as a passer.

The 6-foot-1, 214-pounder from Greensboro threw for 808 yards last season with two touchdowns and five interceptions, and he was just 1-of-6 for 19 yards and an interception in the win in Athens. This season, Nesbitt has thrown for 1,418 yards with eight scores and four interceptions.

"I think Josh has improved a great deal," Johnson said. "I think he's more comfortable in what we've asked him to do, and I think the game has slowed down for him. We're never going to throw it 40 times a game, but we needed to be more efficient, and I think we've been more efficient this year."

Thomas, a 6-3, 229-pounder from Montrose, is responsible for 39 of Nesbitt's 58 completions and has tallied 950 yards (86.4) and six touchdowns. He is the nation's No. 18 receiver, giving Tech a top-20 wideout to go with all that triple-option.

"Georgia Tech is going to get a bunch of man coverage, period," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "Everybody else is trying to stop that run. Demaryius has been able to take advantage of that, and he is a big strong kid with great hands and very good speed. That's made them a little more dynamic than they were a year ago."

Johnson, who had significant success at Georgia Southern and Navy before coming to Atlanta, said he had no preconceived notions as to where his Jackets would be at this point. They already have won the ACC Coastal Division over Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina and will face Clemson next week for the league title and an Orange Bowl berth.

Tech's only blemish was a 33-17 loss in Miami on Sept. 17.

"Miami has a good football team, but when I put that tape back on, it looked like we were running in sand," Johnson said. "We were gassed. It was our third game in 12 days. We just didn't play very well."