Georgia Tech Football

The lone game on Monday, Dec. 27, which kicks off at 5 p.m. EST, pits the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (6-6) against the Air Force Falcons (8-4) in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana.

It's the first meeting for the programs.

This is really a story of teams moving in opposite directions to meet in this game.

Georgia Tech played in the BCS last year, but has fallen all the way to here this time around. With just one win in their last five games, they should count themselves lucky to be playing in any bowl, much less the Independence Bowl.

Air Force, meanwhile, is climbing up the bowl ladder after being stuck in the Armed Forces Bowl the last three years.

Georgia Tech isn't in a good place right now and the Ramblin' Wreck has lost five straight bowl games. They insist that they have no motivation issues coming into this game, but given how things have gone for them—and especially since they come into this game off a very frustrating loss to their major rivals from Georgia—it's hard to believe that is entirely true.

Air Force would appear to be in far better shape coming onto the game, but their record isn't quite as impressive as it might seem. They have beaten three bowl teams this year, but two of them—Army and BYU—are both lucky to be there and aren't coming off of dominant years by any means.

Meanwhile, all four of their losses were to bowl teams and those were unquestionably the four best teams they played.

Georgia Tech, coming from a major conference, is a step up from much of the opposition that Air Force has faced so far and the Falcons have not punched above their weight this year.

Therefore, this game is closer than it might first appear.

Georgia Tech vs. Air Force: Independence Bowl Odds

The game opened with Air Force favored by two points, according to college football spreads, but it has settled on the key number of three.

The Yellow Jackets are drawing a small majority of the bets, so the movement is a good sign that smart money has hit Air Force in this one.

The total seems solid at 56.

Georgia Tech vs. Air Force: Betting Trends

Air Force is a lousy 2-7 ATS in their last nine games, but a dramatically better 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference contests; they are just 2-7 ATS the last nine times they have been favored by three points or less.

Georgia Tech is 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog, but just 2-5 ATS in their last seven neutral site games.

Eight of Air Force's last 11 games have gone "under" the total; Georgia Tech has gone "under" in five of their last six.

Independence Bowl Predictions: Georgia Tech vs. Air Force College Football Picks

I am nervous about the motivation that Georgia Tech will have, but I still have to pick them here.

The Falcons have done their best when they can surprise and confound opponents with their offense, but Georgia Tech is going to be more comfortable than most teams with what they are trying to do.

I just don't think that Air Force is big enough or fast enough to compete with top teams right now, and despite being a slumping team in an underwhelming conference Georgia Tech is still the faster, stronger and bigger team here by a fair bit.

At the very least, I like the chances of the Yellow Jackets to keep it close and I don't see a crazy high-scoring game, so having a field goal in my pocket is a nice case here.

I'm on Georgia Tech and the "under."

For 2 years Paul Johnson could do wrong at Georgia Tech. In 2008 Johnson and Georgia Tech exceeded expectations won 9 games and beat the hated Georgia Bulldogs. In 2009 the Jackets won the ACC and went to the Orange Bowl. Then in 2010 Georgia Tech opened the season in the top 20, and was expected to be a contender in the ACC Coastal Division.

This didn't happen. The Jacket finished the season 6-6 and lost 4 of their last 5 games. Then the critic's questions started. Paul Johnson had only won with Chan Gailey's players. The triple option which led the nation in rushing still wasn't effective enough to lead Georgia Tech to consistent success.

The Yellow Jackets play the Air Force Academy on December 27th in the Independence Bowl. In a word Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech HAVE to win this game. Why? As I said the critics are waiting to pounce. Even a win wouldn't completely quiet, them but the difference between a 6-7 and 7-6 season is enormous. Georgia Tech hasn't has season with fewer than 7 wins since 1996. That was pre-Chan Gailey.

Now mediocre seasons can happen to good coaches, just ask Texas's Mack Brown or Florida's Urban Meyer or Georgia's Marc Richt. All of these coaches have been conference and national champions, but this year Mack Brown went 5-7, Meyer 7-5, and Richt 6-6. Meyer ended up retiring. Most savvy college football fans realize Johnson is and continues to be a very good college football coach.

They know part of the problem this year was a defense that was low on talent and ranked 9th in the ACC. There were also a multitude of special team mistakes that Johnson will need to find some way to address in the off-season.

Personally I believe Paul Johnson win or lose the bowl game is absolute the right man for the job at Georgia Tech. To get his first bowl win at Georgia Tech though would make things in the off-season a little bit easier and hold those critics at bay.

This article is also featured at All About Sports

The Air Force Falcons will meet up with a familiar foe when they take on Georgia Tech in the Independence Bowl on Monday afternoon. The latest college football odds for this game as listed by BetPhoenix have the Falcons listed as 2.5 point favorites as they take on former Navy coach and current Georgia tech coach, Paul Johnson.

During his tenure at navy, Air Force faced Paul Johnson six times between 2002 and 2007 with the falcons winning just once. Paul Johnson's option offense racked up over 0.9 miles of rushing yards against the Fighting Falcons over that time span and although the results were not positive, they will be familiar with the opposing offense in the Independence bowl. The Falcons will be getting some help back just in time for this bowl game.

Falcon head coach Troy Calhoun announced that fullback Jared Tew, safety Brian Lindsay and defensive lineman Bradley Connor are all healthy enough to participate in the bowl game. This brings back three important weapons to the Falcons team.

The Falcons are a very good football team and played some very tough competition this season. Half of their losses came to teams that are playing in BCS bowl games and they were very close to defeating teams like Oklahoma, San Diego State, and Utah. They ended the season on a high note winning three straight and getting the call to play in this game. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech struggled to end the season, losing four of their last five games.

Georgia Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt is currently doubtful for this match-up as he is not 100 percent recovered from n injury to his forearm. If he does not play the Falcons will have an advantage in this contest as Nesbitt is a pivotal player to the Yellow Jacket offense.

Both teams have very good running games that rank high nationally so the difference may be in the passing game. The Falcons rank fifth in 3rd down efficiency, and 14th in passing efficiency which will make them deadly on the ground and through the air.

If the Falcons can shut down the familiar running attack then tech will be forced to throw the ball. This will lead to some problems for the jackets if Nesbitt is not available for this game.  The Yellow Jackets are 1-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last five Bowl games and 2-5 ATS in their last seven neutral site games.

The Falcons are 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference games and will beat Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets and win the Independence Bowl.

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at mregaw@gmail.com.

Other Bowl Previews and Predictions

Independence Bowl

Insight Bowl

Champs Sports Bowl

Alamo Bowl

Texas Bowl

Military Bowl

Don't you ever wish for just 60 minutes you could go back and watch a football game without all of those pesky forward passes jerking your neck as you turn to watch them fly down field? Well then, do we have a game for you. The nation's top two running programs take the field on December 27th.

Air Force ranks 118th in passing yards per game, and second in rushing. Winners of their final three games, Air Force is not intimidated by Georgia Tech's BCS bowl game from a season ago.

Asher Clark just barely topped 1,000 rushing yards this season, and behind him in the rushing statistics is Tim Jefferson, a very underrated quarterback and master at running the triple option attack.

Georgia Tech will be without their master at the helm of their triple option offense. Josh Nesbitt remains out with a broken arm.

While Tevin Washington he has improved since he took over early in November, he still doesn't have the timing down to run coach Paul Johnson's intricate option attack.

Georgia Tech lacked a productive receiving threat this past season. While that may seem irrelevant to an offense so dominant in the run game (301 yards per game), consider this: during last season's ACC championship, Demaryius Thomas caught 46 passes and eight touchdowns. Thomas since left for the NFL.

In 2010's 6-6 regular season, Stephen Hill led the team with only 15 receptions. Part of this drop off in production is due to Nesbitt breaking his arm, but not having a productive receiver killed Tech's offense late in games this year.

Prediction

Teams usually say that the option attack is hard to stop because you can't prepare for it during practices before the game. That won't be the case here, as both teams can very easily replicate each others offenses in preparation for the game. Paul Johnson had a nice record against Air Force back when he coached at Navy. He beat them all but one season during his five seasons. I'm going slight upset and picking Georgia Tech finishing the season with a winning record.

Georgia Tech 27 - Air Force 20

OK, so perhaps the title is a bit divisive and brash, but this is what the Georgia Tech-Miami game has become.

This year would appear to be no different. With "da U" sitting bowl eligible at 6-3 and the Ramblin' Wreck one game away at 5-4. This game will determine the bowl stature for each of these inter-divisional rivals.

Last season the 'Canes obliterated the Jackets 33-17 in South Beach, stuffing the option attack and opening a can of whoop-ass that put Tech in a hole it could not dig out of. It was not just a game for Miami though...It was payback.

In the prior season's 2008 contest, Georgia Tech was just coming into its own with first year head coach Paul Johnson's unique offense and Tech demolished Miami, 41-23, running for over 470 yards in Atlanta. It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Jackets over the Hurricanes and set a tone that took this emerging rivalry to another level.

So there's your freakin' history lesson for the day, now to the present.

Both these teams have underachieved and not met their expected goals for 2010. Both of these teams have suffered embarrassing losses. Both of these teams are beat up, missing their starting quarterbacks. Both of these teams want to finish out the season strong.

So who will win? Georgia Tech

...and why? Their defense.

I know what you're thinking...Tech's defense sucks.

If you base that assessment on what you've seen from much of the 2010 season you would be right. But here is what will happen:

Defensive coordinator Al Groh will have his 3-4 defense dialed in to confuse, pressure and disrupt Miami's freshman QB Steven Morris. It will get ugly and head coach Randy Shannon might even have to pull him from the game.

I know "U" fans, he's had one-and-a-quarter very good games, but now there's also good game film to breakdown on the young slinger.

Look for Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field to be fired up, loud and abrasive. Morris will have a bad day...mark it down.

As for Tech's new starter, RS Soph. Tevin Washington, the kid knows the offense inside and out. He was recruited for this system (unlike Nesbitt). He ran the first team offense all spring and summer while Nesbitt was recovering from offseason surgery, and frankly he is a much better passer than No. 9.

Miami has had trouble stopping the run as of late and the Jackets defense is actually playing better as the season progresses.

If not for a special teams breakdown, Georgia Tech probably beats VT in Blacksburg last Thursday. Miami beat Maryland in a rousing comeback on a great throw against one of the worst defensive breakdowns of the season. Both are bygones.

With the extra days of prep for Tech and no extra time for Miami look for defensive chaos and breakdowns as the triple option burns "da U" all day.

GT 42, Miami 20

When the Hokies take the field Thursday night, they will be facing a very different beast than any other they have seen this season.

Georgia Tech’s infamous triple-option running game is unlike any of its kind and could create major issues for a Virginia Tech defense that has had to focus on defending the pass for the majority of the season.

Though it may be unnoticeable by simply watching in the stadium or on TV, the Hokies have played some very pass-happy teams this season.

Excluding the James Madison game, the Hokies defense has had to defend against the pass on 58 percent of all plays. In fact, East Carolina and Central Michigan are in the top 10 of all FBS teams in passing attempts this season, and Duke is not far behind at No. 17.

Because defensive coordinator Bud Foster has been put up against these trigger-happy teams, the defense has primarily operated out of a nickel package over the past six weeks.

Now that the Hokies are about to play the Yellow Jackets, their defensive strategy will have to do a complete 180 and prepare exclusively for the running game.

In contrast to the style the Hokies are used to facing, the Yellow Jackets have run the ball 81 percent of the time this season.

On third-and-six, coach Paul Johnson’s team will run the ball anyway and still get the first down.

The Yellow Jackets basically tell you they are going to run the ball down your throat and they still are successful at doing so.

This has been Georgia Tech’s modus operandi since Johnson installed his triple-option system in 2008, after using it at Navy for six seasons.

Even if Tech’s defense wasn’t questionable this season, the Hokies would have plenty to be concerned about.

Last season, Georgia Tech rushed for 344 yards in a 28-23 upset of the Hokies. 

To make matters worse, the Hokies couldn’t even respond to the thrashing because the Yellow Jackets held onto the ball for all but 7:31 of the second half.

In order to combat this history, Foster actually flew to Iowa to talk with the coaching staff that held the Georgia Tech offense to just 155 yards in the Orange Bowl in January.

Foster won’t let anything slip as to what he learned there and what his strategy will be, but there is no doubt his sleeves will be full of tricks Thursday night.

Regardless of scheme, the Hokies will need their players to execute and the two most important players will be two that have drawn a lot of criticism this year: Jeron Gouveia-Winslow and Bruce Taylor.

Because they are both key players at linebacker, they are the most important people to stop the run.

In last season’s game, the biggest impact players were Cody Grimm and Barquell Rivers, the two players Winslow and Taylor replaced. Grimm had eight tackles and Rivers led everyone with 16 in the game.

If they can do their jobs effectively and not miss tackles, the Hokies' chances of winning will skyrocket.

Perhaps the biggest advantage for Tech is coming off a bye week. The team had 10 days to work on stopping the triple option.

Even though these teams play every year, Georgia Tech always has new wrinkles that are a daunting task to stop with just a week’s worth of preparation.

However, with more time to prepare, teams have become much more effective.

This could explain why the Yellow Jackets have lost five straight bowl games by an average margin of 17.6 points—when teams have the three weeks to prepare for bowl games, they can effectively plan and prepare for what Georgia Tech does.

When the Yellow Jackets step onto Worsham Field Thursday night, they will face opposition from the roaring crowd and the Hokies with a strategy looking for revenge. 

And they will be going against one of the hottest quarterbacks in the nation in the Hokies’ Tyrod Taylor.

The Yellow Jackets might very well be the best team Tech has played since Boise State, but they could very well be facing the perfect storm of events that can leave a team begging for the game to be over after the third quarter.

Not a prediction—just a warning.

This article was featured in today's Collegiate Times—the Virginia Tech student-run newspaper. You can follow Nick Cafferky on Twitter @Caffscorner.

It has been a very disconnected football season for tomorrow night's ACC rivals.

The 2009 ACC Champion Yellow Jackets have yet to find any option rhythm and after a dismal season start the Hokies have reeled off six straight victories. With all that in place, the Thursday night matchup between these two programs could very well determine who will represent the Coastal division in the upcoming ACC Championship game.

Georgia Tech, with two conference losses, has yet to yield a loss to an inter-divisional foe, would still need help even with a victory over Virginia Tech. That help would have to come from upcoming VT games against UNC, Miami and in-state rival Virginia.

So who will win? It will be the team who can overcome the deficiencies that have plagued them off and on this season.

The two biggest factors to watch:

Can Georgia Tech find offensive efficiency against the young, and relatively inexperienced Hokie defense?

Can the Jacket's 3-4 defense contain the dangerous VT backfield, that includes, Darren Evans, Ryan Williams, and Tyrod Taylor?

Last season, Bud Foster's, Virginia Tech defense had a difficult time with their assignments and could not stop Paul Johnson's triple option. But with bye weeks for both squads it's difficult to predict how these teams will play after toe meets leather.

Currently VT is a thirteen point favorite, a seemingly very high spread for two teams who know each other well.

Look for Georgia Tech to play better than they have all season and hang score for score with the Hokies, but in the end not having quite enough juice to beat the current ACC Coastal division favorite on the road in Blacksburg—on a Thursday night—on national TV—in front of a fired up VT crowd.

GT 35 VT 36

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-10) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Saturday October 2, 2010 7:00 PM EST

This battle of ACC teams finds both with 2-2 records looking to get over .500. Wake Forest is the only team that has played a ranked opponent. They played at Stanford and got blown out 68-24.

These two teams are very similar in that they both rank outside the top 100 in passing yards a game but rank inside the top 15 in rushing yards a game. This game will be determined by who can get more out of their passing attack. Georgia Tech is ranked 3rd in the nation in rushing yards a game with a stunning 320 yards a game. Leading the rushing attack is Senior QB Joshua Nesbitt. Nesbitt has 316 yards on the ground with 3 TDs. He hasn’t been great thru the air but has thrown for 316 yards with 3 TDs and 1 Int. Wake Forest has gotten good rushing production from their QB as well. Freshman QB Tanner Price has ran for 152 yards with 2 TDs while throwing for 305 yards 3 TDs and 3 Ints.

This game will come down to defense, and the Wake Forest defense has given up 40 points a game this year. For a football pick, this looks to be a game of who is going to be able to run the ball better and just get enough from their QB. I’m going to take the Senior QB from Georgia Tech vs the Freshman QB from Wake.

Free College Football Pick: Georgia Tech (-10)

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Georgia Tech fans thought if they could get past NC State, the team would cruise to a 6-1 record going into their match-up in Death Valley on October 23rd.

Now, Tech fans aren't sure they can keep Wake Forest and Virginia from lighting up the scoreboard. 

Wolfpack quarterback Russell Wilson was outstanding today, throwing for 368 yards and scoring four times (three passing, one rushing) in the 45-28 victory. NC State had over 500 yards of total offense against the much maligned Georgia Tech defense.

The Georgia Tech defense played fairly well in the first half, creating turnovers, forcing punts and holding the Wolfpack to only one touchdown. But they couldn't keep it going as NC State drove down the field with ease in the second half. 

The NC State defense held the Georgia Tech offense in check for most of the day, only giving up three touchdowns to the high-powered Yellow Jacket offense.Nesbitt was miserable throwing the ball and the offensive line was getting pushed back all day long. 

NC State tried their best to keep Georgia Tech in the game, missing a couple of field goals in the first half and Wilson's interception in the second half to Tarrant that went to the house. But the Georgia Tech offense could not capitalize, especially in the first half. 

A few observations

First and foremost, Russell Wilson is a stud. He had another great game and could be on his way to ACC player of the year. He is accurate, athletic, possesses a strong arm, and has pretty good receivers.

-Nesbitt looked terrible throwing the ball. His receivers and pass protection aren't very good but he missed a couple of wide open throws again, which has been pretty standard this year. Which leads me to my next point....

-Tech sorely misses Demaryius Thomas. Stephen Hill has not lived up to the hype yet and the other receivers aren't very talented. Nesbitt doesn't have Thomas to bail him out anymore.

-Al Groh's 3-4 defense regressed as the game went on. Fans thought there would be improvements out of the defense at this point in the season but it's the same story. Missed tackles, blown assignments, no penetration from the defensive line, etc. 

-You can't put all of the blame on the defense. The Georgia Tech offense could not do anything in the first half, punting or turning the ball over on their first five drives of the game. After the defense forced Wilson to fumble on their first drive, the offense went three and out. A touchdown on that drive could have set the tone for the entire game.

-The NC State defense is pretty good. They did a great job getting penetration into the Georgia Tech backfield to disrupt the timing of the option plays. Anthony Allen never got going and the Wolfpack took away the pitch for the most part. 

-Georgia Tech A-back BJ Bostic looks very good with the ball in his hands. He looks like he could be a big play threat and a guy who can make defenders miss. 

Overall, it was one of the most forgettable home losses in recent memory. It was a valiant effort to get the game back to within three points in the fourth quarter, but the defense could not stop NC State in the second half. 

Unless there are dramatic improvements on the defensive side of the ball, a return trip to the ACC championship game looks unlikely. With trips to Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia, and a home game against Miami, a seven win season looks like a definite possibility.