Georgia Tech Football

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Georgia Tech Football: Will the Jackets Make a Statement vs. NC State Wolfpack?

Sep 23, 2010

Georgia Tech has a chance to make a statement this weekend. A statement that tells the rest of the ACC that they are here to repeat as conference champions.

At noon this Saturday, Georgia Tech faces the undefeated NC State Wolfpack in front of what is sure to be a fired-up Tech crowd. In what is scheduled to be their third annual "whiteout" game, the Jackets look to stay on the winning track.

In a somewhat unusual move, the Wolfpack denied the home team's request to dawn their traditional white home jerseys despite the team's announced whiteout game, perhaps to try and stall the momentum the Jackets found last week in their home state.

NC State is led by All-ACC QB contender Russell Wilson, who has shown flashes of brilliance from the signal caller's position the past few seasons.

Look for Wilson and his offense to find some room against what has been a fairly porous Georgia Tech base 3-4 defense.

Similarly, the Yellow Jackets are led by their reigning All-ACC QB, Joshua Nesbitt, who has his offense rolling very close to midseason form. NC State has not faced the Ramblin' Wreck since head coach Paul Johnson was hired, and has not witnessed the spread option attack from BCS-level athletes.

NC State does have one noticeable advantage on defense: time. After playing last Thursday they had two extra days to prepare for the Jacket option attack. That extra time could prove to be very valuable this week. But last week North Carolina had a full week to prepare for the Jackets and all they could do is hold the visiting bees to 448 yards of offense.

Look for Tech to dominate on the ground, leaning heavily on B-Back Anthony Allen, establishing the inside dive play early. If Joshua can get NC State's defensive ends peeking inside, it will very quickly become a very long game for the Wolfpack defense.

Should Georgia Tech win, they will have a nice head start in the Coastal Division, leading with a 2-0 record. An NC State victory would put them at 4-0 and likely in the Top 25 for the first time in several years.

This game could very likely play out in similar fashion to last week's contest between Georgia Tech and UNC.

Each team will go back and forth on the scoreboard throughout the first half before Tech's punishing ground game wears out State's defense late, establishing and maintaining back-breaking extended drives, milking the clock, and getting an unbeatable two-score lead.

Game Prediction: GT 34, NC State 24

Georgia Tech-UNC: Josh Nesbitt, Yellow Jackets Look to Rebound Against Tar Heels

Sep 16, 2010

One thing that Paul Johnson has been very good at is not losing two games in a row.

The Yellow Jackets head man is 5-0 after a loss since taking the job. He will look to go 6-0 this weekend in Chapel Hill.

Georgia Tech struggled in all aspects of the game last weekend as they fell to Kansas, 28-25. Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb had a solid performance and led a balanced Jayhawk attack.

The Yellow Jacket defense allowed a 100-yard rusher for the second week in a row. That could be bad news for Georgia Tech, as Shaun Draughn, the Tar Heels' running back, is cleared to play after missing the opener against LSU. The two-year starter is a big back that could give the Tech defense some fits if they miss tackles and assignments again.

T.J. Yates had a huge game in the opener against LSU and looks to continue his success against a mediocre defense. The senior quarterback struggled last season against Tech, throwing two interceptions in the Heels' 24-7 loss. 

The North Carolina defense is still in shambles as NCAA investigations continue. But don't expect that to discourage the Tar Heels. They still believe they have enough talent to dominate the Georgia Tech rushing attack—and they might be right. 

An undermanned North Carolina team made a valiant effort in Week 1, nearly upsetting LSU after being down 30-10 at halftime. Yates drove the Tar Heels inside the 10-yard line with two shots to win the game, but they could not complete the comeback. While they are still somewhat a depleted team, North Carolina will look to build on the momentum from the first game.

What to expect from Georgia Tech

The offense struggled at times last week but still managed to pile up over 400 yards of total offense. That should be good news for Georgia Tech, as history shows that Paul Johnson's spread option offense doesn't hit on all cylinders until three or four games into the season. 

Anthony Allen has received limited carries thus far, but expect that to change. He's averaging nearly seven yards per carry and should see his carries increase significantly. Look for the Georgia Tech offense to rely more on the dive play rather than the pitch against the Tar Heels' depleted defensive line.

The Georgia Tech offense held the ball for more than 40 minutes last season against North Carolina. Look for more of the same, as the Yellow Jackets will try to control the ball once again and keep their defense fresh.

The new 3-4 defense for Georgia Tech has taken its lumps in the early goings, but it should improve from game to game. Missed tackles have been a negative so far, and if they have trouble tackling against the Tar Heels, it could be a long afternoon.

What to expect from North Carolina

The North Carolina offense was criticized last season for not complementing the dominant defense. Against a less than mediocre Georgia Tech defense last season, Yates and the Tar Heels scored only seven points. They should be able to top that number on Saturday.

The Tar Heels will look to have a balanced attack against Al Groh's defense. Draughn back in the lineup gives Yates another weapon. I expect North Carolina to run the ball early to keep the Georgia Tech offense off the field.

North Carolina's defense is still hurting from the NCAA investigations, but there is enough talent and athleticism on the defensive side of the ball to compete. Guys like Quinton Coples and Dante Paige-Moss will continue to fill in for the defense. Fortunately for the Tar Heels, linebackers Bruce Carter and Quan Sturdivant will still be on the field. 

Outlook

Both teams will try to control the clock to keep the other team's offense off the field. North Carolina's offense will have success against Georgia Tech, but look for subtle improvements from Groh's 3-4 defense.

As always, Nesbitt will spread the ball around to guys like Roddy Jones, Anthony Allen, Orwin Smith, and Embry Peeples. The North Carolina defense will sell out to stop the run, which could give Stephen Hill one-on-one coverage.

The Yellow Jackets must convert on third downs if they want to win this game. Penalties were an issue as well last week, so they cannot afford to make the same costly mistakes.

While North Carolina was very impressive in its near comeback victory against LSU, I'm just not sure it can beat Georgia Tech with mostly backups. Look for Paul Johnson to give the North Carolina defense a steady dose of Anthony Allen. Whoever wins this game will be the early leader in the clubhouse in the Coastal division.

Prediction: Georgia Tech 31, North Carolina 24

Kansas Jayhawks Lay Jarring Loss on Ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Sep 12, 2010

How do you rebound from an embarrassing loss to a Football Championship Subdivision school? You upset a ranked team, of course.

Last Saturday, Kansas dropped a home game to Missouri Valley's North Dakota State by the score of 6-3. The pathetic play of first year starter sophomore quarterback Kale Pick really set the Jayhawks back. Kansas was sacked four times and never found the end zone.

Today's game against No. 15 Georgia Tech was a little different. The Yellow Jackets were 14-point favorites heading into Lawrence. They were riding a 41-10 shellacking of South Carolina State before Kansas stepped on Georgia Tech's throat.

After last week's loss to the Bison, Kansas head coach Turner Gill decided he needed to make a quarterback change.

Gill has to be happy with the decision he made, as redshirt freshman Jordan Webb played out of his mind in his first start ever as a Jayhawk. Webb finished 18-of-29 for 178 yards and three scores, with one interception.

Kansas relied on another freshman, running back James Sims, who scored one touchdown on 17 carries for 102 yards.

Georgia Tech fumbled six times, fortunately only losing one. The Yellow Jackets converted one Josh Nesbitt pass for a score, their first touchdown through the air on the year.

Kansas might have had added motivation, what with former athletic director Lew Perkins officially resigning and North Dakota State's head coach Craig Bohl dismantling the Jayhawk program.

Georgia Tech headed into halftime with a 17-14 lead, but Kansas scored the next two scores, solidifying their win.

A 40-yard pass from Nesbitt to Stephen Hill finalized the scoring and left the number fifteen school in the country with their first loss.

Thankfully for the Yellow Jackets, this game was not an ACC game.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/11/jayhawks-lay-jarring-loss-on-ranked-yellow-jackets/

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets-Kansas Jayhawks: Week 2 Game Plan

Sep 9, 2010

It might sound cliché, but the Yellow Jackets have one primary goal this week:

Get out of Lawrence with a "W".

This Week 2 matchup faces off the ACC Champion and 15th-ranked Georgia Tech Ramblin Wreck and the Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12.

After losing their opening contest to an FCS opponent, Kansas will be in wounded-dog mode. Against Georgia Tech, they are playing with little to lose and everything to gain.

Kansas head coach Turner Gill has named redshirt freshman Jordan Webb the starter in Week 2, one of several desperation-type moves as the Jayhawks look for any answers to salvage the start of the 2010 football year.

It also appears that a true freshman RB, James Sims, could see playing time to help Kansas establish something on the ground after being held to under 100 yards rushing by North Dakota State.

Look for Kansas to go to the air quickly, dumping the ball on short routes, trying to establish tempo and get some useful points on the board early.

If Kansas has any shot in this game, it will be to get a quick lead and force Georgia Tech out of their desired game plan.

As for Tech, this will be the first of back-to-back road games for the nationally ranked squad.

Look for the Jackets to pound and grind the option-based running attack all game, bleeding the clock and scoring at or over their 2009 average of 33 points per game. Head coach Paul Johnson will likely look to establish dominance on the line of scrimmage and keep the ball between the tackles more than what was seen in Week 1.

Senior B-back Anthony Allen was kept under wraps by South Carolina State and will be looking for his breakout game from the traditional fullback position. Expect to see Allen move the chains one down at a time, and then when the defense gets caught napping, break a long run for a back-breaking gain and possible score.

When all is said and done, Georgia Tech should cruise to a solid win. Don't expect to see anything fancy in their game plan as they look to keep things close to the vest in preparation for their ACC opener against division rival UNC in Week 3.

Game Prediction: GT 38, Kansas 16

College Football's Strength of Schedule Defense

Sep 7, 2010

The Boise State Broncos are ranked 3 in the AP polls for football.  Many see this a coronation as the first non-automatic qualifier that not only will be in the national championship game but also win it. Now here is where I will tell those many people they are wrong. I will first set the stage with some non-bias statements as I am an University of Oregon student and fan. I will admit that they have a chance to go undefeated and extend their unbeaten record. But they only play two real games before their cupcake conference schedule. Now if they go undefeated by beating two top 25 teams in the first 3 weeks in September should that endear them to be in the big game in January? Lest now play the hypothetical game, shall we? The University of Miami or THE U to those who follow college sports play six teams that are ranked in the top 25. Now undoubtedly the North Carolina Tar Heals will be bounce after this weekend with 7 players suspended in their opener verse LSU, but that still leaves THE Ohio State at number 2 in the polls, with games against Pitt, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech from now till the waning days of November with an ACC title game to play in December. Now if they do go undefeated defeating six teams in the top 25 get them a shot at the national championship and jump the Broncos? Especially since the Broncos will be playing Idaho and Utah State, does the strength of schedule give the Canes the right to put a stutter step to Boise States title run? No remember this is purely speculation and much weirder things have happened in college football. Aside from THE U possibly going undefeated with the strength of schedule and being ranked in the top 15 putting them in the big game, there seven other teams that with the strength of schedule and a top 25 ranking that should be evaluated by the media and with an undefeated record, be put into the championship game. Here are the other seven teams and their AP preseason ranking: Florida 4, Iowa 9, Georgia Tech 16, Arkansas 17, Florida State 20, Auburn 23 and University of Georgia 23. All of these teams, except Iowa, play four ranked teams and have a championship game to play. So those six teams could play up to five ranked teams over the course of the year while Boise State can bust them out in three weeks. So now I ask you, would you put the Broncos ahead of these teams if they go undefeated. PS- don’t forget about Bama who could lose one game and still regroup and could play up to SIX ranked teams if they make it to the SEC title game, which they should.

Georgia Tech Football: Looking at Kansas and Opening Weekend's Effect on Jackets

Sep 7, 2010

We learned a little more about Georgia Tech this weekend.  But we also learned a little more about our upcoming opponents.  Kansas showed us that a program sliding the way it is can't necessarily turn on a dime to recover.  North Carolina proved that they are a scrappy bunch and will fight to the end, with or without their starters.  And Boise State may have given Al Groh a pretty good jumping off point for defending Virginia Tech's rushing game.

With Kansas' 6-3 loss to their FCS opponent, North Dakota State University, they are now looking more like a molehill than the mountain they were supposed to be when they were added to the schedule.  And while they may not help our strength of schedule, they will help the team settle in a little more before facing a North Carolina team that just proved they haven't given up on this season, yet.

Speaking of North Carolina.  No word yet on how many games they will be without the players who were held out of the opener last weekend, but they have an off week this week to [hopefully] sort it out.  After the way the defense came together in the second half of the game last Saturday, I'm not convinced which would be better for Tech: All the original starters back, or the fresh blood coming off a hard fought game.

I'm sure that Al Groh and the rest of the coaching staff will be looking at Boise State's dominating first quarter against Virginia Tech as a reference guide for our game in November.  I am also sure that Virginia Tech will now be fighting harder for every win to attempt and erase as much of that loss in the eyes of voters, and that should be Georgia Tech's biggest concern, because Virginia Tech's best chance of getting back into title contention starts and ends against Georgia Tech. 

That assumes that Georgia Tech can stay in contention as well. An early loss to North Carolina would derail those hope immediately. But, if Georgia Tech can stay unbeaten into that game, it should be another great matchup between the two top teams in the Coastal Division, and could very well decide the winner of the division.

Ultimately, this weekend was a chance to see some of the improvements of the team on both sides of the ball, and to get an idea of where the coaches want to go from here.  And as long as the team doesn't get caught looking past Kansas, this weekend should be a fairly mundane repeat of last weekend, with backups at many positions getting reps.

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