ACC Blogger Football Preview Countdown – Coastal #2: Georgia Tech

Posted by Brandon Rink on July 12, 2010 under ACC Football | Comments are off for this article

With a couple stars gone from their ‘09 championship team, do they have the horses to repeat?

Projected Record: 9-3 (5-3 ACC)
Returning Starters: 17 (7 on offense and 8 on defense; 2 on special teams)
Schedule Difficulty in ACC: Fifth.
Offense Rides On… Nesbitt’s health. I don’t expect Georgia Tech offense to skip a beat, despite losing their primary WR Thomas and RB Dwyer, but Nesbitt had ankle surgery – and on his legs with little depth at QB for the Jackets, Georgia Tech’s chance at an ACC title reside.
Defensive Deficiency: Defensive line. Replacing Morgan is one thing, switching to a 3-man defensive line under new DC Al Groh is another. For a defense that looked absolutely lost last year, I wonder if Groh can turn it around as quickly as this season.
Keyword: Time – how long Georgia Tech has the ball. In wins, the Yellow Jackets had an almost super-human ability to control time of possession and keep their defense off the field while scoring point after point.

Position by Position Grades (2009 Stats)

QB: A-
MVP: Josh Nesbitt (1,701 passing yards, 1,037 rushing yards, 28 total TDs)
Gotta Step-Up: Tevin Washington (21 passing yards, 40 rushing yards)

RB: B+
MVP: Anthony Allen (618 rushing yards and 6 TDs)
Gotta Step-Up: Roddy Jones (345 rushing yards and 3 TDs)

WR/TE: C+
MVP: Stephen Hill (137 yards receiving and 1 TD)
Gotta Step-Up: Tyler Melton (46 yards receiving)

OL: B
MVP: C Sean Bedford
Gotta Step-Up: LT Phil Smith

DL: C+
MVP: NT Logan Walls (25 tackles and 2 sacks)
Gotta Step-Up: LE Jason Peters (11 tackles and 1 for loss)

LB: B
MVP: Brad Jefferson (95 tackles and 8 for loss)
Gotta Step-Up: Anthony Barnes (16 tackles)

Sec: C+
MVP: FS Jerrard Tarrant (58 tackles and 2 INTs)
Gotta Step-Up: CB Dominique Reese (28 tackles and 1 INT)

K/P: B
MVP: K Scott Blair (14/20 on FGs, 9/14 from 30+)
Gotta Step-Up: K Scott Blair

Schedule Analysis + W/Ls

DATE	OPPONENT	W/L
9/04	South Carolina State	W 49-12
9/11	@ Kansas	W 38-17
9/18	@ North Carolina	L 24-20
9/25	North Carolina State	W 31-20
10/02	@ Wake Forest	W 44-21
10/09	Virginia	W 34-10
10/16	Middle Tennessee	W 56-23
10/23	@ Clemson	L 28-24
11/04	@ Virginia Tech	L 31-27
11/13	Miami (FL)	W 35-27
11/20	Duke	W 45-24
11/27	@ Georgia	W 38-24

Bye Week: Before Virginia Tech, November 4.
Toughest Game: at Virginia Tech, November 4.
Key Conference Game:  at Virginia Tech, November 4.
Season Hinges on… at Virginia Tech, November 4 (did I mention this is a big game?).

The Why…

Why Second?: I love the Paul Johnson quote they put in the Athlon preview: “For 30 years I’ve heard this is the year (opposing defenses) catch up. That’s why you play the games.” Johnson believes in his system and knows it is unstoppable over the course of a season. They aren’t falling off and out of contention. If anything, the defense has a good chance at improving, and the running back stable is just as talented as last year. Why I have them second in the division is that I’m not sure they can be quite as smooth and consistent offensively as last season – which leads to that extra loss they didn’t have in ’09 and knocks them out of the top spot.

Could be higher if… The offense picks up from where they left off last season and Groh makes an immediate impact on defense.

Could be lower if… The defense is a trainwreck under transition and neither Melton nor Hill step up into Thomas’ role as go-to-receiver in key situations.

Back-to-back ACC titles for the Jackets? What are your thoughts on the 2010 Yellow Jackets?

Previews So far…

Atlantic #2: Boston College
Coastal #5: Duke
Atlantic #4: Maryland
Coastal #3: Miami
Atlantic #3: Clemson
Coastal #4: UNC
Intro to the Countdown