Georgia Tech 24, Wake Forest 20
Georgia Tech was able to comeback from a 17-6 deficit to beat the Demon Deacons under the lights, 24-20. Senior quarterback Joshua Nesbitt led a struggling Georgia Tech offense down the field for a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie it up. On their next possession, Nesbitt threw another touchdown pass to Corey Earls in the final seconds to take the lead for good.
The Georgia Tech defense stepped up in a big way, keeping the Yellow Jackets in the game all night. Al Groh's defense forced eight punts (yes Tech fans, I said eight punts) and held Wake Forest to 268 yards of total offense.
Kicker Scott Blair continued his outstanding senior year, making three field goals, all over 42 yards.
While Georgia Tech is 2-1 in the ACC, the same record they had a year ago when they won the conference, it is obvious that this team has a lot of issues and is far from a championship contender.
Offensive Line Issues
In Georgia Tech's last two games, the offense had a tough time getting anything going. After they rolled up nearly 450 yards of total offense against North Carolina, it looked like Nesbitt and the offense was going to be rolling all year long.
However, it is obvious that Georgia Tech has some serious O-line issues.
When Georgia Tech lost three starters on the offensive line, all who were Chan Gailey recruits, Tech fans along with the coaching staff believed that they had younger players who fit the system better. They thought that this new group of starters would be an upgrade from last year's team. So far, that has not been the case.
Wake Forest spent most of the night in the Georgia Tech backfield, making it hard for Nesbitt to make reads. Omoregie Uzzi and Will Jackson our the starting guards and have showed signs of brilliance but haven't been consistent. Jackson has had a difficult time staying on the field while dealing with injuries. The pass protection has been brutal and has made it tough for Nesbitt to go through his progressions on pass plays.
As we all know, everything starts in the trenches. If you have poor play on the offensive line, there isn't an offense that can be effective. But this is mainly true for Paul Johnson's spread option offense.
This is a fairly young offensive line and should improve as the season goes on. If not, Georgia Tech will struggle to win 7 games.
Earls Finally Making an Impact
Senior wide receiver Correy Earls was a starter back in 2007, which was his freshman year. After seeing limited time and bouncing back and forth from offense to defense, Earls is back on the offensive side of the ball and is making a big impact.
Earls caught the go ahead touchdown pass from Joshua Nesbitt on Saturday against Wake Forest and right now looks like the most sure-handed receiver the Jackets have.
The senior has always had speed and athleticism. He had trouble catching the ball, most notably a dropped pass in 2007 to start off the Georgia Tech-UGA game that would have gone for a touchdown.
Earls looks like he has a newfound confidence and could a key player in the Georgia Tech offense going forward.
Recruiting Update
Ever since Chris Milton verbally committed on September 16th, it has been quiet for Georgia Tech on the recruiting front. However, some big time prospects still have Georgia Tech on the top of their list.
4-star prospect Blake Countess still has Georgia Tech at the top of his list. The defensive back from Maryland also has offers from Cincinnati, Maryland, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and West Virginia, among others.
Paul Johnson has done a nice job getting top notch talent on the defensive side of the ball the last couple of years and a commitment from Countess would be a huge get.
There is still no word on when Countess will announce his decision.
