Well, here we are again. Another year, another version of Clean, Old Fashioned Hate. It’s always the game we Tech fans look forward to the most and lately, it’s been the game to forget. Georgia Tech has only beaten Georgia once since 2000, a 45-42 victory in 2008 at Sanford Stadium. Can the Jackets pull off a repeat performance?
While Georgia is only 5-6 and fighting for their postseason lives, the Bulldogs have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They were 1-3 in their first four games without All-American wide receiver AJ Green. Although they are only 4-3 with him in the line-up since his return, the offense has taken off with Aaron Murray at quarterback.
Tech offense vs. Georgia defense
Tevin Washington will make his third start as the Jackets quarterback and will experience his first taste of the bitter GT-UGA rivalry. The redshirt sophomore has done a reasonable job since taking over for Joshua Nesbitt. Washington rushed for over 100 yards against Miami and over 90 yards against Duke. He also hit Stephen Hill for a 79 yard touchdown pass against Duke. Tech’s signal caller will have to make some plays with his feet and arm to compete with Georgia.
Anthony Allen continues his second half surge with a big game against Duke on Senior Day last week. The senior B-back went for 165 yards on the ground and over 1,000 yards for the season.
Like I stated in the previous article, statistically, Georgia is good against the run. But against teams with a strong, run based offense, they have struggled a little bit. Tevin Washington has to make the right reads while the offensive line needs to play one of their best games of the year. Turnovers have killed drives all year long and Tech can’t afford to leave points on the field if Georgia scores as many points as people think they will score. I expect Paul Johnson to try to hold on to the ball as long as possible, pounding away at the middle of the Georgia defense with Anthony Allen.
Tech defense vs. Georgia offense
Georgia Tech has been extremely mediocre on defense all season long, ranking in the middle of the FBS. Al Groh dialed up a very good game plan against Tyrod Taylor and Virginia Tech and played the best game of the entire year. Can he do the same against Aaron Murray and the Georgia offense?
Aaron Murray has had an unbelievable freshman season and Georgia fans are excited about him being under center for the next few years. It was no surprise that the return of AJ Green assisted the progression of Murray. Not only has Green been a reliable playmaker, but Kris Durham has emerged as a solid number 2 receiver behind Green. He has shown that he can be more than just a possession receiver.
While these guys are very talented, Tech can’t forget about what the Georgia offensive line and running backs did to the Yellow Jacket’s defense last season. Washaun Ealey and Caleb King ran wild in last year’s 30-24 victory over Tech in Atlanta. The defense has shown once again that it struggles against the run, so will Georgia use the same gameplan?
The main problem with the Georgia Tech defense this season is the lack of penetration up front. Nose tackles Logan Walls and TJ Barnes have been less than stellar this season, getting zero push up front and drawing no double teams to free up the linebackers. Tech’s defensive front has struggled against big offensive lines and Georgia has a big offensive line.
It’s going to be hard to stop the playmakers on Georgia’s offense. While Murray, Green, Ealey and King are the big names that everyone knows, tight end Orson Charles could be a key factor against the defense.
Overview
Georgia Tech has failed to put together a complete game all season long. Can Paul Johnson get this team to finally a solid game on both sides of the ball? CPJ has voiced his frustrations about the lack of motivation on this year’s team. Shouldn’t need any motivation in this game. After the loss to Georgia last year, this team could be determined to leave Athens with a win. But they must minimize the mistakes that has plagued this team on both sides of the ball (fumbles, dropped passes, blown assignments, etc.).
This team is 6-5 with nothing to lose while Georgia is sitting at 5-6 with a bowl bid on the line. The Dawgs are a big favorite in this but can Georgia Tech shatter their postseason hopes? We will see at 7:45 on ESPN.
