All season Georgia Tech had been noted for their erratic play. They beat teams they shouldn’t. They lost to teams they should have beaten.
Teams with that kind of inconsistency usually lack an identity.
Brent Key has to build that identity for Georgia Tech to start truly turning the corner as a program.
I think we are starting to see that identity.
Saturday Georgia Tech went to Charlottesville to play a better than their record 2-6 Virginia team. This Virginia team was coming off a road win at North Carolina and a near win at Miami. Even with starting Cavalier QB Tony Muskett out early in the game, you didn’t feel really comfortable as a Georgia Tech fan, that the Jackets could take control of the game. They simply had been too inconsistent so far this season.
After a 45-17 win, here’s what that identity is starting to look like.
Georgia Tech has developed a running game that has rolled up over 300 yards in back-to-back weeks. The emergence of RB Dontae Smith has given Georgia Tech an element of power running that wasn’t seen earlier in the year. This has opened things up for the other backs as well. QB Haynes King is red-hot with his arm and his feet and is simply playing the position at a very high level. The explosion plays in the passing game that Georgia Tech was hitting at times earlier in the year are now complimented by the running game.
The maligned defense played one of its best games of the season holding Virginia to 351 yards and coming up with 3 turnovers.
Georgia Tech displayed an opportunistic, bend but don’t break defense Saturday.
If Brent Key is going for a power running game, with the potential for big plays in the passing game, and a bend but don’t break defense, then we certainly saw that Saturday.
Georgia Tech’s year-long goal of a bowl is now right there in front of them. Clemson looked like Clemson beating Notre Dame on Saturday, but Georgia Tech has a puncher’s chance in that one. The season finale is Georgia who is probably beyond Georgia Tech’s reach.
So the Jackets are probably eyeing winless in the ACC Syracuse to clinch that bowl spot with what appears to be Brent Key’s stamp starting to take hold on the program.
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