I told anyone that would listen, podcasts, X, this blog – Georgia Tech was dangerous, I mean really dangerous this season.
They were one of my 5 bold ACC predictions.
1. Georgia Tech is going to beat FSU, Notre Dame, or Georgia
Georgia Tech has one of the country’s most difficult schedules, which will limit their ceiling. There’s a good chance that they will be a better team than their record, but don’t be surprised if they pull off massive upset along the way. They are solid at QB with Haynes King, skill position talent on offense, and an offensive line that will be among the conference’s best. If the defense can show any life this year, the chance of one of these upsets increases even more.
Saturday in a whale of an opening game Georgia Tech defeated Florida State 24-21, and it was the offensive line doing the dirty work. What we saw against Georgia last year was no fluke, when Georgia Tech rushed for over 200 yards on the ground. Florida State had a defensive line many considered one of the nation’s best, and I still think it can be a very good group.
Against Georgia Tech though, they were pushed around, confused, and one step behind what the Jackets tried to do as Georgia Tech ran for 190 yards and over 5 yards a carry. OC Buster Faulkner’s offense is getting every bit as difficult to handle as Paul Johnson’s and Ralph Friedgen’s offenses in their hey day.
Brent Key has reinvented and rebuilt his team through the hire of Faulkner that has a bulldozer of an offensive unit. If Georgia Tech needs to run they run. If they need to pass they pass with Haynes King. DC Tyler Santucci is already making a difference on that side as the Jackets looked more fundamentally sound as they have in years.
Now Georgia Tech season goals have changed. They’ve already navigated and got through one of their toughest games of the season. How can good can this team be? The schedule is still a monster, but Georgia Tech doesn’t have to win every game. They’ve created a margin of error where a 9-3 season will have them under serious playoff consideration.
Haynes King? He’s one of the best QBs in the country but is still more underrated nationally than he should be.
Florida State’s outlook? We’ll talk about that in another piece.
Speaking as a Georgia Tech fan – Thank you Brent Key, thank you for making Georgia Tech relevant again.
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