Georgia is one of 2 or 3 programs that are among the elite in college football. Ohio State is at the moment #1, and Georgia well, if they aren’t #2 then who is? Is it Alabama, the one team that Georgia struggles with – maybe? No matter how you slice things, Georgia is a top 3 program in college football. They haven’t finished outside the top 10 since 2016, with 2 national titles thrown in.
From 2017 to 2022 the closest Georgia Tech came to beating Georgia was by 23 points. In the last three years, Georgia Tech has played 3 single digit games with Georgia. Friday’s was a hard fought 16-9 fist fight of a defensive battle. Suprisingly, Georgia Tech’s defense played by far their best defensive game of the season. It was a testament to Brent Key refocusing his team after getting trounced by Pitt 42-28 the week before, with an ACC Title appearance on the line.
Losing is always better than getting walloped by your arch rival, but it’s losing just the same. There is certainly no doubt, Brent Key has made Georgia Tech considerably better. If you can compete with Georgia, you can compete with just about anyone in college football.
That’s great. It shows Georgia Tech’s progress, but also raises questions. If your defense can play this way against a Georgia team that hadn’t scored less than 20 points all year, why did it take all month to figure things out? If that defense plays NC State and Pitt, Georgia Tech wins both games.
What happened to the offense? Outstanding all year, the last 6 quarters were a mess of red zone failures, turnovers, penalties, and uncharacteristic mistakes.
When the offense was good, the defense was terrible. When the defense stepped up, the offense struggled.
In November, Georgia Tech went 1-3 after an 8-0 start.
Consistency, Consistency, Consistency, it’s what Georgia Tech has lacked under Brent Key. There are flashes of what the program can be, but things are very much still a work in progress.
Georgia Tech’s bowl destination is still unknown, but I hope the Jackets take it very seriously. A 10-win season is still a significant milestone for a program that hasn’t accomplished the feat since 2014. That would be another step forward.
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