From Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets On SI · · 2m
Georgia Tech vs Tennessee: the staff picks are in
A sellout crowd, a ranked opponent, and two writers who both see the same ending for the Yellow Jackets.
In brief
A sellout crowd, a ranked opponent, and two writers who both see the same ending for the Yellow Jackets. Brent Key says Georgia Tech played too conservative against Colorado and lost both the run game and the run defense. Fix that or it's 0-2. Originally reported by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets On SI.
Saturday night, sellout crowd
Georgia Tech returns home to face No. 18 Tennessee in front of a full house, trying to avenge the Colorado loss and get back to .500.
One key above the rest
The Yellow Jackets had chances to beat Colorado at home. What cost them was not talent, it was how carefully they played.
Stop starting slow
Tech has made a habit of sleepy openings. Against a ranked Tennessee team, the first quarter has to send a message instead of digging a hole.
Key: too conservative
The head coach said the caution was never the game plan. It crept in anyway, and he has already addressed it with the team.
“We were way too conservative as a football team. That's not the plan that we went into the game with.”
The coach takes the blame
Key put the correction on himself rather than the players, and said the fix is in progress.
“Like everything I say, it's on me to get it corrected and fixed.”
No wholesale changes
Key isn't rebuilding the scheme. He wants Tech to do what it drilled through spring ball and training camp, just with more force.
Run it, stop it
Key boiled the loss down to two jobs and said Tech failed at both. He called it a lack of toughness, the same thing he said right after the game.
“Really run the ball and stop the run, right? Bottom line. And we didn't do either one.”
Both writers went 0-1
Jackson Caudell and Najeh Wilkins each missed on the Colorado game. Both are picking Tennessee to make it two.
Caudell: Tennessee 38-17
He thinks Tennessee is the better team everywhere, and the line-of-scrimmage play last week was too concerning to ignore, even at home.
“Tennessee wins convincingly to send Georgia Tech to their first 0-2 start since 1989.”
The defensive line problem
Tech invested most heavily in the D-line, and it was close to invisible against Colorado with almost no tackles for loss or sacks.
Wilkins: Tennessee 35-24
Tennessee brings a deep rushing attack in DeSean Biship, Duane Morris, Justin Baker, and Javin Gordon. Four quarters of that is a lot to ask of a unit that can't stop the run.
The main idea
Brent Key says Georgia Tech played too conservative against Colorado and lost both the run game and the run defense. Fix that or it's 0-2.
