The Comeback’s college football Top 50 countdown continues with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. We’ll move up the Top 50 each day, leading up to the beginning of the regular season.
What will Georgia Tech do for an encore after winning nine games last season?
That’s the question a lot of Yellow Jacket fans want to know the answer to. Will the 2017 season resemble 2009, when Paul Johnson’s squad followed up a 9-4 record with an ACC championship? Or will it be 2015, when Tech dropped from 11-3 to 3-9?
The answer to that question is probably closer to the former than the latter. Remember, Georgia Tech closed out the 2016 campaign by winning contests against Virginia Tech, Georgia, and Kentucky. With 16 starters returning from that squad, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the Jackets’ chances this fall. While three-year starting quarterback Justin Thomas departs, top rushers Dedrick Mills and Clinton Lynch are back to lead the Jackets ground game. On the other side of the ball, the Jackets defense returns eight starters from a unit that allowed just 5.1 yards per play over the final four games of the season.
No. 31 – Georgia Tech
2016 Record: 9-4 overall, 4-4 in ACC (defeated Kentucky 33-18 in the TaxSlayer Bowl)
Coach: Paul Johnson (70-48 at Georgia Tech, 177-87 overall)
Last year in a nutshell
The Yellow Jackets certainly had their ups and downs in 2016. They started the season strong by winning three straight, highlighted by a decisive win over Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, Tech lost the next three games, including a heartbreaking 37-34 loss to Pittsburgh, in which the team gave up two scores in the final five minutes. However, the Jackets rebounded to close the season strong, defeating division champ Virginia Tech, arch-rival Georgia, and an improved Kentucky team to reach nine wins.
I know I mentioned it before, but it bears repeating: the Yellow Jackets defense really stepped up over the final four games of the season. This improvement was evident in the bowl game, as Tech held Kentucky – which racked up 581 yards against Louisville – to just 324 yards.
Recruiting Roundup
247 Sports Composite Ranking: 47th
Georgia Tech signed the eighth-best recruiting class in the ACC, according to 247sports.com. The Jackets signed players from seven different states, but most of them were from the Southeast, with Georgia (13), Tennessee (3), and South Carolina (3) leading the way. The class had two top 400 recruits, including four star OLB Bruce Jordan-Swilling (213) and S Jaquan Henderson (395). Several players in class could see some playing time this fall, including Jordan-Swilling and K Brenton King.
3 Key Stats
258.08 – The average number of yards per game that Georgia Tech ran for in 2016. Make no mistake about it: the Yellow Jackets are going to run the triple option over and over again. The team has finished in the top 10 in rushing every year during Johnson’s tenure, including 2010 when it led the nation in that category. Yet Tech ranked ninth in rushing yards per game last season, its lowest finish since Johnson took over in 2008. If the Jackets are going to compete for the Coastal Division crown, this number must improve.
7.08 – The average number of yards per play that Georgia Tech gave up in its four losses last season. There’s no way to sugarcoat it: the Jackets D struggled at times in 2016. While its performance against Clemson wasn’t really that bad, Tech simply couldn’t slow down Miami (7.72 ypp), Pittsburgh (6.56 ypp), or North Carolina (9.09 ypp). To its credit, the defense turned things around at the end of the season. The Yellow Jackets need for that trend to continue in order to return to the ACC Championship Game.
41.83 – The number of third down opportunities that Georgia Tech converted last season. There are two ways to look at this number. On the positive side, the Jackets were noticeably better on third downs in 2016 (41.83%, 51st) than they were in 2015 (34.97, 108th). Unfortunately, this number still falls well short of what the team did in 2013 and 2014, when it converted over 50% of its opportunities. If Tech can hit that number, they’ll be awfully tough to beat, especially if the defense continues to play well.
Key games
Oct. 12 at Miami
Record in Last 5 Meetings: 1-4
Last Year’s Result: L, 35-21
Why it matters: Although every game in a tight divisional race like the ACC Coastal is important, this is the one that really stands out. The Hurricanes have had the upper hand in the series recently, winning seven of the last eight meetings. A win in this contest would be huge for the Jackets’ division championship hopes, as it would give them a “W” in what figures to be their toughest divisional road game.
Nov. 25 Georgia
Record in Last 5 Meetings: 2-3
Last Year’s Result: W, 28-27
Why it matters: In a series that’s affectionately referred to as “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate”, it goes without saying that this is a “must win” game for the Yellow Jackets. Tech has won two of the last three meetings, including an impressive road victory over the 8th ranked Bulldogs in 2014. A “W” in this contest would give the Jackets back-to-back wins for the first time since it won three straight from 1998-2000.
3 Key Players
1. Matthew Jordan, QB – There’s absolutely no pressure on Jordan. All he has to do is replace Justin Thomas, who became the first Tech quarterback to beat Georgia twice since Joe Hamilton did it in 1998 and 1999. Judging by his performance last season, there’s no reason to think that Jordan won’t be successful in 2017. In his lone start last year, Jordan ran the triple option to perfection, rushing 32 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns in an upset of eventual division champion Virginia Tech. He’ll be the unquestioned leader of the offense this fall.
2. Dedrick Mills, B-Back – The key to success in the triple option is to establish the run up the middle. Mills did a great job of this last season, leading the team with 771 yards despite missing four games. He got stronger as the year wore on, rushing for 132 yards against North Carolina and 169 yards against Kentucky in the bowl game. With Marcus Marshall transferring to James Madison, Mills will post even bigger numbers this fall, and could become the first Tech running back to crack the 1,000-yard barrier since Anthony Allen did it back in 2010.
3. Lance Austin, CB – Austin was the anchor of the Georgia Tech secondary last year. He was one of the better cornerbacks in the ACC in 2016, leading the league with 15 passes defensed. In addition to his cover skills, Austin has a knack for coming up with big plays when the team needs it. Last season, he came up with a huge pick six against Virginia to kill any hopes of a Cavalier comeback. And, of course, most Tech fans know him as the guy who scored the winning touchdown in the “Miracle on Techwood” upset of Florida State in 2015. Whether it’s in coverage or just making things happen, expect big things out of Austin again in 2017.
Bold Predictions
Georgia Tech will beat Georgia. Although the Jackets haven’t won back-to-back games in this series since winning three straight from 1998-2000, they’ll do it this year behind a strong running game and an improved defense. This would be the first time since 2012 that the home team wins.
Follow the rest of The Comeback’s Top 50 College Football Countdown leading up to the regular season.
