College Football Team Previews: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Location: Atlanta, GA
Coach: Paul Johnson (73-50) 11th Season at Georgia Tech
Stadium: Bobby Dodd Stadium (Capacity 55,000)
CSJ Projections
10th ACC (4th Coastal Division)
2nd: Georgia
41st: FBS
42nd: Division I
2017 In a Sentence: Georgia Tech was a tough team to get a read on in 2017 and probably wound up where they should at 5-6. They were the quintessential .500 team, where you weren’t sure if they would win or lose on a given week.
Biggest Shoes to Fill: DE Antonio Simmons spent a lot of time in opposing backfields in 2017 with 8 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks to go along with 2 forced fumbles and a blocked kick. Simmons was a late bloomer at Tech and did most of his career damage in his senior season. The Jackets will be looking for another quarterback disrupter to step forward in 2018.
Key Player: QB TaQuon Marshall. When you run the triple option offense, the ball is in the quarterback’s hands much more often than in a traditional offense. TaQuon Marshall led the Ramblin’ Wreck in rushing yards in 2017 with 1146 while adding 927 through the air. Marshall will need to continue to make the right decision with the ball in his hands for Georgia Tech to make noise in the ACC
Fearless Prediction: Georgia Tech looks to be one of those teams who will again sit right around the .500 mark. You cant rule out them pulling an upset due to their unique offense, but you also cant rule out a bad loss along the way either.
Jamie is a proud 2002 graduate of James Madison University. He’s witnessed the growth of the program from no one in the stands in 1998, to the hiring of Mickey Matthews, to the 2004 National Championship, to the 2008 team, to the struggles in the early 2010s, and finally the rebuild under Mike Houston. He also allegedly really enjoys Washington, DC-based Stanley Cup winners.
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