Georgia Tech Football: Things I Think I Know - South Carolina State

If the defense doesn’t cause havoc this weekend, it’s in big trouble

I feel like we’ve talked about it ad nauseum since the game, but it’s that big a deal. Georgia Tech caused one havoc play in its entire game against Louisville. It was an interception at the end of the first half that set up Gavin Stewart’s 54-yard field goal try that fell well short. Outside of that, Tech caused no turnovers and had no tackles for loss or sacks.

In two games this season, SC State has allowed 11 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and 2 interceptions. That is a lot of potential for havoc plays. If Georgia Tech does not take advantage of that opportunity this week, it’s going to be a long and painful season for the Yellow Jackets’ defense.

Position rotations will be finalized this weekend

Position rotations have probably been finalized for a while, so what I mean by this is that we, the viewers, will know what the position rotations look like because this will likely be the best opportunity for us to see the team at its deepest. I expect to see a lot of rotation through the defense and at receiver. Haynes King targeted 8 different players last weekend, and after this game, I wouldn’t be surprised if 2 or 3 more got targets. I also hope we get to see true freshman running back Evan Dickens this weekend. I was very impressed with his performance in the Spring game and think he could be a very valuable asset to the team.

Jamal Haynes is going to be very good out of the backfield

Running back Jamal Haynes was probably the biggest surprise to me in Tech’s opener. Formerly a slot receiver, Haynes made the move to running back during the offseason and is already one of Tech’s 3 starters at the position. He also made his presence known in the first game. He averaged a solid 4+ yards per carry, and although he did not finish with a positive EPA on rush plays, he finished with a strong 0.39 EPA/play on passing plays.

Georgia Tech needs to stop trying to make tight ends happen

Georgia Tech has been trying to make tight ends happen since the beginning of the Geoff Collins era, and it just hasn’t gone well so far. So far this season, two tight ends have been targeted for a grand total of two catches for 9 yards. It could have been more, but tight end Brett Seither had a pretty crucial drop Friday night. Buster, take my advice and just stack the field with receivers and running backs. Leave the tight ends at home.