25 Ramblin Wreck Questions

 What is their body of work?

Georgia Tech has experienced an extended downtime.  Geoff Collins was 10-28 when he was fired four games into last season.  Brent Key was named the interim coach and went 4-4 in that role with two ranked wins.  He got the job full time and is 2-2 this year.  Key played at Georgia Tech and was an assistant at Alabama before returning to his Alma Mater as an assistant in 2019.

They lost narrowly to Louisville to open the year....the Cardinals are undefeated so far.  The Yellow Jackets beat South Carolina State (FCS) before losing at #17 Ole Miss and then winning at Wake Forest--the Deacons are 3-1 so far this year.

They are 1-0 vs. BG and 21-point favorites.

How experienced are they?

They have 26 juniors and above on the roster, which is on the low side.  They returned 12 starters.

Who are their pre-season all-conference players? (Phil Steele)

Here are players on the pre-season all-ACC team

2nd Team

DB LaMiles Brooks

3rd Team

K Gavin Stewart

4th Team

LB Trenilius Tatum

What is their turnover ratio? 

They are +3 so far this year and +11 last year, which helped lead to their success.

Offense

How is their QB play? 

Their QB is Haynes King, a R-SO who made 7 starts at Texas A&M before graduate transferring. He was a highly touted recruit who has battled injuries. He has been effective this year, #27 in the nation in passing efficiency.  He has 65% completions, with 13.5 yards per completion and 11 TD over 2 INT.  He can also run, getting 6.5 yards per non-sack rushing attempt.

What is their scoring and yards per play

Note that Georgia Tech does not play the wishbone, as they did the last time BG was down there in 2018.  They are scoring 35 a game, which is #35 in the country and they have 6.7 yards per play, which is #29 in the country.

Can they run the ball?

They are 27th in the country at 5.1 yards per rush.  Their main backs average 5.6 per carry.

Do they pass the ball?

As mentioned, King has been very effective.  Eric Singleton is their top WR threat, with 14 catches, 18 per catch and 4 TDs.  He is a true freshman.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run on 52% of their plays, which represents a balanced attack.

Do they convert on 3rd Down, 

52% conversion, #15 in the country.

Do they score in Red zone

4.6 points per trip, which is not great.  They have 4 whiffs and 4 FGS in 18 attempts.

Do they protect the QB?

They do.  Sacks on 2.2 of attempts.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play

So, they are 2-2 and have a great offense.  You know the defense isn't as good. They allow 29 points per game and 6.4 yards per play.

Do they defend the run effectively?

No.  They have allowed 6.3 yards per rush, sack adjusted

Can they be passed on?

They are better.  They are 59th in pass efficiency defense, allowing 55% completions but 14 per catch and 5 TD/5 INT.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

Not too good....#73 at 40%.

Do they defend in the red zone?

Allowing 5.5 points per trip, which is OK.

Do they pressure the QB?

Sacks on 8.3% of passing attempts which pretty effective.

Special Teams:

Punting?

Not bad, just under 40 net yards per punt, #56 in the country.  No blocks and barely any returns.

Punt Return?

7 returns 84 yards which is pretty good.  No TDs and no blocks.

Placekicking? 

Gavin Stewart, the Steele pre-season guy, was benched. New guy is 6-7, long of 48 and blocked once. 4-4 inside 40.

Kickoff? 

Pretty normal, opponents start on the 25.  They have 20 touchbacks in 25 attempts.

Kickoff Return?

Started on 24

Intangible Miscellany

The predicted temperature in Atlanta will be 84 with an 89 heat index.  Last time we played down there, heat was a big issue.

Coach says we are focusing on ourselves.  We have two very tough weeks coming up and coming off a terrible game.  We have tended to save our rare best performances for the "big" stages, so maybe the Falcons turn up with a stronger game.  I'd prefer they do it next week in Oxford, but there you go.