Georgia Tech 2016 Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Paul Johnson has proven his teams have trouble handling success. After an 11-3 record and Orange Bowl victory in 2014 the bottom fell out in 2015. They finished 3-9 and won just one conference game.
The defense has always struggled in the CPJ era and last season was no exception. They finished 43rd in total defense giving up 368 yards per game. The unit also finished 121st in sacks with just 14.
The offense typically is one of the best in the nation in rushing. In 2014 they led the nation. In 2015 they fell all the way to 16th averaging just 256.2 ypg. The passing game is basically nonexistent so they have to have a strong running game.
Senior quarterback Justin Thomas is an explosive dual threat QB. In 2014 he passed for 1,719 yards, 18 touchdowns and completed 51.3% of his passes. He also rushed for 1,086 and 8 rushing td’s. Last year his passing yardage dropped to 1,345 and completion percentage to 41.7. He ran for 488 yards.
The offensive line needs to improve to get the offense back on track. Center Freddie Burden is the best of the bunch. If they can play consistently B back Marcus Marshall and A backs Isiah Willis and Clinton Lynch can run wild.
Senior linebacker PJ Davis is the best defensive player. USC transfer Lamont Simmons should become one of the starting cornerbacks. The Yellow Jackets also have a JUCO transfer Desmond Branch who should strengthen the pass rush.
The season kicks off in Dublin, Ireland against Boston College. This should be an easy win. The next week is at home against an FCS team, Mercer. This will be a 50-point blowout.
Vanderbilt comes to Atlanta September 17th. The Ramblin Wreck will dominate the Commodores. The last game of the month is a Thursday night home versus Clemson. This will be the first loss of the season.
October 1st is at home against Miami. The Hurricanes have more talent and new head coach Mark Richt owned CPJ when he was at Georgia. I expect that trend to continue.
The following week is at Pitt. I expect this to be a win but this was the most difficult game to predict. The Yellow Jackets return home to face Georgia Southern. On paper this sounds easy but the Eagles are a good team. They came very close to beating Tech in 2014. I still like Ga Tech in this game going into the bye week.
October 29th is home against Duke. The Blue Devils have won the last two meetings. I expect Tech to win this game. They travel to Chapel Hill to face UNC after that. This Tar Heels might be the most talented team in the Coastal so they should win.
The following game is at Virginia Tech. The Hokies struggled last year and have a new head coach but I think they will win. The closest to a sure thing in the ACC is Virginia. This will be an easy win against the Cavaliers.
The season finale is in Athens against Georgia. The Bulldogs have dominated the series since 2000 and they have superior athletes. UGA will win again for state bragging rights.
Tech should win seven games and get back to a bowl. This performance will be good enough to keep Paul Johnson as head coach for another year.
