Hey all! I am a Georgia Tech fan here to provide some knowledge on the Jackets! I know next to nothing about the Minnesota team, but I am pretty knowledgeable about GT so ask me anything you want to know! Here's a an intro of how we got here:
The fan base was pretty darn upset yesterday. We finished 5th in the ACC and ahead of 4 teams that got picked before us in bowls. We fell to the bowl that is hardest for Georgia Tech fans to go to. Fans expected based on Paul Johnson's retirement announcement that our stock for bowls would go up, not down given the appeal in seeing a coach's last game. So yes, you've probably seen how angry everyone was. I still am, and still feel totally disrespected. The Belk Bowl put out polls on Twitter, Reddit, etc and Georgia Tech was BY FAR AND AWAY the most popular team picked to play in that bowl, garnering something like 75% of the vote even though there was 10 teams to choose from. So screw the Belk Bowl, they have never picked us and I hope their bowl is awful this year haha.
Now that I've explained the frustration, I will say it has nothing to do with playing Minnesota. I think it will be a good game and am happy to be playing a P5 opponent instead of Memphis or Temple which we were projected to play against in some matchups. So, don't take it personally! Some people are blaming the huge drop to the fact that our AD, Todd Stansbury, is on the CFP committee and was sequested this weekend while also being in the middle of a coaching search. Take that for what it's worth.
Now to the team itself: We started off pretty poorly, especially on defense where we changed schemes with a new DC from the 2017 season to now Nate Woody in the 2018 season (yes, we have a coach named Johnson AND Woody). However, in the last 6 games, we went 5-1, including wins over Miami, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. The fan base is/was generally excited about the defense moving forward, but we are very youthful in the secondary and make big mistakes at times (especially with tackling). We give up a good amount of yardage, but are really good on producing takeaways. Linebacker is by far our weakest position.
On offense, yes it's different, but please let me dispell any myths you may have heard about it. For one, it's not a triple option offense. The triple option is just a play. As a whole this year, the offense is generally good. We try to control the clock, ware down defenses, and occasionally go for the big pass play. This year we have been particularly limited in the passing game (more than any other year under Johnson) because we don't have a healthy QB that can throw. Coming into this year we had 3 QBs that were ready to play in the flexbone option system and the only one that was a good passer had a season ending injury in the spring. We had one the year before have to quit football because of an ATV accident, and another had to stop football for another injury, so we were left with basically glorified running backs. So even for an option offense, don't expect to see GT pass much in Detroit. Because of this, we get wrecked when playing elite D-Lines, but have pretty much rolled everyone else's defense. Blocking is incredibly key for our offense. We use a lot of cut blocks to try to get defenders on the ground.
Playmakers to look out for:
Offense - Clinton Lynch, A-Back (sets up wide of the QB to start). He is the most dynamic running back we have. He is limited in touches based on his position but can really break some loose.
Defense - Anree-Saint Amour (DE) - I expect him to be drafted this offseason and he has really improves as a rusher. Look for him as the most likely GT player to get sacks
Special Teams - Juanyeh Thomas - This dude is a true freshman and hasn't fully integrated into the defense yet (he is likely to be a safety) but has been killing it on special teams.
Shoot me anything else that comes to mind and I'm happy to answer!
The fan base was pretty darn upset yesterday. We finished 5th in the ACC and ahead of 4 teams that got picked before us in bowls. We fell to the bowl that is hardest for Georgia Tech fans to go to. Fans expected based on Paul Johnson's retirement announcement that our stock for bowls would go up, not down given the appeal in seeing a coach's last game. So yes, you've probably seen how angry everyone was. I still am, and still feel totally disrespected. The Belk Bowl put out polls on Twitter, Reddit, etc and Georgia Tech was BY FAR AND AWAY the most popular team picked to play in that bowl, garnering something like 75% of the vote even though there was 10 teams to choose from. So screw the Belk Bowl, they have never picked us and I hope their bowl is awful this year haha.
Now that I've explained the frustration, I will say it has nothing to do with playing Minnesota. I think it will be a good game and am happy to be playing a P5 opponent instead of Memphis or Temple which we were projected to play against in some matchups. So, don't take it personally! Some people are blaming the huge drop to the fact that our AD, Todd Stansbury, is on the CFP committee and was sequested this weekend while also being in the middle of a coaching search. Take that for what it's worth.
Now to the team itself: We started off pretty poorly, especially on defense where we changed schemes with a new DC from the 2017 season to now Nate Woody in the 2018 season (yes, we have a coach named Johnson AND Woody). However, in the last 6 games, we went 5-1, including wins over Miami, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. The fan base is/was generally excited about the defense moving forward, but we are very youthful in the secondary and make big mistakes at times (especially with tackling). We give up a good amount of yardage, but are really good on producing takeaways. Linebacker is by far our weakest position.
On offense, yes it's different, but please let me dispell any myths you may have heard about it. For one, it's not a triple option offense. The triple option is just a play. As a whole this year, the offense is generally good. We try to control the clock, ware down defenses, and occasionally go for the big pass play. This year we have been particularly limited in the passing game (more than any other year under Johnson) because we don't have a healthy QB that can throw. Coming into this year we had 3 QBs that were ready to play in the flexbone option system and the only one that was a good passer had a season ending injury in the spring. We had one the year before have to quit football because of an ATV accident, and another had to stop football for another injury, so we were left with basically glorified running backs. So even for an option offense, don't expect to see GT pass much in Detroit. Because of this, we get wrecked when playing elite D-Lines, but have pretty much rolled everyone else's defense. Blocking is incredibly key for our offense. We use a lot of cut blocks to try to get defenders on the ground.
Playmakers to look out for:
Offense - Clinton Lynch, A-Back (sets up wide of the QB to start). He is the most dynamic running back we have. He is limited in touches based on his position but can really break some loose.
Defense - Anree-Saint Amour (DE) - I expect him to be drafted this offseason and he has really improves as a rusher. Look for him as the most likely GT player to get sacks
Special Teams - Juanyeh Thomas - This dude is a true freshman and hasn't fully integrated into the defense yet (he is likely to be a safety) but has been killing it on special teams.
Shoot me anything else that comes to mind and I'm happy to answer!