After a bonus week of rest due to the devastation of Hurricane Irma, which caused them to cancel their game against Central Florida, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets begin ACC Play against the Pitt Panthers this Saturday high noon at the DODD. Head Coach Paul Johnson was happy for the rest which allowed his guys to get their legs back but was disappointed that they did not play the game.
“Because you are trying to get a certain number of wins and if you don’t get to play then you may as well count it as a loss, because you can’t win the game. So that’s why we were disappointed we didn’t get to play.” However, he understood the reasoning.
In practice, teams can do more to prepare, but they cannot replace game reps. Had the game occurred they would have played three games in thirteen days. The Yellow Jackets are scheduled for another break in two weeks which makes it hard to get into a routine. Should that happen, it makes for a unique start to a season. I believe it is a blessing in disguise because the team will be fresher and better prepared for crunch time.
KEY FACT OF THE GAME
The offensive wizardry of the triple threat, which drives modern day defenses crazy because it forces defenders to play detailed disciplined assignment football. Pitt has nine new starters on defense they better have their eyes and ears wide open. Sports photographers find it difficult to locate the ball, and they are standing on the sideline imagine the difficulty these less experienced defenders are going to have.
Taquon Marshall is due for another big game. The first he used his legs the last game he used his arm and this game he should put the whole package together. Currently, Georgia Tech has the number one rushing offense in the country. On paper, the Yellow Jackets get the nod, but the game has to be played.
The last two games between them have been high-scoring thrillers. Pitt has won both by three points, two years ago 31-28 and last year 37-34.
I asked Head Coach Paul Johnson during his weekly press conference if he thought this game would be the same.
“You don’t know. I hope not. I hope one team is high scoring and it’s us. They came down to the last possession – both games. Two years ago, the kid went and kicked a 56-yard field goal on the last play and then up there a year ago, we failed to make a fourth-and-less-than-one, and that was as much our fault as theirs with what we did and the way we lined up. So it has been those kinds of games. It could be. I have a lot of respect for Pat Narduzzi and their staff, they do a good job, and their kids play hard. Who knows? We have just got to cut out the mental mistakes and the errors, and when we have the chance to hit big plays, we have got to hit them.”
I have a lot of respect for Pat and their staff they do a good job their kids play hard who knows we just got to cut out the mental mistakes and the errors when we got a chance to hit big plays we need to hit them. Same thing up there a year ago, we take a bad angle and tip the ball, and it goes into their hands, they score if we do not tip it that guy does not catch it, and score on third and whatever, probably the game is over. The same thing, we get the ball back, and we run the route a little short we came up a half a yard short on third down, then on fourth down, we close our splits down and don’t make it. A lot of that is self-inflicted, but you have to give them a lot of credit for making plays, but we contributed to it.”
Should this game be anything like the previous, the fans are in for a real treat.
#togetherweswarm, @GTfootball, #theacc
