Georgia Tech midseason review

By Doug Roberson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Six games into the season, and Georgia Tech is in a strong position to defend its ACC title.

The Yellow Jackets are 4-2 and 3-1 in the conference, but there is a lot of work to do with games coming against Coastal Division foes Virginia Tech (Nov. 4) and Miami (Nov. 13).

"I don't think we've played our best game," coach Paul Johnson said. "Hopefully that's in front of us."

We take a midseason look at a team that is starting to turn a corner:

What's going right

1. The rushing attack. It's even better than last season's, averaging 328 yards per game compared with the 295.4 average at last season's end. Quarterback Joshua Nesbitt (90.5 yards per game) and B-back Anthony Allen (87.5 yards per game) are the top two rushers in the ACC. A quarterback has never finished the season as the ACC's best rusher.

2. Field-goal kicking. Scott Blair received his share of criticism last season for his inconsistent performances against teams other than Clemson. He has simplified his approach and is a perfect 9-for-9 on field goals, including five kicks longer than 40 yards.

3. The young players. Many freshmen are contributing to Tech's success this season, including starting safety Isaiah Johnson (31 tackles), reserve A-back B.J. Bostic (12.2 yards per carry) and reserve outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu (nine tackles). That's just a beginning. Other redshirt freshmen and sophomores are seeing a lot of playing time, including four starters in the recent win against Virginia.

What's going wrong

1. Turnovers. Tech has 20 fumbles with eight lost this season, and Nesbitt has thrown two interceptions. The defense has forced 10 fumbles, recovering five and has made two interceptions. Tech had a plus-8 margin last season. This season, it's minus-3. "It's going to be a big stat down the stretch," Johnson said.

2. Punt coverage and returns. A blocked punt returned for a touchdown, a fumble on a snap that led to a 10-yard kick. Those are a few of the issues with the punt-coverage team. The Jackets are averaging 35 yards per punt, compared to 42.3 yards per kick last season. Last season's punt returns were inflated by two returned for touchdowns. That has yet to happen this season. As a result, the Jackets are averaging 5.7 yards per return, compared to last season's 13.4 average.

3. Catching the ball. The drops started to happen in last season's loss to Georgia and have continued into this season. Because Tech throws the ball so infrequently (12 attempts per game), the drops become magnified.

Rising Stars

Steven Sylvester and  Izaan Cross. They are 1-2 on the team in sacks (three, 2 1/2)  and tackles for loss (eight, 5 1/2). Cross, a defensive end, is tied for second in passes broken up (three) and is fifth in tackles (27). Sylvester, an outside linebacker, is fourth in tackles (28).

The enigmas

Inside linebackers. Tech's coaches have tried three combinations at the position in an attempt to improve the play. The newest combination of Julian Burnett and Brad Jefferson has been more effective at stopping runs between the tackles and pass plays over the middle, two areas that teams were hurting Tech with earlier in the season.

Five plays that have shaped the season

1. Successful slant. If Tech is able to defend its ACC championship, it may look back on a win against Wake Forest as the turning point. Trailing 20-17 with less than a minute left, Nesbitt hit Correy Earls with 9-yard touchdown pass -- his fifth completion on the drive -- on a slant to secure the win and keep the Jackets from dropping to 1-2 in the conference, an almost insurmountable margin.

2. The first touchdown. Allen's 6-yard touchdown run in last week's win against Virginia wasn't a turning point as much as it was a sign of things that could come. He was held scoreless through the season's first five games. Johnson had said earlier in the week that he wanted to see Allen finish runs. He scored two more touchdowns against the Cavaliers.

3. The stop. Leading North Carolina 30-24 and the Tar Heels at Tech's 39-yard line and facing fourth-and-10, Jefferson stopped running back Johnny White 4 yards short of a first down with 1:16 remaining to preserve Tech's conference-opening win.

4. The missed tackles. Despite a lackluster effort against Kansas, the Jackets were trailing 21-17 in the fourth quarter and trying to rally when the Jayhawks called a screen pass that Tech seemed prepared to defend. Instead, Daymond Patterson broke five tackles during a 32-yard scoring reception to give the Jayhawks a 28-17 lead with 14:19 remaining in the game. Tech wasn't able to respond from that deflating play until it was too late.

5. The answer. Trailing N.C. State 31-14 in the third quarter, Tech scored two touchdowns in less than two minutes, including an interception return for a touchdown by Jerrard Tarrant, to cut the gap to 31-28 and steal the momentum. But Russell Wilson made up for his interception by taking the Wolfpack down the field and finding T.J. Graham for a 23-yard touchdown on third-and-11 to take the momentum back and push the lead back to 10 at 38-28.

Second-half prognosis

After the shocking loss to Kansas, the Jackets bounced back to post a strong showing against North Carolina. That was followed by another subpar effort, which included 85 missed assignments, in a loss to N.C. State. It took three quarters, but the Jackets bounced back to defeat Wake Forest and then had arguably their best performance this season in last week's win against Virginia. It's going to more of that type of effort -- minus the turnovers -- in what looks to be the much tougher part of the schedule for Tech to make it to Charlotte, site of the ACC championship game.