On the same afternoon that Georgia Tech tied a modern-era school record with six fumble recoveries, the Yellow Jackets still bled yards.
Pittsburgh piled up 526 yards of offense against Tech in the Jackets’ 56-28 win in Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Panthers averaged 8 yards per play and converted eight of 12 third downs. But, due to Tech forcing and recovering five fumbles on Pittsburgh’s first five possessions, giving the Jackets space to take a 28-0 lead, it stood as improvement.
“Defensively, we did enough to win the game,” coach Paul Johnson said. “We got some turnovers. We’ve got some stuff we’ve got to clean up and stuff we’ve got to work on.”
Among the clean-up areas is the return of the big-play problem that took a bite out of Tech at the beginning of the season, with four plays of 60 yards or more allowed in the first three games. After giving up a 68-yard touchdown pass to North Carolina a week ago, the Jackets surrendered a 74-yard run to Pitt running back James Conner. That one would have been a 75-yard touchdown run if not for the exceeding hustle of cornerback D.J. White, who chased down Conner and forced a fumble and touchback with a strip near the goal line.
“I feel like we did a good job of getting the ball out, but we still need to clean up some things in pass coverage and knowing who’s got who,” White said. “And also in the run fits, I felt like, even though we stopped them a little bit in the beginning, I felt like they kind of broke loose towards the end, so we still need to improve on that.”
A sobering number about the Jackets’ defense: In the team record books, of the 10 highest yards-per-play games against Tech, three have been played this year. Two others were played last season.
There would seem to be ample room for Tech to improve its defense, but the question is, after eight games, to what degree can the Jackets be expected to play better?
The Jackets likely don’t have many more seven-fumble games up their sleeves. The more common techniques of defeating blocks, pressuring the passer with four down linemen and tackling well will need to be applied more effectively.
But if significant improvement is not an option, perhaps any improvement will do, given the offense’s high level of proficiency. Against a Pitt defense that, while relatively untested, had still entered the game No. 4 in the country in total defense, Tech ransacked the Panthers for 612 yards and 8.1 yards per play, well above Pitt’s season averages of 280.4 and 4.59.
Further, Tech did it without starting B-back Zach Laskey and right tackle Chris Griffin, who were both held out with shoulder injuries. The team’s best blocking A-back, Charles Perkins, left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury. And the offense rolled on, scarcely missing a step.
Virginia, Tech’s homecoming opponent this Saturday, may be the Jackets’ toughest defensive draw thus far, if it wasn’t Pittsburgh. But if the Tech defense can find a way to impede the Cavaliers just enough, that may be sufficient for the Jackets as their pursuit of the ACC Coastal Division continues into November.
“To come in and play as well as we did offensively, I’m happy,” Johnson said.
About the Author
