By protecting against deep balls and tackling well, the Georgia Tech secondary has avoided trouble for most of the season.
By making technique mistakes and letting receivers run free, the same group has stumbled in recent weeks.
“Not up to our fullest potential,” Tech cornerback Louis Young said, “and not to where we worked so hard for.”
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray and his assembly of receivers will match up against one of the more talented units on the Yellow Jackets team Saturday. But, as Young noted, it’s a group that will need to ratchet up its level of play.
“You’ve got to give [opponents] credit, too,” secondary coach Charles Kelly said of the pass defense’s recent lapses. “But I definitely think we’ve got to have a better week this week.”
The Yellow Jackets’ difficulty in preventing big plays causes the most alarm. Facing quarterbacks such as Clemson’s Tajh Boyd and Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas, Tech’s pass defense has labored and often come up short. In the first six games, the Jackets gave up three pass plays of 30 yards. In the past five, they’ve permitted 10.
With a massive offensive line and a running game that must be honored, deep shots at the secondary likely are a game-plan element for Saturday. While Duke nibbled at Georgia Tech on Saturday with underneath crossing routes, “I would say from that standpoint, this team is going to try to air it out,” Young said.
It may call for more conservative pass coverages, which would mean fewer blitzes at Murray, which, of course, could give him more time to set and throw. In recent weeks, Tech’s pass rush has not consistently forced hurries or flushed quarterbacks from the pocket. In the past four games, Tech opponents have thrown 121 times and have been sacked three times.
In addition to producing a more impactful pass rush, Tech will have to do better avoiding blocks in the red zone and taking proper sets in zone defenses. Using good technique on man coverages and tackling the ballcarrier quickly to prevent excessive yards after the catch has to improve are two additional priorities.
“You’ve got to make sure you’re in position where you can defend the ball, not just shadow guys,” Kelly said.
Still, Tech stands at 8-3, held Clemson to a season-low (at the time) 17 points and, extracting the Thomas-induced meltdown in the Virginia Tech game, has held its past three opponents to 15 of 40 (37.5 percent) on third downs. Jemea Thomas has shown a knack for delivering in the clutch, snuffing out Clemson and Duke’s final drives with interceptions. Also, in Georgia’s past three SEC games, Murray has been sacked eight times.
Said Young, “I would say we haven’t really been on our ‘A’ game, but this is a perfect game to get better.”
