After Saturday's 30-24 win against North Carolina, one of the Georgia Tech faithful was inclined to make the following Twitter post: "Exactly the game we needed; good enough to get a conference win, poor enough for CPJ to chew on."
CPJ, decoded coach Paul Johnson, was inclined to agree on Sunday: "We've got a lot of things to work on. It's not like we played picture-perfect."
Perhaps not, but after lackluster games against S.C. State and Kansas, the effort against the Tar Heels was noticeably better. The positives for the Yellow Jackets (2-1, 1-0) were obvious: the offense posted more than 400 yards for the second consecutive week and held the ball for 35 minutes; the defense allowed just two touchdowns over the final 45 minutes; and Scott Blair kicked three field goals.
The negatives aren't so unfamiliar: for the third consecutive week the defense allowed a 100-yard rusher; the punt-return unit wasn't effective, though Johnson said Tech hasn't forced enough punts to know if he should be concerned; and they team is still committing ill-timed penalties and turnovers.
Those are a few of the areas that team will seek to improve this week in preparation for next Saturday and N.C. State, featuring quarterback Russell Wilson.
Johnson said the team will need more of the same type of execution it showed in last week if it hopes to defeat a very confident and undefeated Wolfpack team.
"They're 3-0. I'm sure they are on the Kool-Aid," Johnson said, referring to what State coach Tom O'Brien is brewing.
Tech does have an advantage for this game. Defensive line coach Andy McCollum was on N.C. State's staff last season. Johnson said McCollum may be able to help them with personnel. On the flip-side, Johnson said he has never faced Wolfpack defensive coordinator Mike Archer or linebackers coach Jon Tenuta before. Tenuta was Tech's defensive coordinator under former coach Chan Gailey (2002-07).
The week's tallest order may belong to Tech defensive coordinator Al Groh, who is charged with trying to figure out a way to contain Wilson, something few have been able to do. Three games into his third season, Wilson has already passed for more than 5,000 yards with 56 touchdowns. He's also rushed for more than 650 yards and eight more scores.
Johnson said they hope to be able to keep him in the pocket, pointing out that Wilson is undersized, listed at 5 feet, 11 inches. Tech would prefer to make him try to throw over defenders, rather than outside the pocket, where he can create clear passing lanes.
That was something that Tech was not particularly successful at against North Carolina. Several times, quarterback T.J. Yates was able to evade the rush and create more time to throw or take off down the field.
"We've got to contain guys on our pass rush," Johnson said. "It's been atrocious. The last QB [Yates] wasn't so much a runner. A kid like this [Wilson] can kill you. He thrives outside the pocket."
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