Statistically speaking, Georgia Tech had its worst outing of the season last time out in a 23-20 win at Miami on Oct. 7.
The Yellow Jackets were held to a season-low in total offense (250 yards) and matched a season-low in points (23) and first downs (13). Yet it was the Tech offense that concocted the game-winning drive in the final seconds against the Hurricanes to change the narrative of what was an otherwise tough night.
“They were definitely a good defense, for sure. They had a lot of studs on the defensive side of the ball,” Tech tight end Dylan Leonard said. “We started to get a little momentum coming into the second (half), and I think it’s just a (testament) to the team that we played until the clock hit zero. A lot of teams would have given up or just laid down at the end there when, theoretically, the game was over. I think that’s (a testament) a lot to what this team’s culture and character is that we fought to the very end.
“We’ve had a bye week to fix things that we were struggling on and gonna correct it and come out this Saturday (against Boston College) and get the offense back and going like it was.”
Tech coach Brent Key said this week that it’s imperative for the Jackets to be better on offense on first downs. Failing to connect on a shot down the field for a big gain on first down puts the Jackets in second-and-long which then presents the conundrum of trying to set up a third-and-short or simply a third-and-manageable.
Consecutive incomplete passes from the Tech offense also stops the clock which could become a disadvantage for the Tech defense, Key said. The Jackets’ ability to gain a few first downs and move the ball factors heavily into the field-position battle as well.
The Jackets have only 130 first downs this season (10 of those were aided by an opponents’ penalty), a total which ranks 69th nationally and ninth out of the 14 ACC teams. Tech is averaging at least four yards per offensive drive only 52.6% of the time and scoring 2.28 points per offensive drive (national leader Michigan, for context, is scoring 4.34 points per drive).
Thus, despite being a pretty good offense through six games, there is much room for improvement for coordinator Buster Faulkner’s attack.
“You look on a lot of plays (against Miami), and it’s not everybody is doing the wrong thing or missing their assignment, but it’d be one guy here or one guy there,” Leonard said. “It’s really putting that all together. And also communicating up front. Miami did some things different, and we missed some calls up front that we can’t be missing. So I think a lot of it is communication and (everyone taking care of his responsibility.)
“Then, schematically-wise, coach has been dialing up things that they think will be affective on the way Boston College plays. I think it comes down to that.”
Tech’s offense will face a Boston College defense that does not look great on paper.
The Eagles (3-3, 1-2 ACC) rank last in the league in allowing fourth-down conversions, interceptions, pass-efficiency defense, tackles for loss and takeaways. They’re second-to-last in sacks, points allowed per game, red-zone defense and getting stops on third downs.
Boston College has allowed at least 24 points in every game this season and at least 20 in 10 consecutive games overall.
“Defensively, they’ve really been a very similar defense for the last three or four years and grown within that scheme of being able to make the adjustments and keeping things in front of them. They’ve gotten better every week (this season),” Key said. “Their linebacker (Vinny DePalma) is one of the top three or five tacklers in the conference, and up front they’ve got solid guys that are gonna play heavy and try to gap you out and flat-wall the line of scrimmage and keep everything out of the middle and bounce it outside to the perimeter.”
The Jackets could get a personnel boost Saturday with the return of right tackle Jordan Williams and wide receiver Chase Lane. Williams left after three plays of the Wake Forest game Sept. 23 and hasn’t played since while Lane hasn’t been active since Sept. 9.
Williams’ replacement, Jakiah Leftwich, has played 170 snaps and was the 13th-best graded player, according to Pro Football Focus, in the win at Miami.
Both Williams and Lane returned to practice this week.
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