Georgia Tech defensive end Emmanuel Dieke had the right attitude.
“Right now, we have four more games left and we expect to win them all,” Dieke said following the Yellow Jackets’ 35-25 win over Virginia Saturday. He added that appropriate caveat, that it will need to be accomplished one game at a time, starting with Pittsburgh Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
While the Jackets have put together back-to-back wins, coach Paul Johnson’s punch list for the week looks a bit like the one he had during the Jackets’ three-game losing streak. Tech, which was flagged for nine penalties against Virginia, will need better ball security, more effective pass defense, and better discipline.
Tech lost the ball five times against the Cavaliers, more than in any of Johnson’s 75 games at Tech. Of perhaps greater concern, none of the three fumbles were dislodged by a particularly impactful hit.
The Jackets had eight giveaways in their losses to Virginia Tech, Miami and BYU, teams that were much more capable than Virginia of making Tech pay for slippery fingers.
The focus and attention that were lacking during the losing streak, and seemed to be re-gained in the one-turnover, zero-penalty win over Syracuse, were again an issue against the Cavaliers.
Said B-back David Sims, who had a fumble for the second time in the past three games, “That was pretty uncharacteristic of us to fumble that many times.”
Tech has had 17 fumbles this season and lost seven. Actually, Tech’s rate of 2.1 fumbles per game is low in Johnson’s tenure. The team has averaged between 2.2 and 2.8 fumbles in Johnson’s first five seasons.
Pitt has forced 14 fumbles in seven games but only recovered three. Meanwhile, the Panthers have fumbled just four times – and lost all four.
The Jackets will also need to prepare for Pittsburgh to challenge them in the air. Pitt has a 58/42 run-pass ratio, but will undoubtedly be studying the success that teams have been having with the pass.
BYU quarterback Taysom Hill and Virginia quarterback David Watford both completed 70 percent of their passes in their games against Tech, above their season rates by about 18 and 10 points, respectively.
Saturday, Watford completed 43 of 61 passes for 376 yards against Tech with two touchdowns and one interception. The completions, attempts and yards were all season highs for a Tech opponent.
“We got ’em in third down and long some, they just converted more than you’d like,” Johnson said.
Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage has completed 59.3 percent of his passes and can deliver the ball downfield. His 8.5 yards-per-attempt average is in the top 25 in the country.
Tech is a 10-point favorite against Pittsburgh.
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