Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Tulane Green Wave preview

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are 1-0 on the young season, but in all fairness, the 19-point margin of victory in the season opener against Wofford wasn’t quite indicative of how close the game was for the majority of the 60 minutes. However, wins are wins, and the Jackets have a unique challenge in week two, as they travel to New Orleans to square off against Tulane on a day where the Green Wave open a brand-new, on-campus stadium. The place will be rocking, and with that, we should have a competitive game. Let’s get to the preview.

Opponent: Tulane Green Wave

Time/TV: 4:00 pm ET, ESPNews

Georgia Tech Offense vs. Tulane Defense

Offensively, the Jackets finished with some pretty impressive numbers in the opener, and that certainly wasn’t the major issue. Starting QB Justin Thomas had a huge day (by Tech standards) through the air, going 11-for-15 for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he was also highly effective on the ground, gaining 71 yards on 13 carries. In addition, Zach Laskey notched 70 yards on 15 carries, including two scores on the ground, and as a team, the Jackets averaged better than 5 yards per carry, executing their game-by-game plan.

However, Tulane is a significant step up in competition. The Green Wave enter the season with a highly-regarded defense, and while that took a hit in a 38-31 overtime loss to Tulsa, they return the great majority of a productive group from 2013. It will be interesting to see how Justin Thomas and company handle the jump in athletes, even if Tulane doesn’t necessarily present a high-end ACC level of competition on paper.

Georgia Tech Defense vs. Tulane Offense

This was the danger zone for Tech in the opener, but fortunately, Tulane isn’t terrifying offensively. Wofford rushed for 271 yards as a team (yikes) last week, and this week’s opponent also exceeded 250 yards, granted against a lesser opponent. First year starting QB Tanner Lee was quite productive in his debut, but again, the Georgia Tech defense was stout against the pass against Wofford, and if anything, the worry comes in the ground game.

Worry if Tulane is able to generate consistent momentum to keep drives alive. Cackle with glee if Tech is able to get off the field on third down and execute in high-leverage spots defensively.

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There is something tricky about playing a team with a raucous crowd in their favor, and that is certainly going to be the case in New Orleans on Saturday. Still, Paul Johnson’s club is a sizable favorite in advance of this one, and anything short of a comfortable victory will do nothing to erase the shakiness from the opener in Atlanta.

Stay tuned for post-game coverage, and a live game thread that will open on Saturday morning. Check it out!