Georgia Tech: Three Keys To Game 1 With Prediction

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets kick the season off tonight (8 PM EDT) in “The Benz”, and take on the Tennessee Volunteers. It’s a massive game for both teams.

With the full attention of the college football world affixed to Atlanta, Georgia Tech opens the season tonight against the Tennessee Vols. Both teams have questions coming into this game and the season. We’ll begin to get answers to those questions tonight. Here are three keys to the game (there are many more):

Quarterback Questions.

Both Georgia Tech and Tennessee enter this game with significant questions at QB. But they are not the same questions. Tennessee, presumptively, will start Junior Quinten Dormady. By most accounts, dude has talent, but he’s never really seen significant action. Tech comes in listing four equal Quarterbacks on their depth chart. It most likely will be

Matthew Jordan

getting the start, but we could see multiple QBs from both teams. It will be the team with the kids who step up at this position that will win.

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Line of Scrimmage. Yes, it seems pedantic to suggest that the team that wins will control line of scrimmage. Common sense. But with both of these teams, it is especially true. Georgia Tech averaged 255 yards/game rushing in 2016. If they can control the LOS and get to that number, Tennessee will be in trouble. Tennessee’s defensive strength is on the Defensive Line, and if GT is running it down their throat, it’s over. Conversely, if Tennessee gets John Kelly going, and Georgia Tech can’t force Dormady into throwing pressure passes, the Vols will literally run away with it.

31 Points. Most seem to think that this game will be low scoring, because of the aforementioned questions on the offensive side for both teams. I don’t think so. I think the winner has to get to 31 points or north of it. Both teams are very talented on Offense. Both teams will get theirs tonight. 31 points is the number that usually means a couple of turnovers and/or incredibly efficient scoring drives.

Prediction: I’ve written about this game here and here. Both coaches need to win this game. A Tennessee loss, and you can start looking for possible landing spots for Butch Jones. A Georgia Tech loss and the mumblings about Paul Johnson will turn to audible grumblings.

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I actually could see Tennessee blowing Georgia Tech out. But when analyzing the depth chart, one realizes that Tech brings back nine Seniors and nine Juniors on Defense. They aren’t big, but they have experience. I was leaning Vols until the recent injuries to Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Austin Smith. They are two starting Linebackers who will be missing in a game where discipline and assignment is name of the game. Based on that:

Georgia Tech 34, Tennessee 30.

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