The offense is already there, but can the defense catch up?
Georgia Tech’s defense was bad last year. There is no denying that.
Data and visualization courtesy of GameOnPaper.com.
Despite the solid pass defense numbers in EPA, everything else was so bad, that it’s a little crazy to think what could have happened with even an average defense. Well, as the title of this article says, I believe that with just an average defense, Georgia Tech is in play for one of the spots in the ACC Championship game.
And that’s because of how good the offense was last year. Buster Faulkner engineered an impressive offensive turnaround that saw the emergence of offensive keystones like Haynes King and Jamaal Haynes, who both return this season. In Year 2 under Faulkner, I expect the offense to improve. There is a little bit of turnover. One offensive lineman and a couple of skill guys are gone, but the majority of the core returns, so there is no reason the unit shouldn’t improve.
But what does the defense need to do to be average?
The easy answer is to play better against the run. Looking at the data above, it’s clear that’s where the defense saw the majority of its struggle. Aside from Paul Moala, the linebackers struggled, and the interior defensive line has not done particularly well in recent years. Last year was particularly bad with a success rate allowed of 44.7 percent.
The defensive line sees a lot of turnover from last season. Makius Scott and Zeek Biggers are really the only notable names returning inside. There are a couple of guys who could step in and make an impact, though in Horace Lockett and Shymeik Jones. Lockett served as a reserve last season but made his impact known when he was on the field. Despite being a back-up, he finished with the fourth-highest PFF run defense ranking (meaning he played enough snaps to qualify for that).
Jones redshirted last season, so he’s a bit more of an unknown, but he’s a big athletic guy who also played basketball in high school, so I think he’s got some potential.
Linebacker is more of a question mark, though. Jackson Caudell (of All Yellow Jackets) spoke highly of the linebacker group’s performance in the Spring Game in his report. Kyle Efford stepped up at the end of last season and should be a starter again this season. The question is who will be next to him. Jackson Hamilton, Tah’j Butler. and EJ Lightsey all had good performances in the Spring Game.
With that improvement in the run defense, I believe that Georgia Tech will improve enough that it will be in contention for one of the two spots in the ACC Championship Game. The Yellow Jackets have a difficult road ahead, facing every other team that had a winning record within the ACC last season, but I believe they could do it.
What does Georgia Tech need to do to be in contention for the ACC Championship Game?