Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Preview 2009
By
Richard Cirminiello
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2009 CFN Georgia Tech Preview
| 2009 Georgia Tech
Offense
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2009 Georgia Tech
Defense
|
2009 Georgia
Tech Depth Chart
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2008 GTech Preview
|
2007 GTech Preview
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2006 GTech
Preview
Head coach: Paul Johnson
2nd: year: 9-4
13th year overall: 116-43
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 29, Def. 27, ST 5
Lettermen Lost: 25 |
Ten
Best Tech Players
1. RB Jonathan Dwyer, Jr.
2. S Morgan
Burnett, Jr.
3. DE Derrick Morgan, Jr.
4.
WR Demaryius Thomas, Jr.
5.
RB Roddy
Jones, Soph.
6. LB Sedric Griffin, Jr.
7. OG Cord Howard,
Sr.
8. LB Cooper Taylor,
Soph.
9. CB Mario Butler, Jr.
10. RB Anthony Allen, Jr. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
9-3
2009 Record:
0-0
9/5
Jacksonville St
9/10
Clemson
9/17 at Miami
9/26
North Carolina
10/3
at Miss State
10/10 at Florida St
10/17
Virginia Tech
10/24
at Virginia
10/31
at Vanderbilt
11/7
Wake Forest
11/14
at Duke
11/21 OPEN DATE
11/28 Georgia
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2008 Schedule:
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Record: 9-4
8/28
Jacksonville St W
41-14
9/6 at Boston Coll W 19-16
9/13 at Virginia Tech L 20-17
9/20 Mississippi St W
38-7
9/27 OPEN DATE
10/4 Duke W 27-0
10/11 Gardner-Webb W
10-7
10/18 at Clemson W 21-17
10/25 Virginia L 24-17
11/1 Florida State W 31-28
11/8 at North Carolina L 28-7
11/15 OPEN DATE
11/20 Miami W 41-23
11/29 at Georgia W 45-42
Chick-fil-A Bowl
12/31 LSU L 38-3 |
If last year was supposed to be a messy transition
period, and the team went 9-4, what does that make
this year?
By all accounts, 2008 was expected to be an awkward
season for the Yellow Jackets. The coaching staff
was new. The system on both sides of the ball was
new. And there were divots just about everywhere on
the depth chart, including special teams. It all
added up to a rebuilding year, yet Tech went 9-4,
stayed in the Coastal Division hunt all season, and
snapped a seven-year skid versus Georgia. In all, it
was a banner debut for head coach Paul Johnson,
ratcheting up expectations for the 2009 season.
With 17 starters back and the implementation of the
triple-option nearly completed, the Yellow Jackets
have become a very trendy choice in the ACC. And why
not? Even with an imperfect cast, Johnson wasted no
time showing that his throwback offense still had
relevance and that his kids had the resiliency to
win close games. Those were two huge hurdles that
many believed might take years to clear. Now, with
Johnson having a little wind at his back and two
classes filled with his type of players, there’s no
telling how far he can take this program. Rest
assured, there’ll be no sneaking up on anyone this
fall.
Like just about everyone this time of year, there
are holes that need to be filled, but the program is
way ahead of where it was last summer. That’s
troubling news for an Atlantic Coast Conference that
isn’t quite ready to handle Jonathan Dwyer, Roddy
Jones, and the rest of the buzzsaw ground game. If
Georgia Tech can rebuild the defensive line and get
more production from Josh Nesbitt at quarterback,
Johnson and his staff will be ready to put their
blueprint for success into overdrive...in just their
second season on the Flats.
What to look for on
offense: More opportunities in the passing game. While the triple-option remains
the bread-and-butter of this attack, the coaching
staff realizes there are a handful of chances to
burn defenses on long balls through the air. And it
plans to exploit them whenever possible. Forget the
dink and dunk passing game. Georgia Tech wants to
really make defenses pay, when they sell out to stop
the run. Even if that means just two or three
connections downfield between Josh Nesbitt and
Demaryius Thomas, it’ll be enough to get the team in
scoring position and keep defenses on their heels.
What to look for on defense: The hunt for new
leaders. Georgia Tech didn’t just lose a handful of
starters with the departures of Vance Walker, Darryl
Richard, Michael Johnson, and Jahi Word-Daniels. It
also lost some of the vocal leaders and catalysts
for the defense. The Yellow Jackets will need
someone new to step into those voids and help keep
the momentum going. In particular, DE Derrick
Morgan, LB Sedric Griffin, and S Morgan Burnett are
being looked at as the new leaders for a unit
that’ll have a bunch of underclassmen on the
two-deep.
The team will be much better if … Josh Nesbitt becomes Eric Crouch. Okay, he doesn’t need to be
that good,
but he does need to take another stride toward
becoming the next explosive thing in an option
quarterback. Nesbitt was average last year, but in
his defense, everything about the system was new. In
Season 2, he ought to be better at making the right
reads and getting the ball in the hands of the
playmakers. If so, this offense has the weapons,
like Jonathan Dwyer, Roddy Jones, and Demaryius
Thomas, to stay ahead of ACC defenses trying to
crack its code.
The Schedule: The Yellow Jackets will be looking to make a run in the
SEC race facing Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Georgia, and on the
plus side, the one home game of the three is against the Bulldogs (the
good ones). The team will know where it stands early on with the ACC
opener against Clemson followed up by a trip to Miami and a huge home
game against North Carolina. Survive that stretch at 2-1, at worst, and
the ACC title will be in play. Virginia Tech has to come to Atlanta, but
that's the home oasis in a five week stretch with road trips to
Mississippi State, Florida State, Virginia and Vanderbilt sandwiched
around it. The week off comes too late in the season to do much good,
but it also comes at the end of the easiest portion of the slate, at
least competition-wise. The team will be road weary at that point having
played five road games in seven weeks.
Best Offensive Player: Junior RB
Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer was going to be a superstar no
matter what offense was being run in Atlanta. The
installation of the option just hastened the
process. A 6-0, 228-pounder, who’ll knife through
holes and get to top gear in a hurry, he’s a long
ball threat whenever the line gives him proper
daylight. As comfortable running through defenders
as he is jetting past them, he parlayed 1,395 yards
rushing and 13 total touchdowns into ACC Player of
the Year honors.
Best Defensive Player: Junior rover Morgan
Burnett. Tech’s do-everything safety is priming for
another season of All-American recognition. A rarity
among defensive backs, he defends the run like a
linebacker and will cover receivers like a lockdown
corner. Literally. It’s that unique combination of
skills that led the future draft choice to a
team-high 93 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 15
pass breakups, and seven interceptions.
Key players to a successful season: Defensive tackles Jason Peters and Ben Anderson. The
interior of the defensive line isn’t the only
concern heading into the season, but it is the
biggest. Losing Vance Walker and Darryl Richard to
the NFL leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the
line that’s going to invite opposing offenses to run
the ball right at the Yellow Jacket D. If Tech is
unable to prevent long, clock-milking drives, its
high-powered offense is going to be wasted on the
sidelines.
The season will be a success if ... Georgia
Tech wins 10 games for the first time since 1998. It
won’t be easy, but it is within reach now that the
offensive and defensive systems have begun to set in
Paul Johnson’s second year. While an ACC
championship is obviously the goal, falling short
will not make the season a disappointment. Remember,
this is still a very young football team, and
Virginia Tech is a consensus favorite to cop a third
straight league crown.
Key game:
Oct. 17 vs. Virginia Tech. All roads to
an ACC championship continue to go through
Blacksburg, which makes this the game of the year
for the Yellow Jackets. The Hokies have become the
league measuring stick, winning three league crowns
over the last five years. Avenging a three-point
loss last September could be the difference between
winning the Coastal Division and another December
bowl invitation.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Rushing yards per game: Georgia Tech 273.2 - Opponents 120.3
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Touchdown passes: Opponents 20 - Georgia Tech 5
- First quarter
scoring: Georgia Tech 74 - Opponents 37
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2009 CFN Georgia Tech Preview
| 2009 Georgia Tech
Offense
-
2009 Georgia Tech
Defense
|
2009 Georgia
Tech Depth Chart
-
2008 GTech Preview
|
2007 GTech Preview
|
2006 GTech
Preview