Georgia Tech Football: First Look At North Carolina
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Heading into last Saturday's game, Miami had not scored a touchdown in two straight games. Not including turnovers, the Hurricanes scored 28 on the Georgia Tech defense and had a solid day running the ball. After facing a struggling offense last week, the Yellow Jackets are going to be facing one of the best offenses in the country.
The North Carolina defense? Not so much, but it might not matter considering the quarterback situation for Georgia Tech at the moment.
The Yellow Jackets won this matchup handily last year and that is something that Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown has not forgotten:
"Georgia Tech dominated us last year, they really ruined our season. We got a bad start at Virginia Tech, we dominated Virginia, we go to Georgia Tech and just get killed and that was when all the fans quit and we all were disappointed, they totally dominated the game. In fact, the score was 45-22, I looked at it this morning and it made me throw up. We had 63 rushing yards, they had 261. We gave up eight sacks for 55 yards. That is enough sacks for a season. We went for fourth down on our own 31 and that will cure you from doing that. We lost two yards and they scored quickly and they had 17 points off of turnovers."
So how do the two conference opponents match up heading into Saturday's game?
Let's take a closer look.
North Carolina Offense vs Georgia Tech Defense.
North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye is a contender for the Heisman Trophy this season
The North Carolina offense is one of the best in the country and they have a Heisman contender at quarterback. If I had a Heisman vote, I would give it to Drake Maye right now. He checks all the boxes: 1) Puts up great numbers, 2) Plays on a contending team, and 3) His team would be far worse without him.
Maye leads a Tar Heels offense that ranks 2nd in SP+ and is first in the ACC, scoring right at 40 PPG. That is good for top ten in the country.
Maye leads the attack and has thrown for over 3,400 yards to go along with 34 touchdowns and three interceptions. Maye leads the ACC in passing yards by nearly 700 yards and is first in the ACC in passing efficiency, and completion percentage, and has thrown for the fewest interceptions. He is the best quarterback that the Yellow Jackets have faced this year.
Maye is also the team's leading rusher with 584 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Carolina has three rushers that have totaled at least 250 yards rushing this season. Omarion Hampton, Elijah Green, and Caleb Hood are all solid options in the backfield. Hood leads the group with 5.8 yards per carry.
North Carolina's Josh Downs has been one of the country's best receivers
There is no question about who the top receiver is on North Carolina. Josh Downs has 74 receptions for 847 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Downs is thrid in the ACC in receiving yards and first in receptions and will be the number one threat on the outside for Georgia Tech to watch.
Antoine Green is the deep threat on this team and Georgia Tech is going to have to make sure he does not get behind the defense. Green has 30 catches for 678 yards and is averaging nearly 23 yards per catch.
Georgia Tech has not faced a lot of dynamic tight ends, but North Carolina has two good players at the position.
Bryson Nesbit and Kamari Morales have both caught over 20 passes and each have over 250 yards receiving.
North Carolina's offensive line has not been its strong point this season. They are eigth in the ACC in sacks allowed and that is in the bottom half of the country.
Georgia Tech is going to need to get pressure on North Carolina and hope that they can get Maye to turn the ball over to them. Not allowing any big plays to receivers like Green and Downs is going to be key. Make North Carolina earn every yard and not allowing easy scores is the best way for Georgia Tech to stop this North Carolina offense.
North Carolina Defense vs Georgia Tech Offense
North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray has over 100 tackles this season
There is not a lot of good to say about this North Carolina defense. As good as its offense, its defense is on the opposite end.
North Carolina is 13th in rushing defense and 14th in passing defense, as well as last in sacks. The problem for Georgia Tech is they might not have capable quarterback play to be able to take advantage.
With Zach Pyron out for the season and Jeff Sims out indefinitely, it is likely going to be Zach Gibson at quarterback, but there is a chance that Clemson transfer Taiusun Phommachanh could see action for the first time all season.
On the North Carolina defensive line, Kevin Hester Jr leads the unit in tackles with 37 and Jahvaree Ritzie is next with 33.
The best group on this defense is the linebackers. Cedric Gray has 107 tackles, which leads the team, and two interceptions, which is tied for the team lead. Gray is the most impactful player on the defense and will be the guy to watch on Saturday.
The secondary has talented players such as Tony Grimes and Storm Duck, but has not been able to play consistently this year.
I would expect the offense for Georgia Tech to try and lean heavy on the ground game this weekend. The Yellow Jackets are going to have to try to do something through the air if they want to be able to score points because the Tar Heels are going to stack the box to stop the run. The offensive line has been an issue all season and will need to perform well on Saturday.
This is going to be a tough matchup for Georgia Tech on Saturday and a lot is going to fall on how much the offense can score.
Georgia Tech and North Carolina kickoff this Saturday at 5:30 p.m on ESPN2.
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