Georgia Tech Football: Early Opponent Preview vs North Carolina
North Carolina Running Back British Brooks
Last season, Georgia Tech was able to pull off a pretty big upset at the beginning of the season when they knocked off North Carolina. The Tar Heels came into the season as a top ten team, but it did not take long to see that this team was receiving far too much hype to begin the year.
Georgia Tech was able to force three turnovers and Jeff Sims had a tremendous day running the football. He finished with over 120 yards rushing and three touchdowns and was just fantastic all game. The defense got eight sacks and dominated North Carolina up front. However, Georgia Tech was unable to build off of that win and lost seven of their last eight games.
The Yellow Jackets have won three of the past four against North Carolina and have had a good amount of success against the Tar Heels since 2009.
North Carolina will not be entering the top ten this season, but they are still a talented football team. How they replace key starters at the quarterback and running back position, as well as fix their defense will determine if this team could surprise and challenge for the ACC Coastal title.
This game is going to come right near the end of the season and Georgia Tech is going to know if they need to win this game or not to make a bowl game. Whether they are in a position to do so could determine the motivation factor for this game.
So how does Georgia Tech match up with North Carolina heading into 2022? Let's take a look below.
Offense
North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs
North Carolina has had one of the most potent offenses in the country for the past couple of seasons, but they are going to have to replace a lot of star power heading into the 2022 season.
Most eyes will be on the battle for the starting quarterback spot. Former four-star quarterback Drake Maye is the favorite, but he is facing stiff competition from Jacoby Criswell. Sam Howell is leaving big shoes to fill and he often had to carry this team on his back last season. The Tar Heels need to make sure the next starting quarterback does not have to do everything on his own as Howell did.
The running game will be in the hands of British Brooks, who will be taking over for Ty Chandler. Brooks only got 31 carries last season but put up 295 yards and averaged nearly 10 yards per carry. That kind of production is hard to keep up for a whole season, but it is still impressive.
The wide receiver corps is going to be led by one of the premier wide receivers in the entire country. Josh Downs had 101 catches for over 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns last season and even with the uncertainty at quarterback, could repeat those numbers. He is going to be the unquestioned top target on the offense. Justin Olson and Antoine Green are going to be the other starters. Green was the second leading receiver last season.
The offensive line was a disaster last season, but head coach Mack Brown is hoping that a new offensive line coach can turn things around for UNC up front. This is a huge question mark for the team going into the year and look for five-star freshman Zach Rice to get an early look this season. Georgia Tech won against North Carolina's offensive line consistently in last years game
Defense
North Carolina Linebacker Cedric Gray
Aside from its offensive line, the defense for North Carolina was the biggest issue they had. Ranking 94th in total defense, the Tar Heels let Georgia Tech run all over them in last season's game. To help fix the defense, Brown brought in an old coordinator of his, former Iowa State and Auburn head coach Gene Chizik.
The defensive line has a good duo inside with Myles Murphy and Raymond Vohasek, but the edge position is unproven. Chris Collins could have a big senior season, but a guy to watch will be a five-star freshman Travis Shaw, who will most likely play on the interior.
Linebacker has a stud with Cedric Gray, but some questions at other spots. Power Echols and Noah Taylor are going to have to step up for this team in 2022.
North Carolina has some talent in its secondary, but they have to do a better job at not allowing so many big plays. Cornerback Tony Grimes has first-round potential but needs more consistency. Storm Duck will occupy the other side, while Cam'Ron Kelly and Ja'Qurious Conley are back at safety.
The talent is there for North Carolina to be better, but Chizik has his work cut out for him to get this group playing better.
Overview:
North Carolina is one of the most perplexing teams in the ACC. They have talent at nearly every position and should be better than the 6-6 mark they put up last year, but yet there is uncertainty surrounding Brown and the program heading into the year.
On paper, North Carolina has much more talent than Georgia Tech. However, the things that Georgia Tech is going to want to do well, like run the ball, North Carolina has a question about. While Georgia Tech did not have a strong pass rush last season, they still got eight sacks against the porous North Carolina offensive line.
If North Carolina is not much better on the offensive line and in their run defense, Georgia Tech could pull another stunner. How the new quarterback for North Carolina looks is also going to be crucial heading into this game and the season. Both teams will know what each has by November 19th when the Yellow Jackets make their way to Chapel Hill.
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