What is the Biggest X-Factor for Georgia Tech's Offense Against North Carolina?
Georgia Tech is entering today's game against North Carolina as a three-touchdown underdog on the road and is missing their top two quarterbacks. Nobody is giving the Yellow Jackets much of a chance, but there are some things the Yellow Jackets can do to have success in this game.
All eyes are going to be on North Carolina's offense and quarterback Drake Maye and deservingly so. However, the other side of the ball for North Carolina is eye-opening, but in a much different way.
The Tar Heels have one of, if not the worst, defenses in the ACC and one of the worst in the country. They rank last in the ACC in passing defense and 13th in rushing defense. Tackles for loss are not much better, as UNC is near the bottom of the country as well.
Can Georgia Tech's offense move the ball against the North Carolina defense?
So what do the Yellow Jackets need to do when they have the ball today?
I think the answer is pretty simple: Run the damn ball.
Despite North Carolina being so bad in pass defense, I don't think Georgia Tech's quarterbacks need to be asked to do too much today. Zach Gibson has struggled mightily in his time on the field this season and we have not seen Taisun Phommachanh play.
Now, they will have to pass some to keep the Tar Heel's defense from completely stacking the box against the run, but the running backs and offensive line are going to have to be the difference today.
Last season, the Yellow Jackets ran for 261 yards on North Carolina, but over 100 of those came from Sims. The quarterback run is huge for Georgia Tech's offense this season and that is why you could see Phommachanh play today, as Gibson is not a threat on the ground.
Dontae Smith, Hassan Hall, and true freshman Jamie Felix have become the main ball carriers for Georgia Tech and I expect them to see plenty of work today.
Earlier this season, Notre Dame handed North Carolina its only loss of the season thus far and racked up 287 yards on the ground in the process. Notre Dame's offense is really poor, but they managed to have success against North Carolina's defense.
Expect plenty of carries for Georgia Tech's running backs today
PFF (Pro Football Focus) has North Carolina's run defense graded as 62.4, which is poor. The Georgia Tech rushing offense has a grade of 79.6, which is above average.
The numbers and the quarterback situation make it clear what Georgia Tech needs to do on offense today. If they can run the ball effectively and keep Maye and the Tar Heels offense off the field, the Yellow Jackets can hang around in this game. If they can't, it could get ugly.
Georgia Tech vs North Carolina will kick off today at 5:30 and the game will be on ESPN2.
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