Paul Johnson is looking to take the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets back to the postseason in 2018. His team has missed out on a bowl game for two of the last three years, but there is optimism surrounding their chances this year. The Yellow Jackets will have to play six road games, yet the division might be a bit easier than it was last year. Additionally, the offense is going to be very experienced with nine returning starters.
Georgia Tech 2018 regular season win total
Over 6 (-130)
Under 6 (+100)
Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook
What Happened Last Year
Georgia Tech ended last season at 5-6 and wondered what could have been this offseason. The Yellow Jackets blew fourth quarter leads against Tennessee, Miami, and Virginia, and winning any one of those three would have led to this team going bowling.
Once again, Georgia Tech was the best team in the conference on the ground in 2017 with its flexbone attack. However, the Yellow Jackets lacked any sort of passing game last year. Taquon Marshall completed just 37.1 percent of his passes last season, and that meant defenses did not have to respect the pass.
What Will Change This Year
Johnson is hopeful that Marshall’s passing numbers will improve in 2018. Last season was his first under center, and he had little success through the air after the first month of the campaign. He failed to complete more than 46 percent of his passes in any of his last seven games and completed under 28 percent of his passes in each of his last five outings.
However, this offseason he has worked on his mechanics and that should lead to better production. Marshall is a dynamite runner, so if he can complete closer to 50 percent of his passes, this offense should show vast improvement.
Earlier this month, Georgia Tech received some bad news. Safety A.J. Gray and offensive tackle Jake Stickler both announced that they are going to give up football because of medical issues. Those losses will hurt. Gray and Stickler were each expected to start in 2018, and the loss of Gray is particularly worrisome. He was the one returning starter in the secondary, and now the defensive backs are all going to be very inexperienced.
The Yellow Jackets will be changing up their defensive scheme as well. New defensive coordinator Nate Woody is installing a 3-4 scheme that should help to create more pressure. There will be some growing pains, but the decision is smart without many proven passers in the conference.
Outlook & Prediction
Georgia Tech should be better on offense than they were last season. In Johnson’s Flexbone offense, experience is prized and that should help this unit improve on their numbers in 2017.
However, no one knows what to make of the defense. Woody’s defenses were some of the best in the Sun Belt when he was at Appalachian State, but we don’t know how that will translate.
The Yellow Jackets will probably be better than last year and should return to a bowl. It feels like 6-6 is right for this team though given their schedule and who they must face on the road.
