Hate Week Preview: Can the Jackets pull off one final upset against a hated rival in u(sic)Ga?

Seven years.

That’s how long it’s been since Tech had a win in one of college football’s oldest rivalries. For five years, Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate was a one-sided affair. The closest margin of victory for u(sic)Ga was 23 points, and the Jackets had seven points or less in three of the five games. But last year things began to change. Even though u(sic)Ga entered the game with three of its top five receivers and without its starting offensive lineman, they should have performed better in the first half. Tech had a 10-7 lead with seven minutes left in the second quarter because u(sic)Ga looked timid early. The Jackets’ running game – namely the redshirt junior duo of quarterback Haynes King and running back Jamal Haynes – found success on the ground against one of the best run defenses in the country. u(sic)Ga ended up scoring 24 unanswered points as the Jackets misfired in the red zone and their defense ran out of steam.

These days, jackets are much better equipped to combine strength with strength.

The task ahead should not be glossed over. The quarterback situation is a mystery right now — it will be either King, freshman quarterback Aaron Philo or a mix of both. u(sic)Ga’s defense is impressive – they are 14th in third-down defense, 17th in PPG allowed, 27th in passing yards, 30th in sacks and 15th in turnover defense. One possible area of ​​application is run defense. They are 38th in run defense and missed a lot of tackles against the UMass Minutemen, who ran for 226 rushing yards.

Tech’s rushing offense ranks 39th nationally, 37th in yards per carry and 23rd in rushing touchdowns per game. A crucial component of this performance is King’s ability as a runner. When he can’t play, the bulk of the workload falls on Haynes and a solid complement of senior Trey Cooley, sophomore Chad Alexander and freshman Anthony Carrie. If the running tracks are closed to Tech, they will have to lean on the arm of Philo. The rookie has looked much better than his inexperience would suggest. He finished his performance against Miami with an outstanding PFF grade of 93.7, which was likely belied by throws like a 3rd-and-18 heave to redshirt freshman receiver Bailey Stockton on first down. Even though u(sic)Ga’s secondary ranks just 103rd nationally in interceptions, Philo has to be smart with the ball. But he still needs to be aggressive against this secondary for the Jackets to get the win.

Perhaps the biggest difference between last year and tonight is the Jackets’ defense. They rank 32nd in the country in run defense, but they didn’t play like that against NC State, North Carolina and Notre Dame. u(sic)Ga comes into this game with some injuries at running back. Nate Frazier, a true freshman, is expected to handle the bulk of the carries after a three-touchdown performance against UMass. Still, it’s possible that the Jackets could slow down the young back through solid tackling and sticking to their gap assignments. Regardless, it will be another tough test for the top four. Defensive ends like redshirt junior Romello Height and redshirt senior Sylvain Yondjouen need to get a good edge. On the interior, senior duo Makius Scott and Zeek Biggers have a tough matchup with US GA center Jared Wilson and right guard Dylan Fairchild.

To win this game, the Jackets need to do three things. First, they have to force U(sic)Ga quarterback Carson Beck into some rash throws that end up in the hands of their DBs. Second, they need to limit u(sic)Ga’s running game. Second-year linebacker Kyle Efford has done an excellent job coordinating Tech’s run defense – that must continue in the hostile environment of Sanford Stadium. Finally, they must be executed in the red zone. Last year, Tech lost momentum because they had to settle for field goals. Things can’t continue like this tonight.

Tech fans have waited seven years for the chance to realistically play spoiler. With the nation’s attention focused on them, it’s up to the Jackets to turn those hopes into a new chapter of clean, old-fashioned hatred.