The overall expectations of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets national are low, but Tech fans feel that this season can be as bright as 2014-15. Why shouldn’t fans feel that way!
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Tech is bringing back a legitimate ACC Player of the Year candidate in quarterback Justin Thomas, a defense that has ball hawks D.J. White and Jamal Golden in the defensive backfield, and a defensive front that consists of tackling machine Paul Davis, with playmakers Adam Gotsis, Keyshun Freeman and Jabari Hunt-Days.
The chances of being able to equal the accomplishments that the 2014-15 edition of Georgia Tech Football achieved are pretty strong.
The 2015 schedule, to some, is more difficult to navigate than last years’. Even Paul Johnson is saying that this is the toughest schedule he has encountered since taking the helm at Georgia Tech.
In actuality, the difficulty is the same simply because all you can do is play who is in front of you and give maximum effort– or at least that is the approach you need to take.
Also, as with any other schedule, there is that one game that you can view as a springboard game.
The springboard game can be viewed as that one game that can give positive or negative momentum going forward in your schedule, and could possibly dictate the vibe of the season. That is why the springboard game can be viewed as the most imortant game of the slate.
For this year, the springboard game is Georgia Tech’s road tilt with Notre Dame on September 19th.
That game can be a huge momentum builder for Georgia Tech’s national aspirations and can give them the confidence boost a team needs to navigate through a tough ACC conference.
Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY
To be able to go on the road and snuff out a team like Notre Dame, who has big aspirations themselves for 2015 would be huge.
Notre Dame feels that they can be a force nationally behind quarterback Malik Zaire who showed that he can play solid ball when the lights are brightest.
His performance in the Music City Bowl for Brian Kelly was efficient and effective in helping the Irish defeat the LSU Tigers 31-28.
Zaire protected the football, completing 12 of 15 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown while rushing 22 times for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Notre Dame will also be returning a solid defense led by leading tackler junior linebacker Jaylon Smith who finished 2014 with 112 total tackles.
Georgia Tech did defeat Notre Dame last time they visited South Bend in 2007 by a score of 33-3, but that was under coach Chan Gailey.
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Paul Johnson while at Navy, was 1-5 against Notre Dame with his lone victory in 2007, as well, by a score of 46-44.
The bottom line is that this game can set the tone for the rest of the season. If they get passed the Notre Dame contest, they have a pretty good shot at starting off the season 5-1 or 6-0.
Regardless of how the schedule looks on paper, you have to take care of business. But taking care of business is a tad bit easier when a team builds momentum and confidence.
Getting that Notre Dame game could be crucial to building both.