Georgia Tech Football vs Duke 2017: Four players that will decide the game

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 11: Lance Austin
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 11: Lance Austin /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Georgia Tech Football
CLEMSON, SC – OCTOBER 28: KirVonte Benson /

Georgia Tech – BB KirVonte Benson

One of the players who will try to minimize Giles-Harris’s impact on Saturday will be starting b-back KirVonte Benson. By now, everyone knows the impact of Benson’s game inside and out. When Benson goes, the offense goes, and when the offense is going, the Jackets are hard to beat.

Last week, he had one of his quieter games, rushing for 86-yards on 22 carries. On the season, Benson has a total of 930-yards on 172-carries, he’s also scored six touchdowns.

That being said, the Duke defense this season as mentioned above has been a top-25 defense. The Blue Devils are great at stopping the pass, allowing under 200-yards per game but their rushing game this season has been gouged at times.

That means Benson is in a great position to have a tremendous game on Saturday. With the threat of TaQuon Marshall always around, the Blue Devils will have to decide who Giles-Harris will be spying on throughout the game. Personally, I expect him to shadow Benson, who is a strong matchup for the sophomore linebacker.

If the Georgia Tech offensive line can open up holes for the Jackets, Benson should have plenty of room to run, if he is able to get by GIles-Harris, he could be off and running towards the end zone.

Next: A look at Georgia Tech bowl projections

That being said, this comes back down to the importance of KirVonte Benson. If TaQuon Marshall struggles, the Jackets offense can still find plenty of success. If Benson struggles, however, the entire offense is more likely to struggle as well. Benson’s performance early on Saturday will be a huge indicator of how the game will go for the Jackets.