Georgia Tech Football: Three Quick Takeaways from 14-10 win over USF

Georgia Tech picked up win No.1 of the Geoff Collins era on Saturday afternoon when they defeated the USF Bulls 14-10 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

The first win of the 2019 season and the Geoff Collins era wasn’t pretty but the Jackets got it done on Saturday afternoon. The Jackets were able to pick up win No.1 of the season and Geoff Collins’ first as the head man of the program thanks to a strong defensive effort that lead the Jackets to a 14-10 victory.

It wasn’t pretty and there’s quite a bit to talk about this upcoming week but here are three quick takeaways from the Jackets 14-10 victory.

1) The offense is still a work in progress

The Jackets offensive performance on Saturday wasn’t exactly what one would hope for but it’s still an offense that is a work in progress. The offense had just 252 total yards of offense in their 14-10 win over South Florida on Saturday afternoon.

The Jackets were rather efficient through the air, completing 14 of 21 passes but for just a minimal 76 yards for the game. When it comes to the Jackets passing game, they can complete an efficient amount of their passes but if it’s for small gains, it won’t matter all that much. The Jackets will need to develop some sort of down the field passing threat in the near future or their offense is going to be rather one-dimensional.

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When it came to the Jackets run game on Saturday, it wasn’t too pretty against the Bulls. The Jackets attempted 49 rushing plays on Saturday against the Bulls but for just 181 yards, an average of 3.5-yards per carry. This is one week after the Bulls allowed 5.4 yards per carry against Wisconsin. A lot of the struggles in the run game fell on the offensive line’s struggles on Saturday. The offensive line experienced struggles after seeing Miki Minihan and Kenny Cooper leave the game with injuries.

The Jackets will get an opportunity to get the offense rolling next weekend when they take on FCS program, The Citadel.

2) The defensive line has a ton of potential

The defensive line struggled against Clemson in week one but against USF, the defensive line had a nice bounce-back performance against the Bulls. The Jackets finished Saturday’s game with four sacks on the game. For comparison, the Jackets had just 17 sacks total last season. The Jackets defensive line has a few matchups later this season they should matchup well in.

The defensive line did rather well against the Bulls rush attack as well, keeping them to 3.3 yards per carry and 93 total yards. That is despite quarterback Blake Barnett having one huge run of 48-yards, outside that run, the Bulls rushing attack was kept in check for most of the game.

The defense as a whole really played against USF on Saturday and that should be highlighted. Even though the USF offense has struggled tremendously over their now last eight games dating back to last season, the Jackets defense looked tremendous on Saturday. Allowing just 262-yards for the games and coming away with two turnovers.

3) Pressley Harvin III is an absolute unit

Pressley Harvin III may be the best weapon the Jackets have in any facet of their game. Harvin III on Saturday was tremendous for the Jackets. Harvin had six punts on Saturday against the Bulls for a total of 248-yards. He averaged 41.8 yards per punt and pinned the Bulls deep in the Jackets zone four times in the game. He also had two punts of over 50-yards in the game.

The Jackets offense is going to struggle throughout the season, there’s no doubt about that. That being said, if Harvin remains a weapon for the Jackets, he’ll give the defense a solid chance to play with 70-80 yards behind them on a regular basis. They couldn’t ask for much more.