Offense
Georgia Tech lost standout RB Jonathan Dwyer and 1st round WR selection Demaryius Thomas. However, Tech shouldn’t miss much of a beat. Dwyer will be replaced by former Louisville Cardinal Anthony Allen who in a reserve roll last season ran for 618 yards and averaged over 9.7 yards on carry! Tech is also very high on WR Stephen Hill who is replacing Thomas. He is a similar WR in stature to Thomas at 6’4 195 lbs so the dropoff should be minimal.
The heart and soul of Georgia Tech’s offense, however, lies with QB Joshua Nesbitt. Nesbitt has been the rock for Georgia Tech as he rushed and passed for over a 1,000 yards each last season. Look for similar or maybe even better numbers in 2010 as Nesbitt continues to grow into Paul Johnson’s spread option offense.
Defense
Despite Tech’s great success under Paul Johnson, the defense has serverely regressed during his tenure. When Chan Gailey was at the helm, his DC Jon Tenuta always put out a lethal defense game in and game out that was known for its variety of blitz packages. However, Johnson will try to rectify this problem as he brings in former Virginia head coach Al Groh to implement a 3-4 defense. Groh should have a mature group to work with as six defensive lineman return with starting experience as well the #1 and #3 tacklers in the LB corps in Brad Jefferson and Steven Sylvester respectively. Expect Al Groh to get this defense’s production back in line.
Overall
Paul Johnson has proven his spread offense can work anywhere in college football. In just his second season on “The Flats” he led Georgia Tech to its first outright ACC Title since 1990.
Tech must replace Dwyer, Thomas, and Morgan Burnette in 2010 and must play four preseason top 25 opponents on the road. But, I would not expect much of a dropoff. Johnson has already proven he can win the big games away from Bobby Dodd Stadium as he has won in both Athens and Clemson already in his brief tenure. Plus, Tech’s success is more pretegated on Paul Johnson’s spread option system than his individual talent base so I would expect a continuation of his offensive success. Also, look for Al Groh to significantly improve the Jackets on defense. Many experts predict a down year in Atlanta in 2010, but I disagree. Look for Tech to compete for back to back ACC Titles.
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