Georgia Tech gets Duke at home Saturday afternoon, and the Yellow Jackets are hoping the return of two key defensive backs can help steady a season that still needs a jolt. Jaylen Mbakwe and Savion Riley are expected to be available, and that matters for a Georgia Tech secondary that was exposed against Stanford.
Both players bring real value in space. They tackle well in the open field, they make plays, and they give the back end more experience. That should help a pass defense that has already had its share of trouble, while also giving Georgia Tech more support against the run.
“That’s one thing I think we’ve done a much better job of this year is tackling on the back end from the start of the season than we had in years past. Okay we’re still not where we need to be where we want to be but that is something that’s improved from previous seasons to start the year, but when you’re about 50 % of your unit, I mean that’s in their both veteran, experienced guys.
They probably feel like Bach is a little more experienced the position than he is because he’s such a veteran type attitude and veteran guy. Still relatively new to the position, I would say, but just that veteran presence out there.
Say, I’ve played a lot of football now. So that’s a lot of snaps and a lot of talent and experience that we didn’t have out there.
All the guys that came in behind him, know, did a good job of filling in,” said Key.
That personnel boost comes with Georgia Tech trying to get its first conference win over a rival and get the season moving in the right direction. The Jackets also have history on their side against Duke, having won five straight in the series and going 3-0 against the Blue Devils under Brent Key.
The weather is the other major piece of the puzzle. If conditions weren’t a factor, one staff prediction leans Duke’s way because of its overall team and coaching advantage. But with weather potentially steering the game toward the ground, Georgia Tech sees a path to pulling the upset.
That prediction rests on Duke’s limitations and the possibility that a run-heavy game could simplify things for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech’s own defense has struggled against the run, but if Duke is forced into a game built around its rushing attack, the Blue Devils may still be the side better equipped to impose its style.
The split opinion inside the staff makes the matchup even more interesting. One side is taking Georgia Tech to spring the upset.
The other is backing Duke, pointing to the Blue Devils’ No. 12 rushing attack in the country and running back Sheppard, who is third in rushing this season. In that view, Georgia Tech will be asked to handle the best ground game it has seen all year, and Duke’s ability to win physical games gives it the edge.
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The Yellow Jackets will need all the edge they can find, because the availability picture is not especially clean. Georgia Tech expects several key defensive players to be in the mix, but it also knows it will be shorthanded in a few spots, leaving the staff to manage depth carefully against a Duke team that has handled adversity well all season. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama-Georgia Suddenly Has One Problem That Could Favor The Bulldogs
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Georgia Tech Faces A New Problem As Duke Game Stays On
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Inside the lines, the weather could end up shaping the evening as much as the opponent does. Passing conditions and the ground game both figure to be part of the conversation, and Georgia Tech is also navigating its own injury situation, with some key players unavailable while others are trending toward a return. [Read more 🡒]