The last time Duke went to Atlanta, it had a first-year coach and the Blue Devils were off to a better-than-expected start.
That was only two seasons ago and things didn’t start well or end well — with a second-half rally making it interesting — for Duke.
This time, it’s Manny Diaz taking an unbeaten Duke team to Atlanta for a game against a rested Georgia Tech team. The Yellow Jackets are 3-2 and had last weekend off, resting up after a closer-than-the-score-indicates 31-19 loss to Louisville.
To get to know more about the Yellow Jackets, we’ve enlisted the help of Kelly Quinlan, publisher of Jackets Online.
Here is our five-part Q&A:
1. I like to start these with a simple vibe check. From the big win in Ireland to two ACC losses and now coming off an open date, where is this Georgia Tech team’s headspace?
Answer: The Syracuse game was the real outlier as Kyle McCord got red hot and they couldn't stop him.
The Louisville game was a weird one where they had a fumble on a play that was nearly a 94-yard touchdown turn into a defensive touchdown for the Cards and a blocked field goal where a protector just whiffed and didn't touch the edge guy and that swung the game 14 points. Tech also missed another FG. They played Louisville right to the edge and the defense looked much better.
I think this team is close to finding their identity on defense and that was an issue early on. The book is out on Buster Faulkner and what they like to do offensively with this group of personnel so I think the bye week was important to find new wrinkles and work on some areas of concern like the left side of the offensive line and get healthy.
If they get back on track offensively to how they normally have performed over the previous 18 games with this group they should be very competitive in the ACC.
2. Jamal Haynes seems to be the key for GT, with 181 yards of offense in the first two games and 121 in the last three games. How much of an emphasis with the Jackets put on getting him back on track in this game?
Answer: Jamal Haynes has been banged up since camp and it is something that Brent Key spoke about since the season started and he needed that bye week to get healthier. They had some issues blocking on the line, especially in the guard box that hampered some of what Haynes normally does and he hasn't been quite as quick as he usually is and that has hurt him from breaking some stuff.
I expect you will see more of him and the younger trio of RBs, Chad Alexander, Anthony Carrie and Trelain Maddox who all have different skill sets that complement the offense well. They have a lot of weapons at running back, but they are less experienced guys behind Haynes.
3. Duke has been running the ball well over the last three games and GT’s defensive strength seems to be shutting down opponents’ rushing attack. What’s the key to GT’s rush defense?
Answer: The strength of the defense is right up the middle with the defensive tackle room that is five deep right now and then some good downhill linebackers like Kyle Efford and his backup Tah'j Butler who like to mix it up in the run game and newcomer Taye Seymore at safety. That group has been very solid at tackling and defending the run.
The main issue in the run defense has been running quarterbacks and guys escaping the pocket when the DL doesn't get home on pass rush to get sacks. That hasn't been Maalik Murphy's game this year so that is good news for the Tech defense on Saturday.
4. Duke’s defense is second in the country in TFLs and tied for fifth in sacks. Georgia Tech is 51st in TFLs allowed but is one of three teams that hasn’t allowed a sack. What has GT done to avoid sacks and how repeatable is it against an attacking Duke defense?
Answer: I think most of the negative plays for Tech have been in the run game on either busts or bad reads by the quarterback in the run game. So if they can get out of those plays that will help. I think the quick passing game has been helpful for Haynes King, but they are still taking plenty of vertical shots and they can do it with all three receiver positions and tight end Avery Boyd who is a converted WR.
Having a lot of speed at the skill spots including QB and RB keeps the defense a little more honest as well because if you start to blitz or get too far into the backfield, King is good at sliding out of the pocket and taking off for 15+ yards and he can outrun a lot of defenses as well. It is a tough spot for defenses with his wheels back there and King has done a better job of managing his internal clock helping cut down on the sacks.
The O-line is also much better at pass pro so far this year compared to run blocking which is ironic given that Key would prefer to run the ball more if he had to pick between the two options.
I think in this game you will see a lot of the quick game with passes, the jet-motion and read-option game from King to keep the D honest and they will take their shots. They've also used reverses well several times this year when teams are flowing too hard to motion or getting too aggressive.
5. The rest of GT’s schedule doesn’t appear all that inviting. What constitutes a successful season and does that have to include a win over Duke?
Answer: I think they need to win on Saturday to make sure they avoid going to another pre-Christmas bowl game. They have UNC next week against their former HC and that should be an interesting game and then Notre Dame and at Virginia Tech so ideally you want to win three of those four otherwise the path to a bowl game gets harder with Miami, NC State and at Georgia on the November slate.
Tech plays really well at home at night so I think that could play a factor in this game as well and you wonder how high Duke is running after such an emotional win over UNC last week. This is a good test for both head coaches to see where they are with their programs.
