Hey guys I'm curious if anyone has information on LB Kyle Jackson this season.  He was in Brad Jefferson's interview video and said he was excited to be back this year after missing last year with an injury.  I haven't seen his name on any of the depth charts, even in the two-deeps; which makes me wonder if he is just being overlooked or has gotten beaten out of a starting job. 

Rivals reports that McCollum has left NC State to become the new linebacker coach and recruiting coordinator.  He was also head coach at Middle Tenn State for a while.  He has been successful everywhere he has been and has held a number of coaching positions throughout his life.  A lot of people credit McCollum with turning MTSU around as they won the Sunbelt conference in 2001.  Not sure why he ever left or why he had such a "low" position at NC State compared to his prior coaching experience.

When recruiting is heating up and the coaching turmoil gets ugly.  Every head coach that leaves his team now will be called a backstabber for "throwing his team under the bus."  For a Tech fan, it's just fun to watch, to listen to the gossip and rumors knowing that CPJ has us going in right direction.  We only need a defensive coordinator to solidify our staff and our recruits aren't going anywhere.  In fact, we may just get a few late Christmas gifts after the Rocky Top Meltdown.  All this upheaval can only help Coach Johnson in his offer of a safe haven to select defensive minds.  We WILL get a great coordinator.  Our defense WILL improve.  We WILL continue to get better each month, and each year.  Because that is just how our Coach does things.

But it looks like the Coastal division is going to be the toughest division in college football next year.  If we win tonight we will be guaranteed to start in the top 10, maybe top 5 depending on who returns.  VT will likely also be in the top 10 after their convincing win over Tennessee.  "Next year is the year" for Miami and while I've heard that before they do have a lot of people coming back to a solid team.  They are probably looking at a 10-15 spot with the embarrassing bowl loss hurting them.  But no one will bring back more talent than UNC.  All of their juniors (six All-ACC defenders) said they will return for their senior year.  With one of the best defenses in the nation and a year to improve the offense they could start anywhere from 10-20. 

4 teams in the top 20, and 2 in the top 10!  Most conferences will be lucky to match that.  UVA has a chance to rebuild and surprise some people with a new coaching staff, and under Cutliffe Duke is always a landmine even without Thaddeus Lewis this year.

As Jaxon said in a post earlier, matchups are going to be very key in this game, and we really only need to analyze the players playing the game lol. 

So let's start off with offense.  Bebe is a mismatch against any corner in the nation other than maybe Joe Haden.  And let's face it, your defense is small;  tackling Jon Dwyer up the middle is going to be a major problem for Iowa.  Dwyer only gives up about 20 pounds to some of your D-Linemen.  Both of OSU's running backs had season best days against you.  BOTH of them.  The Big 10 has very few quality backs, so it will be interesting to see how our arsenal does.  Iowa's defense is well coached and will probably play their assignments well, but the physical matchups will be the key for us on offense.  Iowa's defense looks so strong for a few reasons. 
1)  They are well coached, and they stay at home.  Iowa runs a basic 4-3, and thrives off the secondary making big plays.  But we don't really throw, so...
2)  They played against very few big-time offensive studs.  Iowa did a good job of containing John Clay from Wisconsin, but they got the benefit of playing Penn St. in nasty weather, didn't play against Juice Williams, and got shown up by two backs from Ohio state that no one has heard of.  Minor from Michigan also had a good day against them.
3)  The offense has won a lot of close games for them.  Nearly every time the defense struggled the offense came back with just enough to win the game.



I really don't know what our defensive scheme is going to be for this game as it has fluctuated all year.  I like the Morgans versus Ricky Stanzi.  The Iowa O-line has given up 27 sacks this year and a lot of pressure.  Morgan Burnett will hopefully be able to play zone coverage and just read the qb like he does so well.  Look for him to come down with at least one pick given Iowa's propensity for giving the ball away.  Their receivers are solid but nothing we haven't seen before, same with their backs.  Their TE is really the one who could hurt us by giving Stanzi an easy target.  Personally, If i was Wommack I would commit to getting in the backfield and stopping the run,  Get pressure on Stanzi and force him into making mistakes.  Mix up some coverages, we have plenty of time to teach the secondary.  Let Burnett play ball-hawk.  Really, our secondary has played very well over the last three games.(2tds, 3ints)  I would trust them in single coverage with one safety back(Burnett).  and leave the linebackers free to get in the backfield.  Basically a Cover 1.  Then you can mix it up in the box, because they don't know who has the TE, it could be the safety, an ILB or OLB., but the linemen have to figure it out quick because at least one is coming and you have to double DMorgan.  I would bring at least five every down. 

Whew! well enough X's and O's, really it comes down to Iowa's lack of playmakers.  Big time players win you big games (see ACCCG), and GT just has a lot more of them.  The biggest thing we have to worry about is Iowa's ability to win in the 4th quarter and come from behind in a number of ways.

Look for this game to be very close and down to the wire.  Iowa is a resilient team that can score on big plays, and of course our defense isn't exactly the cream of the crop.  I haven't looked at the matchups yet, a full synopsis will be forthcoming, but I think we control the ballgame at the end just like against Clemson and put the game out of reach with a late touchdown.  Word is Ricky Stanzi will be back for this game but both our O and D lines wll get some much needed rest and recovery so that evens out.

GT- 31  Iowa- 27  off the bat

Georgia Tech has not lost a game under Paul Johnson when we have scored 18 points or more? How many teams can claim that in the last year and a half?  I think it reflects our offense well.  We get the quick strikes to score, and run the clock out with our game management while keeping you on your toes.  Here's to beating UVA next week, they have kind of been our Achilles Heel the last few decades.

I don't think there is any way GT scores less than 30 against Miami, and I'll throw some stats out there to back it up.  In their last four games the Canes surrendered 41 points to us, 38 to NC State, 24 to Cal, and 34 to a FSU squad that could only put up 19 on an FCS team last week.  They were also a dropped pass away from losing all four of those games.  Everyone has gotten caught up in the Labor Day hype and suddenly the U is back in its glory days.  Here comes the Ramblin' Wreck Reality Check!!!!

Offense-  Stick to our system.  Miami has had a long time to prepare for CPJ's offense but their defense, although fast, is young and undisciplined.  FSU put up big numbers on Labor Day and I will be disappointed if we can't match their total.  The passing game needs to be more consistent, but we should have plenty of oppurtunities to take advantage of Miami's weak secondary.  The 0 fumbles last week was huge, let's keep the streak going!

Defense- From what it looked like to me, Miami's offensive scheme consisted of Jacory Harris dropping back and getting the ball to his playmakers downfield.  The U likes to spread the field with 4 or 5 receiver sets so I expect us to use a lot of nickel and dime packages.  The key is to get pressure on Harris.  I think our secondary is good enough to be left on single coverage while blitzing a corner or a linebacker.  I would love to see Cooper Taylor rush the QB some with his scary closing speed.  If we can keep Maimi's offense from getting in a passing rhythm we should be able to should them down as their rushing attack looked mediocre at best.

Special Teams-  Last week it saved our ass and got Tech on the highlight reel, its obvious the team has really worked on this area in the offseason and in practice.  We just need to keep it up.

GT- 34  Miami- 28