Eric Brand, the famed “Tech Fan Eric” on 960 The Ref, has covered the Yellow Jackets and recruiting for several years. He once again offers his insights on “The Biggest Game of Them All.”

 

How confident is Tech that it will beat Georgia?
 
“I think that the Tech fan base is more optimistic following the UGA loss to Auburn. With that being said, it is hard to be confident that the unranked Tech team has a chance to beat a UGA team that is ranked so high and has played at the level that they have so far this season. Tech generally plays their best game of the year when they face the Dawgs. Taking all of this into consideration, most of the Tech faithful are expecting a loss against Georgia, but they are not completely writing off the chance of an epic upset.”

What would it mean for the Yellow Jackets to beat the Bulldogs for a second straight year?
 
“It would be huge for the Jackets. Two years in a row is a big deal, but the biggest victory is playing spoiler to a year in which the Dogs have seen more success than they have had in a very long time. This year has also been a rollercoaster for the Jackets. Two one-point losses to Tennessee and Miami have been the climax of the disappointment. It really would mean a lot to win a big game to cap off the year.”

Is TaQuon Marshall the best Yellow Jackets quarterback since Joe Hamilton?
 
“Marshall has definitely been a pleasant surprise. He is explosive on the ground and has a solid arm for a run-first quarterback. With all of the good being said, he still has a lot to work on to be considered better than Justin Thomas or even Josh Nesbitt. His composure and ability to make the correct reads is low, which is expected from a first-year starting quarterback in an offense that is so dependent on reading the defense correctly. The Clemson game really showed his lack of experience in big games. He looked really timid when playing under the lights in Death Valley. I believe he has a huge amount of potential and more experience will turn him into force to be reckoned with.”

What does Tech need to do to win?
 
“To beat a team like Georgia there are a lot of things that have to happen to pull off the upset. The number one priority has to be to slow down Georgia’s running backs. Chubb, Michel, and Swift make up one of the nation’s best backfields. Not saying that Fromm isn’t a great quarterback and can’t beat Tech through the air, but I would rather take my chances with the freshman signal-caller over the three-headed monster of a backfield. A big thing that the offense needs to do is create a lot of misdirection. Georgia’s defense is extremely athletic and aggressive. Tech is on the short end of the stick when it comes to size and athleticism, so the Jackets need to get the Dawgs to play out of position.”

What is your take on Georgia?
 
“Georgia has playmakers literally everywhere. There are multiple guys on both sides of the ball that can completely change the outcome of a game with just being on the field. On the offensive side the Dawgs have big and fast running backs as well as a freshman quarterback who can sling it with the best of them. On the defensive side UGA has an outstanding defensive line and linebacker core. The outside linebacker tandem of Carter and Bellamy are two of the nation’s best pass rushers. Not to mention the fact that Roquan Smith is arguably the best inside linebacker in all of college football. With all that being said it is safe to say that the Dawgs have enough talent to beat any team in the country if they execute to the best of their ability.”

What are some things you would like to see change in college football?
 
“In my opinion, the biggest problem with football is the four-team playoff at the end of the year. I believe that the four-team playoff should be extended to eight to make it the fairest format possible. If it were extended to eight, you could put the conference champion of each power five conference in and have three at-large positions to be decided based on record and strength of schedule. The only downside to this is it would be adding a couple of more games to the teams that make it deep into the playoffs, and they will have to play a couple of more games than usual. Considering a lot of the players on these top tier teams will be playing in the pros they will need to get used to playing longer schedules. Also Division II has a much bigger playoff bracket than Division I and they seem to have no problem playing the extra games.”

What is the score going to be?
 
“I think this is going to be a ground and pound type of game with over 500 yards on the ground between the two teams. I do think that both teams will be able to put up some points though. Final score 38-28 UGA.”

 
 
[pt_view id=”b358db4n1f”]