ESPN Analyst Talks About the Biggest Question for Gasparilla Bowl Matchup Between Georgia Tech and UCF

Georgia Tech faces UCF next Friday night in the Gasparilla Bowl

Georgia Tech vs UCF is now less than one week away. The Yellow Jackets are playing in their first postseason matchup since 2018 and are playing a familiar opponent in UCF. 

There is plenty to be excited about in this matchup, particularly two high-scoring offenses that can put up points and yards in a hurry. They are also two of the worst rushing defenses in the country. 

Ahead of next Friday's matchup, ESPN analyst Bill Connelly was looking at the key question for each bowl game and this is what he had to say about the matchup between the Knights and the Yellow Jackets: 

"UCF was awfully good when quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was healthy and rallied to win three of four in November to assure bowl eligibility. The Knights also got a short trip over to Tampa. Tech, meanwhile, is bowling for the first time in five years and should come out swinging despite losing a couple of defensive starters to transfer. Beyond that, who couldn't get up for the Gasparilla Bowl??"

Can Georgia Tech beat UCF next Friday? / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

There are going to be plenty of headlines in this game.

The two programs met last season and that loss would be the final game that Geoff Collins would coach at Georgia Tech. UCF went 6-6 in their first season in the Big 12 but did have some signature wins, like a 45-3 blowout over Oklahoma State.

Brent Key coached at UCF from 2005 to 2015 before becoming the offensive line coach at Alabama and later, Georgia Tech. Former Georgia Tech head coach George O'Leary was also the head coach of the Knights.

These two teams also go head-to-head with each other a fair amount in recruiting as well.

It has been a great job by Brent Key this season in getting this team to a bowl game. Georgia Tech looked like they might be out of bowl contention at different times this year when they lost to Bowling Green and Boston College, but thrilling wins over ranked Miami and North Carolina teams helped to overcome that. The Yellow Jackets also got wins over South Carolina State, Wake Forest, Virginia, and Syracuse to help clinch their first bowl game.

They did it behind one of the best offenses in the ACC. Haynes King guided the Yellow Jackets to be the No. 3 offense in the ACC in yards per game, 6th in passing yards per game, and the top rushing attack in the conference. They scored 23 points and ran for over 200 yards on Georgia in the last game of the season.

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