Georgia Tech Football: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly vs Western Carolina

Georgia Tech was able to pull away and get the win over Western Carolina

Jackson Caudell | Sep 11, 2022

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Georgia Tech started off slowly, especially on defense, but was able to pull away from Western Carolina on Saturday night in Bobby Dodd Stadium. It was not the cleanest performance for Georgia Tech, but it should be pointed out that they were operating on just five days of rest and that is tough for any team. However, that is not an excuse for some of the breakdowns they had on defense or for quarterback Jeff Sims performing as he did.

Let's break down the good, the bad, and the ugly from the win against Western Carolina.

The Good

Georgia Tech running back Dontae Smith — Running Back Dontae Smith played well on Saturday against Western Carolina / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

1. The running game was very solid- Dontae Smith led the way with over 100 yards and three touchdowns, including a 51-yarder in the first half. Sims chipped in with 55 yards on eight carries and wide receiver Nate McCollum had a 40-yard touchdown run on a reverse in the first half. Dylan McDuffie scored a touchdown, but both he and Hassan Hall have struggled to make an impact in the first couple of weeks. Still, Georgia Tech finished with 243 yards rushing and averaged 7.1 yards per carry.

2. The defense got three interceptions- There is plenty of bad and ugly to say about the defense, but they were able to force three interceptions.

3. The defense got four sacks- It is never a bad thing when the defense can get four sacks, especially after the way they could not get pressure last year.

4. No blocked punts- After having two blocked against Clemson, the punt team was better

The Bad

Western Carolina quarterback Carlos Davis had a good game against Georgia Tech / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

1. Western Carolina outgained Georgia Tech- It is hard to win a game when you are outgained by your opponent, but that is what Georgia Tech did. The Catamounts put up nearly 400 yards of offense, while the Yellow Jackets finished with 343.

2. Western Carolina was 6-14 on third down- It was not a great day for the Georgia Tech defense and they had a hard time on third down. Letting a team hover around 50% on conversion is a recipe for disaster and against a better team, it could result in more points.

3. Georgia Tech still struggling kicking field goals- Jude Kelley only attempted one field goal, but it was a miss and this is still an issue for the Yellow Jackets. Field goal kicking has been a weakness in recent years and it is still not reliable.

4. The offensive line was better, but not great- The running game did good as previously stated, but there were some short-yardage situations where there was not much push on the line. This is still a big concern going forward.

The Ugly

1. The defense giving up big plays- The first quarter looked all too familiar for Tech fans on Saturday. There were guys running free against this secondary and it allowed big plays in the first half. They did a better job in the second half when Charlie Thomas returned, but it was still concerning the successes that Western Carolina had.

2. The passing game- Jeff Sims did not play very well on Saturday night, going 8-17 for 100 yards, with most of that being in the first half. He missed some receivers and was off target and threw an interception that he should not have tried to force.

It is not just Sims though. The wide receivers have not been very good in these first couple of weeks and it is another position to be concerned about going forward. None of the tight ends have had an impact this season so far.

3. Time of Possession- Time of possession is not always the best stat to look at, but when the other team has a massive advantage, it is concerning. Western Carolina had the ball for 40:16 and Georgia Tech for 19:44. That is a massive advantage and it is rare to win a game by three scores when it is that lopsided. Western Carolina also ran 75 plays compared to Georgia Tech's 51.

Overall, there are a lot of things to be concerned about with this team going into the coming weeks. The passing game and defense took big steps back and the offensive line is still shaky. Ole Miss awaits this weekend at Bobby Dodd for Georgia Tech

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The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

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