How Can Georgia Tech Pull A Massive Upset Tonight Against No. 1 Georgia?

Georgia Tech has not beaten Georgia since 2016

Georgia Tech is going to try and do the impossible tonight. 

The Yellow Jackets are 24.5-point underdogs against the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia is on a 28-game winning streak and has not lost to the Yellow Jackets since 2016. They are going for their third-straight national championship and over the last month, have looked like they are rounding into form as the best team in the country. 

But Brent Key has pulled big upsets before, as both the interim head coach last year and as the head coach this season. He upset Pitt and North Carolina as a three-touchdown underdog last year, only trailed Georgia 13-7 in the third quarter of last year's game, and upset Miami and North Carolina as a big underdog this year. Key knows how to get his team up for these challenges, but this is the biggest of the year for the Yellow Jackets. 

Brent Key and Kirby Smart before last year's matchup / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

When talking with the media this week, Key was asked if, as a Tech alum, how lopsided the rivalry has gotten in recent years bothered him and he was pretty honest about how he felt about it:

"To answer the first part of your question, you are damn right it does. Yeah it does. Rivalries are not one-sided, rivalries are competitive games between two games, that is what makes rivalries great, this is hands down one of the greatest rivalries in the country. Well, in order for that to be the case, outside of our scope, it needs to be competitive. That is on us, that is on us at Georgia Tech to be able to go out and compete for four quarters in a football game.

As far as selling it to the team, we have another opportunity to play another game and our rival. If you have to do that, you have to have ice water running through your veins."

So how can Georgia Tech pull off the biggest upset of the year?

1. The running game has to have their best night of the year

Jamal Haynes is one of the top running backs in the ACC / Nathaniel Caudell

This is the best offense that Georgia Tech has brought into this game in quite some time, but they are still going to have their hands full with this Georgia defense tonight.

Georgia Tech is 5th in the ACC in yards per game (435.1), 2nd in rushing yards per game, (196.4), 6th in passing yards per game, and they have allowed the fewest sacks in the ACC. 

The Bulldogs defense is still among the nation's best, but I don't think it is as good as the last two seasons. Georgia is 2nd in the SEC in yards allowed, 1st in passing yards allowed, 3rd in rushing yards allowed, and 1st in PPG allowed.

What I am watching closely tonight will be Georgia Tech's run game vs Georgia's rush defense. If there has been a weakness in this Georgia defense, they have had games where their rushing defense was not a strength. Auburn ran for over 200 yards on the Bulldogs and Missouri had success a couple of weeks ago. Haynes King is a really good running quarterback and I think you might see Georgia Tech use similar concepts that Auburn used in the QB run game. 

Jamaly Haynes, Dontae Smith, and the quarterback running game with King are going to be huge tonight vs the Bulldogs. They have shown some vulnerability against the run, but can the Yellow Jackets exploit it?

2. Win the Turnover Battle

Haynes King has had a problem with turnovers this season / Nathaniel Caudell

In the games against Miami and Clemson, King had a problem turning the ball over and if he does that tonight, it will be a long night for Georgia Tech. 

Georgia also does not turn the ball over. The Yellow Jackets will need the benefits of short field so they don't have to drive the field on Georgia's defense and I think that blitzing Beck could be what Kevin Sherrer needs to do tonight. The Yellow Jacket forced five turnovers against Miami and that helped them in the victory and they will need 3-4 in my opinion tonight. 

3. Haynes King will need to play his best game of the year

King has been a tremendous addition for Georgia Tech this year and is having one of the best single seasons for a Georgia Tech quarterback ever. 

While Georgia Tech's offense has been one of the most improved units in the entire country, they have not done very well against some of the better defenses they played. Until the final drive where they won the game, Georgia Tech only had 176 yards of offense. The Yellow Jackets finished with 254 yards against Clemson, but most of that came in the second half when the game was well in hand.

King did not play well against either Miami or Clemson, the two best defenses they played this year. King has to keep the turnovers to a minimum, be an effective runner on the ground, and be on target when they take shots down the field. Georgia is a great opponent and Georgia Tech needs their best player to have his best game of the season. 

Four-Star Corneback Trajen Greco De-commits from Georgia Tech

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