Is This The Year That Georgia Tech Can Break It's Losing Streak To The Georgia Bulldogs?

Georgia Tech has not beaten their biggest rival since the 2016 season

Nov 25, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) runs for a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech Football accomplished a lot of things last year in Brent Key's first full season as the head coach. They made it to their first bowl game since the 2018 season and won their first bowl game since 2016. They had one of the most improved offenses in the country and that turnaround was spearheaded by offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner and Texas A&M transfer quarterback Haynes King, who was one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC in his first season as the starter. The Yellow Jackets had the top rushing offense in the ACC, they pulled off two big ranked upsets vs Miami and North Carolina, and if they had held onto their double-digit lead vs Louisville, the Yellow Jackets would have been in the ACC Championship vs Florida State. It was a good first season for Key, but there was one thing that Georgia Tech did not do.

They were unable to break their losing streak vs their biggest rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs.

Now, Georgia Tech played Georgia almost as well as anyone did last year. Georgia won 31-23, but the Yellow Jackets were an onside kick away from getting the ball back and having a chance to tie the game up. In 2022, Key had his alma mater within six points of the No. 1 Bulldogs (13-7) in the middle of the third quarter before Georgia finally pulled away. In each of the past two seasons, Key has had this team playing better against the Bulldogs since the last time the Yellow Jackets won in 2016. In 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021, Georgia handled the Yellow Jackets with ease, but they have had to fight for the past two seasons to put Georgia Tech away.

So when will Georgia Tech finally break through and end their losing streak to the Bulldogs? I don't know if it will happen in 2024 and I am not predicting it too, but I think that this is going to be the best chance that Georgia Tech has had to win a game vs Georgia since 2016.

Let's dive into why.

This has a chance to be the best team in Atlanta since 2014, the year the Yellow Jackets got to the ACC Championship and nearly upset undefeated Florida State. Georgia Tech is returning most of its starters from one of the ACC's best offenses. This offense had success against a stout Georgia defense last season, rushing for over 200 yards and nearly putting up 400 yards of total offense on the Bulldogs. Not only are most of the key contributors back for Georgia Tech on that side of the ball, but Faulkner is back to call plays and his offense gave the Georgia defense plenty of trouble last season.

King was one of only two players in the nation with at least 2,700 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes, and five touchdown runs this season (joining LSU’s Jayden Daniels), and one of only six ACC players to achieve those numbers in a regular season since 2000. He led the ACC in touchdown passes and was fourth in passing yards. He is back for another season on The Flats and might be the best quarterback in the conference this year.

Jamal Haynes was such a great story last season. He made the change from wide receiver to running back during fall camp and that move paid dividends. Haynes earned all-ACC honors as a running back (third team) and was an honorable mention all-purpose performer. He led Georgia Tech with 1,059 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, and six yards per carry ranked second on the team. Those numbers ranked fifth in the ACC in rushing yards and he was tied for sixth in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns and his 6.0 yards per carry ranked third in the league. Haynes had a strong bowl performance against UCF rushing for a game-high 128 yards on 18 carries. He also had a good outing against the Georgia Bulldogs rushing for 81 yards. Haynes was the second highest-rated player on the Yellow Jackets per Pro Football Focus with a 76.9 score and looks primed for another big season in 2024. I think he is in for a huge season and is not getting the recognition he has earned.

This is going to be one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the ACC and there are some newcomers that could bolster the group.

Eric Singleton Jr was the highest-rated player in the Yellow Jackets 2023 recruiting class according to 247Sports and he looked like he might be a potential superstar last season. He nearly had 100 yards against a Georgia secondary that was perhaps the nation's best last season.

Singleton Jr. ranked fourth among all freshmen nationally (true or redshirt) in 2023 with 59.5 receiving yards per game and was tied for fourth among true freshmen nationally with six touchdown receptions. His 714 receiving yards and six touchdown catches both ranked among the top 10 overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while his six TD receptions were the second-most by a freshman in Georgia Tech history. Could he have an even better season in 2024? I think it is certainly possible and the chemistry between him and King was noticeable last year.

Singleton is not the only dangerous receiver for the Yellow Jackets.

Malik Rutherford was the second-leading receiver on Georgia Tech. He caught 46 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 10. 5 yards per catch. His biggest performance came in Georgia Tech's big win over North Carolina. Rutherford caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He was a reliable player and can stretch the field with his speed and is also a player who can get the ball in a variety of ways. 

Christian Leary was the fourth-leading receiver for Georgia Tech this season, catching 25 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, while also returning kickoffs.

Chase Lane had a good start to the year, but injuries cost him some time. I think he could have a really good 2024 season if he stays healthy. Duquesne transfer Abdul Janneh had six catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He will once again provide depth for Georgia Tech next year. 

Leo Blackburn is one of the most physically impressive players on the Georgia Tech roster at 6'5 220 LBS and if he is able to stay healthy this season, he could add a whole new element to the Yellow Jackets offense and is the kind of physical threat at receiver that you need against a team as good as Georgia.

The offensive line is going to be one of the best in the ACC as well.

In just one season, head coach Brent Key and first-year offensive line coach Geep Wade turned Georgia Tech's offensive line from its biggest weakness to perhaps the best unit on the entire team. Georgia Tech went from one of the worst rushing teams in the ACC to leading the league in rushing. It was a pretty stunning turnaround if you had watched the line in 2022 and the good news for the Yellow Jackets is that the offensive line returns four of the five starters and added an All-Conference transfer this offseason. 

Our own Rohan Roman provided a nice summary of the jump that the offensive line made last season: 

"On the ground, they opened running lanes that helped the Jackets lead the ACC in rushing offense with 197.1 yards per game. Starting running back Jamal Haynes was top-five in the ACC for both yards and yards per carry. Their performance in the ground game was one of the most consistent aspects of the season for the Yellow Jackets. Even against Georgia's defensive line, they were able to open up holes and keep the backs clean. Haynes had 5.4 yards per carry in the game and based on their 2023 performance, the Jackets should be able to run against any defensive line they encounter.

When quarterback Haynes King dropped back to pass, the line was able to keep him relatively clean. Their 1.25 sacks conceded per game was second in the ACC and 20th nationally. They allowed King to throw for the second-most passing touchdowns (26) and fourth-most passing yards (2755) while racking up the second-most offensive yardage (3403) in Georgia Tech history. However, this unit was much more of a mixed bag in pass protection. King had to use his legs quite a bit to escape from pressure and the youth of the left side definitely showed at times."

Having a strong offensive line is a must when playing against a Georgia defense that is littered with future NFL players on it.

In last year's matchup with Georgia (and all season really), the Yellow Jackets inability to stop the run was the biggest reason they could not end the losing streak. Georgia ran for 262 yards and nearly seven yards per carry against one of the nation's worst defenses. That is an area in which Georgia Tech has tried to improve this offseason on both the coaching staff and in personnel.

Georgia Tech needed to fix what was one of the worst defenses in the country last season and head coach Brent Key opted to make big changes on that side of the football. He brought in former Duke defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci and three other defensive assistants to spearhead the turnaround on that side of the football and if they can even make marginal improvements on that side of the football, they have the offensive firepower to be a factor in the ACC race this season and compete against Georgia.

In one season at Duke (2023), Santucci directed the ACC’s top-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 19.0 points per game, which was good for 16thnationally. The Blue Devils also ranked among the nation’s top 50 in rushing defense, passing defense, total defense, tackles for loss, third-down defense, fourth-down defense, and red-zone defense. Duke allowed a total of just 10 points in a pair of wins over teams that finished the season in the top 25 – No. 20 Clemson (28-7) and No. 21 NC State (24-3) – and finished 8-5 overall after a 17-10 win over Troy in the 2023 Birmingham Bowl. How much Santucci can improve this defense could be the difference in Georgia Tech contending in the ACC and also trying to end the losing streak vs Georgia.

Georgia Tech has also worked on improving their personnel on the defensive side of the ball through the transfer portal this offseason. They have brought in USC defensive end Romello Height, Penn State defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg, Miami defensive tackle Thomas Gore, Georgia linebacker E.J. Lightsey, Louisville linebacker Jackson Hamilton, Rhode Island cornerback Syeed Gibbs, Tennessee cornerback Warren Burrell, Illinois cornerback Zachary Tobe, and Cincinnati safety Jayden Davis to improve the unit. Georgia Tech's defense has to be much better if they want to improve their win-loss record and even have a chance vs Georgia.

Despite losing more talent to the NFL, the Bulldogs are going to be reloading and should be the preseason No. 1 when the poll is released before the season. Quarterback Carson Beck should be one of the nation's best quarterbacks, they landed Florida running back Trevor Etienne to lead the rushing attack, they have a deep group of playmakers on the outside and one of the nation's best offensive lines. Their defense is loaded yet again. The biggest question Georgia might be facing going into the year is how they replace Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers on their offense.

On a recent episode of the Late Kick, Josh Pate called the Yellow Jackets one of the nation's most underrated teams going into the year:

"Georgia Tech I could also call a little bit underrated. The difference with Georgia Tech is the schedule is pretty stiff, I am not going to lie and they have Georgia every year. They were 7-5 last year and their win total is at 5.5, I think due in large part to how tough it is. Haynes King is still there, that is their quarterback, their offense is top ten in returning production this year, a deep wide receiver room. The defense was bad last year, 123rd in yards allowed last year I believe, but they overhauled their defensive staff, they overhauled their roster on the defensive side. They are the inverse of Nebraska in the sense that if I get C+ or B- defensive play, that should be good to get over 5.5 wins"

Georgia Tech is by no means a perfect team, but the progress they have made under Key and the amount of talent they return this season are not getting talked about nearly enough. It might not take long for the Yellow Jackets to make their presence felt this season. They have a nationally televised game on ESPN against Florida State in week zero and the entire country will be watching. It could be an opportunity to show why they are one of the nation's most underrated teams going into 2024.

Beating the Bulldogs has been something that Key has stressed since the day he was hired as the permanent head coach for his alma mater:

"There is one thing I want everyone in this room to understand and everyone associated with Georgia Tech understands... There is an opponent in this state we will work 365 days a year to defeat. We will work 365 days a year to dominate. When we all wake up in the morning, we want to dominate our opponent. The feeling of dominating your opponent is like no other and whatever team is on our schedule, that will be our goal. That is what we will work towards every single day. 

Players in here, understand that. That is our goal and that is our mindset. We have an opponent in this state that is included in that. For 365 days, we will work to dominate that opponent. Understand that."

They might not be able to beat the Bulldogs in Athens to close the season out, but this is without a doubt the best chance that they have had since they last won the game in 2016. Let's see how things play out in November.