Wake Forest's pass rush will provide a tough test for Georgia Tech's offensive line

Wake Forest leads the ACC in sacks this season

Jackson Caudell | Sep 20, 2023

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If I asked you to name the team that leads the ACC in sacks off the top of your head, you would probably respond with Florida State, Clemson, or Miami.

The answer is none of those schools. The correct answer would be Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons have 16 sacks through three weeks this season and 10 of those came this past week against Old Dominion. The Wake Forest defense has been led by linebacker Jacob Roberts (five sacks, 31 tackles) and defensive lineman Jasheen Davis (18 tackles, 4.5 sacks). It has been a good start for the Wake Forest pass rush and they are going to be a key part of this upcoming game against Georgia Tech.

While those two account for most of the sacks, Wake Forest has seven other players that have at least half a sack. 16 sacks through three games is not easy to do and how Georgia Tech limits them could be one of the deciding factors in the game on Saturday.

Last year, the Yellow Jackets were 117th in sacks allowed and 127th in tackles for loss allowed, as well as having the running game rank among the bottom half of the ACC and the country. The Yellow Jackets were 117th in sacks allowed and 127th in tackles for loss allowed, as well as having the running game rank among the bottom half of the ACC and the country.

That has not been the case so far in 2023. Georgia Tech is tied for 20th in the nation in sacks allowed, having only allowed three. They have kept the pressures down and what is the most impressive about all of this is Georgia Tech is starting a true freshman at left tackle and a new starter at right guard with Princeton transfer Connor Scaglione. Mackenny has held up in his first couple of starts, with one of them being on the road against one of the better defensive lines in the SEC. Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key is super high on Mackenny's potential this season:

"He is a very talented young man. Ethan is a guy we have had at camp for several years and I have known him a long time, I have known his family for many, many years. He is a super talented guy that has grown into his body, 290 LBS plus guy, I remember the first time having him at camp he was 225 LBS and about 6'5 and I said if that kid can ever grow into his body, then he has a chance and low and behold, he certainly has.

He is going to be a fine football player, he really is. He plays the game the right way when he had an opportunity to get in the game. I thought he might heading into the game but did not know for sure if he would but the opportunity presented itself and he ran with it. The moment was not too big for him at all. He was as dialed in and as locked in as he would have been if he had started 10, 15, 20 games up to that point.

Are there corrections and things he has to get better at, yeah, there definitely is, but for the first time out there, I thought he did a fine job, especially in the run game he did some good things. Behind him in the running game, he plays the game the right way, he is an o-lineman at heart and I say that in a good way so the more experience that he can get, the better that he can become."

Georgia Tech's offensive line will be challenged this week vs Wake Forest / Nathaniel Caudell

Interior linemen Joe Fusile and Weston Franklin have seen a big jump in their improvement this year. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Fusile is the highest-graded player on the offense and Franklin is 5th.

Now, you can look at the pass-rushing numbers that Wake Forest has put up and just chalk it up to playing a poor schedule (Elon, Vanderbilt, and Old Dominion) and I would not blame you. On talent, I think Georgia Tech has faced better pass rushers on Louisville and Ole Miss, but that does not mean the Demon Deacons should be overlooked. Having an effective pass rush changes a defense and if they are able to get pressure on Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King, it could change the game and might result in turnovers, which Georgia Tech has largely avoided this season.

There are a lot of keys for Georgia Tech to win this game, but slowing down the duo of Roberts and Davis needs to be at the top of the priority list for Key and the coaching staff.

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