Bleav Georgia Tech: Complete Preview and Breakdown of The Upcoming Matchup Against Georgia State

How do Georgia Tech and Georgia State matchup heading into Saturday?

Aug 24, 2024; Dublin, IRL; Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key celebrates with the coachís award after their win against Florida State at Aviva Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tom Maher/INPHO via USA TODAY Sports / Tom Maher/INPHO via USA TODAY Sports

After beating No. 10 Florida State in the season opener, Georgia Tech must come home to face a new look Georgia State team who is hoping to ruin the good feeling that the Yellow Jackets have after they were able to beat the Seminoles. Georgia State is playing its first game under new head coach Dell McGee and there are a lot of questions about the roster and what the Panthers are going to look like on Saturday night.

On the latest episode of Bleav Georgia Tech, RJ and Jackson welcome 247Sports Georgia State reporter Ben Moore to the show to answer any questions about the Panthers and help preview the game on Saturday.

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So what are the key storylines for this game on Saturday?

1. Can Georgia Tech pick up where they left off?

There is no question as to who the better team is on paper this Saturday when these two teams play. The big question I have this week is if Georgia Tech is ready to go from the opening kickoff against the Panthers on Saturday. They are coming back from a long road trip to Ireland and they have to be very confident after beating FSU on Saturday. Will they overlook Georgia State and could that lead to a slow start? I don't think Georgia Tech will lose this game, but I am interested to see how fast they start. If they start fast and show no signs of a hangover from last week's win, it could get ugly in Bobby Dodd Stadium.

2. Can the defense continue to play at a high level?

While I did think the Georgia Tech defense would be better this season, I don't know if I saw the performance on Saturday as possible. There are some unknowns with Georgia State's offense and Georgia Tech's defense should be able to continue their play from last week. One thing the defense did not do last week is force a turnover so that is one thing that I am looking forward to seeing if they can do.

3. The passing game

There is no question about Georgia Tech's identity on the offensive side of the ball. I think they will be able to once again dominate the line of scrimmage on Saturday, but I would like to see if they can test a Georgia State defense that ranked 125th in passing defense last season. Now, they have a new defensive coordinator and some new transfers, but are they actually improved? I would like to see Georgia Tech attack them vertically on Saturday.