Tennessee football is locked into a defensive struggle with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in part two of the Chic-fil-A Kickoff. Here’s the halftime outlook.
In the final game of Week 1, Georgia Tech leads Tennessee 14-7 at the half time whistle. It’s been nice to see some college football on a Monday night, but it’s been a grind.
That’s exactly what the Yellow Jackets want. Georgia Tech drove down the field for the first score on a 12 play, 86 yard drive. It was capped off by a TaQuon Marshall 1-yard touchdown run. The Vols would respond with a 1-yard touchdown run of their own, courtesy of running back John Kelly.
Georgia Tech retook the lead on the next possession. Once again it came on a long, grueling drive. The Jackets went 75 yards in 16 plays, once more punching it in from the 1-yard line to take a 14-7 lead.
Three key stats
- 2 – Passing third down conversions by Georgia Tech
- 59 – Receiving yards on those third down conversion
- 40 percent – completion percentage of Tennessee quarterback Quinten Dormady
Tennessee adjustments
Get off the field. It’s that simple. The Volunteers held the ball for just over eight minutes in the first 30 minutes of play. During that time the Yellow Jackets are 8-for-11 on third down. The Vols need to get to the edge quicker and force Georgia Tech back inside. If they can get a few more possessions they’ll eventually retake the lead.
Georgia Tech adjustments
The Yellow Jackets have executed their game plan just like they’d planned. The triple option is challenging to prepare for, but even more difficult to stop for a full four quarters. If Georgia Tech is going to be successful they need to keep grinding it out on the ground. When it does come time for a play action pass, or two, they need to make it a high percentage play.
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Outlook
After two slug fests on Sunday night, including one 34 point comeback, this game seems like a bit of a letdown. While there are less fireworks, that plays directly into the hands of the Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are right on schedule and have the Vols right where they want them.