You pretty much know what you're going to get with Georgia Tech with a 7-to-9 win season, a bowl berth, a few big wins, a weird loss or two, and a middle of the road finish in the ACC.
Don't expect things to change much this year even after the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech. Not enough improvement has been made in any one area to expect any sort of a run at an ACC title, and there hasn't been enough of a loss anywhere to expect a drop-off. The defense will be sound and the offense will have its moments, but this is still a young team trying to get some momentum.
There are some next-level talents like safety James Butler and defensive end Eric Henderson to go along with some very good college players like running back P.J. Daniels and quarterback Reggie Ball. These stars have to lead to more consistent play. The Yellow Jackets were good enough to beat Auburn, NC State and Maryland and flaky enough to lose to BYU and Duke. The difference between a bowl berth and sitting at home will be razor thin in the ACC this year, so they can give away any layups.
The Schedule: It's not a pretty slate with no room to go on any sort of run. The road games couldn't be more brutal considering Miami comes to Atlanta. The year-end rivalry game at Georgia and the DI-AA layup against Samford won't help bowl hopes. The only chance for the post-season is with a win at North Carolina and at least two other road wins.
Best Offensive Player: Junior RB P.J. Daniels. The former walk-on turned into the ACC's top rusher last season occasionally carrying the offense. He'll have a little more help this season to keep him fresh, but the plan is to use him as a workhorse again.
Best Defensive Player: Senior FS James Butler. He should be in the NFL. The 6-3, 210-pound Butler is an huge hitting all-around star on the field and in the classroom earning All-ACC honors in both areas.
Key player to a successful season: Jonathan Smith caught 78 passes for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns last year. Now the Yellow Jackets need to find a go-to guy to replace him hoping that 2003's second leading receiver, Nate Curry, can finally blossom after spending years getting a knee injury. If he doesn't shine, the passing game could be in huge trouble.
The season will be a success if ... the Yellow Jackets wins seven games. There can't be any let downs against a brutal ACC slate. It will take seven wins (assuming one of the victories is over Samford) to get to the post-season. With this schedule that would be a major accomplishment even for a team as good as this one.
Key game: Sept. 11 at Clemson. To get to a bowl, Tech will have to win at least one road ACC game it shouldn't. A victory over Clemson early would do wonders for the overall attitude of the program with Miami and Maryland coming up soon after.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Penalties: Opponents: 93 for 800 yards - Georgia Tech 68 for 576
- Rushing yards per game: Georgia Tech 160.5 - Opponents 100.5
- Georgia Tech first quarter scoring: 43 - Georgia Tech fourth quarter scoring: 94
Don't expect things to change much this year even after the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech. Not enough improvement has been made in any one area to expect any sort of a run at an ACC title, and there hasn't been enough of a loss anywhere to expect a drop-off. The defense will be sound and the offense will have its moments, but this is still a young team trying to get some momentum.
There are some next-level talents like safety James Butler and defensive end Eric Henderson to go along with some very good college players like running back P.J. Daniels and quarterback Reggie Ball. These stars have to lead to more consistent play. The Yellow Jackets were good enough to beat Auburn, NC State and Maryland and flaky enough to lose to BYU and Duke. The difference between a bowl berth and sitting at home will be razor thin in the ACC this year, so they can give away any layups.
The Schedule: It's not a pretty slate with no room to go on any sort of run. The road games couldn't be more brutal considering Miami comes to Atlanta. The year-end rivalry game at Georgia and the DI-AA layup against Samford won't help bowl hopes. The only chance for the post-season is with a win at North Carolina and at least two other road wins.
Best Offensive Player: Junior RB P.J. Daniels. The former walk-on turned into the ACC's top rusher last season occasionally carrying the offense. He'll have a little more help this season to keep him fresh, but the plan is to use him as a workhorse again.
Best Defensive Player: Senior FS James Butler. He should be in the NFL. The 6-3, 210-pound Butler is an huge hitting all-around star on the field and in the classroom earning All-ACC honors in both areas.
Key player to a successful season: Jonathan Smith caught 78 passes for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns last year. Now the Yellow Jackets need to find a go-to guy to replace him hoping that 2003's second leading receiver, Nate Curry, can finally blossom after spending years getting a knee injury. If he doesn't shine, the passing game could be in huge trouble.
The season will be a success if ... the Yellow Jackets wins seven games. There can't be any let downs against a brutal ACC slate. It will take seven wins (assuming one of the victories is over Samford) to get to the post-season. With this schedule that would be a major accomplishment even for a team as good as this one.
Key game: Sept. 11 at Clemson. To get to a bowl, Tech will have to win at least one road ACC game it shouldn't. A victory over Clemson early would do wonders for the overall attitude of the program with Miami and Maryland coming up soon after.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Penalties: Opponents: 93 for 800 yards - Georgia Tech 68 for 576
- Rushing yards per game: Georgia Tech 160.5 - Opponents 100.5
- Georgia Tech first quarter scoring: 43 - Georgia Tech fourth quarter scoring: 94
