|
DB
Jamal Lewis |
|
|
2006
Statistics |
Coach:
Chan Gailey
37-27,
5 years |
2006
Record: 9-5 |
|
NOTRE
DAME |
LOST
10-14 |
SAMFORD |
WON
38-6 |
TROY |
WON
35-20 |
VIRGINIA |
WON
24-7 |
at
Virginia Tech |
WON
38-27 |
MARYLAND |
WON
27-23 |
at
Clemson |
LOST
7-31 |
MIAMI
FL |
WON
30-23 |
at
NC State |
WON
31-23 |
at
North Carolina |
WON
7-0 |
DUKE |
WON
49-21 |
at
Georgia |
LOST
12-15 |
ACC
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME |
vs.
Wake Forest |
LOST
6-9 |
GATOR
BOWL |
West
Virginia |
LOST
35-38 |
|
2006
Final Rankings
AP-31, Coaches-29, BCS-UR
|
2007
Outlook |
Phew…Reggie
Ball has left Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Not that the kid couldn’t play,
but four straight years of five or
more losses was way more predictable
than Ball ever was (Tech had the No.91
passing offense his senior year).
Head coach Chan Gailey’s five
years have been primarily tied to
Ball’s legacy…it must
have seemed like forever before 2007
got here. Replacement Taylor Bennett
offers stability and, unlike Ball,
won’t lose games due to erratic
spells. Also new will be offensive
coordinator John Bond, who appropriately
coaches the quarterbacks, too. With
so many starters back on the line
and in the backfield, there is really
no reason (save orientation time)
why this offense shouldn’t improve
under Bennett’s and Bond’s
efforts. The defense may seem a bit
more vulnerable in the middle up front…otherwise,
last year’s No.27 defense (both
scoring and total), with nine starters
returning, likewise, needs little
time before playing to its potential.
Starting off in South Bend and ending
in Atlanta against their in-state
rivals (whom they haven’t beaten
since 2000), an ACC with distinct
parity means the Ramblin’ Wreck
have only three easy tilts. Tech should
finish with anywhere from three to
six losses. Gailey has never lost
less than five in his five year tenure
here, so at a traditionally winning
program like this, many alumni feel
the coach has to break through soon,
or his chair’s temperature begins
to rise. Most will discount the Yellow
Jackets due to their new QB and OC,
but don’t be surprised if GT
rallies behind Bennett to again win
the Coastal and then sneaks into the
BCS as league champs.
Projected
2007 record: 7-5
|
|
GEORGIA
TECH
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 3.5 |
DL
- 4 |
RB
- 4 |
LB
- 3.5 |
WR
- 3 |
DB
- 4 |
OL
- 4 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Taylor Bennett, 35-58-2, 523 yds.,
5 TD
Rushing: Tashard Choice, 297
att., 1473 yds., 12 TD
Receiving: James Johnson, 39
rec., 608 yds., 7 TD
Scoring: Travis Bell, 12-18
FG, 43-43 PAT, 79 pts.
Punting: Durant Brooks, 79
punts, 45.5 avg.
Kicking: Travis Bell, 12-18
FG, 43-43 PAT, 79 pts.
Tackles: Philip Wheeler, 89
tot., 52 solo
Sacks: Philip Wheeler, 9 sacks
Interceptions: Djay Jones,
4 for 29 yds., 1 TD
Kickoff Returns: Jamaal Evans,
20 ret., 22.8 avg., 0 TD
Punt Returns: Andrew Smith, 19
ret., 7.7 avg., 0 TD
|
|
|
P
Durant Brooks |
|
|
|
GEORGIA
TECH |
|
|
OFFENSE
- 7 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 8 |
|
KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Reggie Ball-QB, Chris Dunlap-WR, George
Cooper-TE, Michael Matthews-TE, Mansfield
Wrotto-OT, Calvin Johnson-WR (NFL) |
DEFENSE:
Joe
Anoai-DT, KaMichael Hall-LB, Kenny Scott-CB |
|
|
2007
OFFENSE |
Junior
Taylor Bennett finally gets to make this
his team. Bennett set school bowl records
after he started Tech’s final game
last season, justifying the excitement fans
have for the St. Louis native. A pure dropback
type, Bennett will ground the offense and
allow for more consistency than GT saw under
Ball. Little has been procured behind Bennett,
so his health is important for Tech to immediately
fire on all cylinders and avoid a situation
like last year. There will be very little
time needed for him to settle in –
the Ramblin’ Wreck will be flying
full throttle from the get-go, especially
with the entire backfield returning. All-ACC
senior TB Tashard Choice (second team) is
a svelte burner who few realize was 13th
in the nation in rushing. Classmate big
Mike Cox is a huge reason Tech does well
on the ground. Even more developed depth
here means Bennett will see more open passing
lanes as foes are forced to focus on the
box. Most impacting will be the loss of
All-American WR Calvin Johnson, but junior
James Johnson returns to buoy the corps.
Lanky soph Greg Smith, proven as a third
receiver, should have a breakout year due
to foes focusing on (the newer) Johnson.
Watch for the TE’s role to expand
under Bennett’s reign – stats
here will increase with Austin Barrack and
Colin Peek vying for vaunted starting status.
With most of the talent positions in place,
seeing three senior starters back on the
interior line gives even greater promise
to what can be on offense. Factor in junior
all-ACC left tackle Andrew Gardner and we
figure a bit of adjustment time is all the
offense will need before it takes Tech back
into the top 25.
|
|
RB
Tashard Choice
|
|
|
GEORGIA
TECH 2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Taylor
Bennett-Jr (6-3, 215) |
Steven
Threet-Fr (6-5, 230) |
FB |
Mike
Cox-Sr (6-1, 250) |
Trevor
Bray-Fr (6-0, 235) |
TB |
Tashard
Choice-Sr (6-1, 205) |
Rashaun
Grant-Sr (5-10, 200)
Jamaal Evans-So (5-8, 196) |
WR |
James
Johnson-Jr (6-0, 190) |
Correy
Earls-Fr (6-0, 192) |
WR |
Greg
Smith-So (6-3, 195) |
Demaryius
Thomas-Fr (6-3, 220) |
TE |
Colin
Peek-So (6-6, 250) |
Austin
Barrick-Fr (6-3, 265) |
OT |
Andrew
Gardner-Jr (6-6, 298) |
.. |
OG |
Matt
Rhodes-Sr (6-3, 280) |
Dan
Voss-So (6-4, 305) |
C |
Kevin
Tuminello-Sr (6-4, 292) |
Trey
Dunmon-So (6-4, 305) |
OG |
Nate
McManus-Sr (6-3, 300) |
Jacob
Lonowski-Jr (6-5, 300) |
OT |
A.J.
Smith-Jr (6-7, 300) |
Cord
Howard-So (6-5, 300) |
K |
Travis
Bell-Sr (6-0, 220) |
Mohamed
Yahiaoui-Jr (5-11, 220) |
|
|
2007
DEFENSE |
This
unit kept Tech in many games, and with nine
starters back, last season’s No.27
total defense can kick into high gear right
off. Senior ends Darrell Robinson and Adamm
Oliver are one of the top tandems in the
country. Oliver is big enough to slide inside,
making for rotations and mismatches that
usually favor Tech. Losing Joe Anoai inside
won’t be felt too much with juniors
Darryl Richards and backup Vance Walker
back, and GT seems stacked with eager recruits
so last season’s No.20 run stopping
unit can perform close to or at the same
level(s). Senior Phillip Wheeler, second
team all-ACC’er, is a monster and
is one of the leading reasons this defense
plays so well together. Classmate Gary Guyton
is also found around the ball more often
than not, and more tough, modestly-sized
speedsters are stacked in the wings. Breaking
in any new faces here is also eased by having
almost the entire secondary back so underneath
coverage can remain strong. Rising cover
star Jahi Word-Daniels (13 PBUs) joins Avery
Roberson to fortify last season’s
No.9 pass efficiency defense at corner.
These guys, along with nickel back Patrick
Clark, can be effective if left alone on
the outside. Still, it is their safeties
that really tie the D together, even though
West Virginia made them look silly (a mediocre
ACC lulled them to sleep all year prior).
That means all-ACC Jamal Lewis and fellow
senior Djay Jones have much to prove, to
both themselves and the college football
world, to start 2007. Lewis and Jones led
the team in interceptions. With only one
other team (besides WVU’s No.5 total
offense) putting up over 30 against them
(Clemson earned 31 points), these guys prove
they are quality deep prevention. If Tech
can again allow only 31.7% of third-downs
to be converted, expect Chan Gailey’s
group to be (close to) atop the Coastal
Division standings.
|
|
LB
Philip Wheeler
|
|
|
GEORGIA
TECH 2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Darrell
Robertson-Sr (6-5, 245) |
Robert
Hall-So (6-3, 245) |
DT |
Darryl
Richard-Jr (6-4, 285) |
Elris
Anyaibe-Jr (6-3, 275) |
DT |
Vance
Walker-Jr (6-2, 275) |
Ben
Anderson-Fr (6-2, 270) |
DE |
Adamm
Oliver-Sr (6-4, 270) |
Michael
Johnson-Jr (6-7, 250) |
LB |
Gary
Guyton-Sr (6-2, 240) |
Taalib
Tucker-Jr (6-1, 238) |
LB |
Philip
Wheeler-Sr (6-2, 230) |
Matt
Braman-Jr (6-3, 235) |
LB |
Shane
Bowen-So (6-1, 225) |
Anthony
Barnes-Fr (6-3, 235) |
CB |
Laurence
Marius-So (5-11, 175) |
Pat
Clark-Sr (5-11, 185) |
CB |
Jahi
Word-Daniels-Jr (6-0, 185) |
Tony
Clark-Jr (6-1, 200) |
SS |
Jamal
Lewis-Sr (6-0, 199) |
Joe
Gaston-Sr (5-11, 195) |
FS |
Djay
Jones-Sr (6-1, 200) |
Avery
Roberson-Sr (6-2, 200) |
P |
Durant
Brooks-Sr (6-1, 202) |
Mohamed
Yahiaoui-Jr (5-11, 220) |
|
|
|
2007
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Senior
Durant Brooks, a consensus All-American, affords
Tech the second leading returning net punting
unit. Senior kicker Travis Bell, while solid at
times, needs to work on his distance (2-for-6
from 40+) and consistency (five of his six misses
were in succession). Jamaal Evans should take
the mantle from Rashaun Grant on KRs and continue
his quality efforts while reserves Andrew Smith
and Pat Clark battle for PR rights.
|
|