Alright so Tech looked good Saturday against Tulane. In my opinion, light years better than they did in their visit to New Orleans last year. And that got me thinking, last year's schedule was very similar to this year's through two games (opener against a pretty solid FCS opponent followed by the same mid-major conference opponent). So lets take a look at both Jackets teams through the first couple of games in the season.
2014 Offense- 867 total yards
- 38 points per game, 570 rush yards, 297 pass yards
2015 Offense - 1,124 total yards
- 64 points per game, 315 rush yards, 209 pass yards
2014 Defense - 620 total yards against (20 points per game)
2015 Defense - 520 total yards against (8 points per game)
I know, I know. It is Alcorn State and Tulane. And believe me, my head is not in the clouds for what this season may hold. But, I feel much better about this team than I did at this point a year ago. And the 2014 team finished as one of the strongest Tech teams that I have seen in my lifetime.
What concerns me however is what happened in week 3 last year. Tech cruised to a big lead at home against Georgia Southern then decided to take the second half off until the final 5 minutes of the game as they barely escaped. Being a Georgia Southern grad, I would like to say the Eagles are as tough of a game as Notre Dame but my moral compass is not that bad to lie to you that way (even if Brian Van Gorder, one of the most hated men in Statesboro, is the defense coordinator for the Irish).
The Jackets better be ready for a Notre Dame team that will be fixing a hand full of things on both sides of the ball that were exposed last week at Virginia.
Trying to replace a quarterback this early in the season will be a tough task for the Irish, but they will still connect on a few big plays deep down the field (Looking at you DJ White). But ultimately, I expect the ground game to stay consistent and the offensive line to allow Skov and company to have a big day opening things up on the edge. Expect a break out game from A-back Quay Searcy who has the potential to be a real threat catching the ball out of the backfield.
Jackets get a statement win on a big stage 42-38.
