Plowing Ahead to Georgia Tech

We've long known that this year's Coastal Division race was a four-team affair, with Duke and Virginia sitting the entire sport out. And of UNC's three challengers for a trip to Tampa, Georgia Tech is the one that should concern them the least. And not just because of last year's matchup, where the Heels won handily by three touchdowns and forced the Yellow Jackets into attempting more passes than at any other time that season. The real reason the advantages in this game breaks Carolina's way, is their defensive front, which has been overwhelming and chasing down opponents all season. They're incredibly quick at getting to any sort of run headed outside and can harass a quarterback like few other teams in the country right now. Shutting down Tech's option-based running game shouldn't be much of a problem, even if Jonathan Dwyer was at full strength. No, Tech is most likely going to be forced to pass, always a dicey prospect with  quarterback who has attempted fifteen or more passes only three times in his career, all losses. When forced to air it ou, things go poorly down it Atlanta.

The Yellow Jacket's fighting chance lies with a Tar Heel repeat of the poor offensive performance up in Connecticut two weeks ago, but that also seems remote after last week's ECU game. Tech's defensive rush is adequate but not impressive, and they've given up 300+ yards in both their ACC games this year, much of it through the air. Look for a score similar to last year's if not worse, but powered by a steadier offense than last year's, which relied too much on advantageous field position. Heels by seventeen.