Before every football game this year, The Blue Zone is going to sit down with a football writer from the opposing school’s student newspaper to get the scoop on their team and season.
This week, The Chronicle’s Daniel Carp spoke to The Techique's Sports Editor Newt Clark about this Saturday's matchup between Duke and Georgia Tech.
The Chronicle: Duke is going through a bit of a quarterback change this week with Brandon Connette taking over for the injured Anthony Boone. Is that going to affect the way the Yellow Jackets prepare for this week's game?
Newt Clark: I'm not really sure how much it will change Georgia Tech's gameplan, because they haven't seen him play too much. Coach Johnson said something [yesterday] in his press conference that he doesn't think the Duke offense is going to change that much with him at quarterback, because he's been there so long and is familiar with the system.
TC: Georgia Tech ran all over Duke last year, but the Blue Devils have been significantly better at stopping the run through their first two games. How do you think that could impact this week's matchup?
NC: Georgia Tech obviously did well in its first game against Elon, but Duke is a step up in the competition. Tech is just going to continue to do what they do, run the option until they think Duke stops it. With Vad Lee at quarterback, as opposed to Tevin Washington, they might try to pass it more than they did last year.
TC: Vad Lee split snaps with Tevin Washington last year at quarterback, and has now taken over as the full-time guy. Could you see Georgia Tech throwing the ball more this week now that Lee is the full-time signal-caller?
NC: I do think that there will be more passing that there has been in the past, but Coach Johnson has said that there's a difference between having a strong arm and being a good passer. Not that he was necessarily knocking Vad, but obviously running is going to be the first priority.
TC: Georgia Tech's season-opener against Elon was your first look at former Duke head coach Ted Roof's new defensive scheme for the Yellow Jackets. What were some of the biggest differences you saw?
NC: The primary difference is they moved to a 4-3 and moved Jeremiah Attaochu from outside linebacker to defensive end. They were actually running 4-3 in the second half of last year when Charles Kelly took over as the defensive coordinator. It does seem that the defense is playing a lot more press coverage. There was a lot of tight coverage in the outside, and it looked like the team was playing a little faster than it has in the past.
TC: If you had to pick one key matchup on either side of the ball that could decide the outcome of this game, what would it be and why?
NC: I would say Georgia Tech's offensive line against Duke's defensive line. It is supposed to be the strength this season, but we've had some injuries up front. Our right tackle, Morgan Bailey, is coming back for his first game this season. We've also had a lot of injuries at center. Running the option, if you don't get a good push it's hard to get much going with the B-back up the middle. And if you can't establish the B-back, that really takes away from the pitch.
TC: Finally, what's your score prediction for Saturday's game?
NC: Georgia Tech beats Duke 35-24.
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