By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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A year older and wiser, Georgia Tech looks to bounce back amidst modest outside expectations.

Last year was a two-decade anomaly for the Yellow Jackets, a historic regression on the Flats where injuries and inexperience became season-long themes. The end result was just three wins, including one, a memorable triumph over Florida State, coming on a game-ending blocked kick return for a touchdown. Now, a year older and wiser, Georgia Tech looks to bounce back amidst modest outside expectations.

Offense — Quarterback Justin Thomas is one of college football’s most battle-tested signal callers and a proven team leader as a senior; he has 48 career scores, and an Orange Bowl victory, on his resume. Thomas will look to return to his sophomore form, where he was most-productive in Paul Johnson’s option-based attack. Marcus Marshall and Clinton Lynch emerged at B-back and A-back, respectively, as freshmen, with Marshall leading the team with 654 yards and Lynch leading the nation with 9.5 yards per attempt. The Yellow Jackets have options in the offensive backfield, depth forged, at times, by fire a season ago. Georgia-transfer J.J. Green will figure into the mix as a runner. The strength of the offensive line looks to be the veteran interior, with fifth-year senior Freddie Burden pacing the front five as one of the ACC’s best centers.

Defense — Senior linebacker P.J. Davis is the centerpiece of the Georgia Tech defense, both literally and figuratively. With 237 tackles and 20 tackles for loss in three seasons, the undersized-Davis is a reliable, sturdy tackler. The hope is that 250-pound talent KeShun Freeman will emerge into a top-level edge-rusher at end. After 4.5 sacks as a freshman, his production took a slight step back in 2015. Big plays from him would be a huge boost for the Yellow Jackets. Expectations are high for sophomore safety A.J. Gray, who seems poised for a breakout encore as a playmaker in the secondary. There is considerable roster turnover in the defensive backfield. Overall, the unit was able to grab some off-season momentum with a strong performance in the team’s spring game.

Special Teams — Harrison Butker has made some critically-big kicks throughout his career, while Ryan Rodwell is entering his third year at punter. Georgia Tech blocked three kicks in 2015. A number of underclassmen will compete in the return game.

Schedule — The opener with Boston College is more captivating than the combined 1-15 conference record from last fall would suggest. Kickoff is set for 7:30am ET from Dublin, Ireland. The obvious game-within-the-game is the Yellow Jackets’ ACC-best ground game against an Eagle defense that led the nation in rush defense. Georgia Tech needs positive traction early. Later, the Yellow Jackets get Clemson and Miami in Atlanta, but have North Carolina and Virginia Tech on the road in consecutive contests in early November.

Team MVP — Justin Thomas, QB
Rising Star — A.J. Gray, S
Newcomer to Watch — J.J. Green, A-Back

Georgia Tech has largely been a model of consistency, stability the program hopes to restore immediately. An improved turnover margin would help the Yellow Jackets dramatically. Five of Georgia Tech’s last six games were decided by six points or less; the Yellow Jackets must do the little things right to get over the hump in some of those swing games. Early success, changing the talking points and offering validation, will be key.