Is This Louisville Game In Fact Syracuse 2.0?
Saturday September 21, Georgia Tech will take on the 19th -ranked Louisville Cardinals up at their place at 3:30 pm . Tech enters the game with a 3-1 record, 1-1 in the ACC. Louisville is 2-0, having wallopped Austin Peay and Jacksonville State. Georgia Tech represents their first league game in 2024. Oddsmakers have installed the Cardinals as a 10-point favorite at home.
Georgia Tech Coach Brent Key cares not a bit about any conversation regarding " who is supposed to win". He has said repeatedly that his goal is to instill in his team the core belief that their daily goal is to do the next thing they do at the highest possible level– without regard to opponent, location, time , or any other circumstance. Specifically, he wants their focus on the goal immediately at hand, not on what happened last week, or even last hour– much less what's coming up next.
That's a logical stance and Key has stated it consistently in his time as Tech's head man. Still, it's a lofty goal because it is difficult to achieve, especially since there is a constant swirl of analysis/ and commentary ( some coaches call it "noise". In fact, there used to be a coach in the SEC who called it " rat poison ".) The point from the coaches is that the chatter can distract their troops from the appointed mission. Which rings true. But that noise is also what unavoidably happens when you have a large number of people who have intense interest in any given business (okay, a "game").
Having said that, and looking ahead just a bit, there are aspects of this Saturday's game that resemble the game Georgia Tech played two weeks ago, a three -point loss at Syracuse. Louisville is ranked # 19 nationally. Their two wins have each been lopsided, against inferior opponents. But they played for the ACC title last year, and many believe they have the horses to get there again this year. Like Syracuse, they have a new QB via transfer. Tyler Shough, previously with Texas Tech, leads the Cardinals' attack. Also like Syracuse, he has a wealth of talent at the surrounding skill positions. Productive running back Maurice Turner is another weapon for Lousiville, as is WR Ja'Corey Brooks.
And here we note this story sounds a bit like McCord, Allen and Gadsden of Syracuse. Whom Tech could not stop two weeks ago.
The question will be--can the Jackets stop Louisville? If so, they have a chance to win. To do so, they will have to do much better about pressuring Shough. That may be tough, because he's more mobile that Kyle McCord. But Tech put so little effective pressure on McCord two weeks ago that he strafed the Jackets defense for nearly 400 yards passing, including 125 in the first quarter alone.
Georgia Tech DC Tyler Santucci and his troops must do better on Saturday to give the Jackets a shot at a win. Tech's offense needs to be productive, certainly, and they need to avoid turnovers to keep the Cardinals from an easy score.
Under those circumstances, Tech has a decent chance to turn the tables on Louisville from last year's 39-34 loss in game one of 2023. Coming into that game , the Cardinals were also ranked #19.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports.com