Georgia Tech
With both a new defensive coordinator, and the loss of key defensive players such as Derrick Morgan, Tech will still be adjusting to its new 3-4 defense. New comers such as freshman safety Isaiah Johnson and veterans such as junior defensive end Jason Peters will lead Tech’s defense through the transition.
Already off to a strong start with 372 yards on the ground, Tech will try to control the clock against Kansas. With Kansas having such a young defensive line, Tech will attempt to control the line with a lot of option plays.
An emerging leader in the ground game for Tech is senior B-back Anthony Allen. Having made the transition from A-Back to B-Back, Allen’s 9.7 yards a carry bodes well for Tech’s ground game in its upcoming game.
Tech also pitched the ball to redshirt junior A-back Roddy Jones four times in its previous game, netting him 45-yards and two touchdowns. Jones looks to improve upon his disappointing numbers from last season by getting off to a good start this season.
Senior quarterback Joshua Nesbitt will be still looking to improve on all facets of his game. Scoring three touchdowns by foot last Saturday, he may look to sophomore receiver Stephen Hill for assistance in the passing game. Nesbitt only completed one pass in his first game and also threw an interception.
With a strong backfield headed against a fairly young defense, Tech should have no problem putting up points against the Kansas defense.
Kansas
With the placement of a new coach and loss of leaders at the quarterback and receiver positions, Kansas is looking at a rebuilding year.
Being only its second meeting since its loss to Tech at the Orange Bowl in 1948, Kansas is looking to settle the score. Though leaving last week with a 6-3 loss, many hopefuls emerged from the game, such as junior wide receiver Daymond Patterson. Patterson will be using his speed in both the ground and air game.
Another young receiver to watch for will be sophomore D.J. Beshears, who returned two kickoffs for 84 yards last Saturday, one of which was a 49-yard return.
The running game for Kansas has not stacked up the way it hoped for this year. In its opening game, its running backs only ran for an average of two yards per carry. The coaching staff mentioned after the season opener that the two freshmen running backs have a high chance of receiving playing time this Saturday.
Kansas is showing off its youth on the defense as well. With true freshmen at both safety and defensive line, Kansas will need its older players to step up.
Kansas’s biggest difficulty to overcome will be turnovers and penalties. In its opening game, they turned the ball over three times and were penalized for 70 yards. This could hurt the Jayhawks in this game, as Tech can score quickly.
Though young, Kansas has several developing players that may help lead them to victory this Saturday.