Baller | noun | pronunciation: [bawl-er] | definition: A 6 foot 2 inch sure-handed, play-making wide receiver out of Deerfield Beach, Florida | example: Bryce Gowdy.

Bryce Gowdy, a class of 2020 prospect, is ranked as a 4-star prospect and 167th overall in the country per rivals.com. As important to Georgia Tech fans, he is committed to the Yellow Jackets.

Gowdy has had a strong start to his senior season and is looking to get even better. “My season is going great. I am making all my plays and starting to focus on becoming a stronger leader so I can take my team to state,” said Gowdy in a recent interview with GTSwarm.

Gowdy acknowledges his strengths but also wants to keep improving. “My best trait is my competitive nature and the one thing I would say I need to work on is my overall consistency.”

Even though he is working hard and focused on his own season, he has been tuned in all year to Georgia Tech and the offense especially. “Looking at the offense, I see a lot of promise and opportunity that won’t be fully showcased until more players like me are headed to the flats,” said Gowdy.

The Deerfield Beach product senses he has a chance to come in and make an early impact and that is exactly what he plans to do. “I’m really confident that I can come and start day 1 at Georgia Tech with my skillset. I am big and strong. I am college ready right now." Bryce clearly exudes confidence but puts his money where his mouth is and will continue to work hard and put himself into a position to succeed. He does not know when he is going to visit again but will be on campus soon. “I plan on signing, then enrolling early.”

If Gowdy continues to work hard and arrives for Tech's spring semester to get accustomed to the team and school, watch out for Gowdy to be a biGTime contributor to Tech’s offense as early as next year.

ATLANTA, GA - Credit to The Citadel.  They knew who they were and stayed true to themselves for all 60 minutes, plus bonus time, of Saturday's game at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

The outcome?  A 27-24 overtime win for the Bulldogs.

Georgia Tech, on the other hand, is struggling to find an identity. Questions are aplenty after any loss, let alone one to a FCS team three games into a coaching transition.  Let's look at a few, and go quickly, to avoid further agitation following a disappointing afternoon on The Flats.

Who is QB1?

Still, no answer.  Offensive Coordinator Dave Patenaude is on record saying he prefers to have one quarterback be "the guy". During today's game vs. The Citadel, Lucas Johnson and Tobias Oliver continued to split snaps, sometimes within the same drive and same series.  James Graham did not dress due to injury.

Who is PK1?

Tech has two "above the line" placekickers in Brenton King and Wesley Wells.  King missed his lone field goal try last week, albeit from 50+ yards.  This week was more discouraging, with King converting 1 of 2 field goal tries and Wells missing his lone extra point attempt. Give credit to King for being in position to have two attempts. His first was a pressure-filled effort from 34 yards out as regulation time expired to send the game to overtime.  The latter attempt was 46 yards out and again in a scenario of "survive and advance". It had the leg, but unfortunately sailed wide.

What are reasonable expectations of the offensive line?

It's no secret that head coach Geoff Collins and offensive line coach Brent Key prefer big, long lineman. They inherited a mixed bag of size and skills. The line has been decimated early by injuries, with 4 scholarship linemen out due to injury during the majority of each of the last two games. On the positive side, the Jackets averaged 5.5 yards/rush and 6.5 yards/play today vs. The Citadel.  On the negative, they allowed 3 sacks, gave up 6 total tackles for loss (TFL) and achieved just 14 first downs.  In other words, fits and starts, and a ways to go to be competitive against better competition.

Is the defense for real?

There were reasons to be encouraged and reasons to "wait and see" about the Jackets' defense following the first two games against Clemson and South Florida. Today's game did little to clarify expectations. The Citadel executed their offense efficiently, averaging 4.5 yards/rush while converting 8 of 16 third downs and their lone fourth down attempt.  They possessed the ball for almost 42 minutes, albeit aided by Tech's own inefficiency and penalties (we'll get to this in a second). It's an offense that Tech will not have to face again, and because of that it's difficult to project a ton from today's effort.

Why were penalties an issue all of a sudden?

Tech committed just 4 penalties in its first two games. Today, the Jackets committed 8, many of which came at absolutely critical junctures and deflated what otherwise would have given Tech a lot of momentum.  The dead ball penalties by the defense in the first half extended drives, ultimately yielding points that otherwise would have been left off the scoreboard.  Tech's last penalty of the game was a false start by the offense with 23 seconds to go, and unraveled an otherwise promising, potentially game-winning drive.  Should we expect more of the first two game or more like today?  TBD.

Perhaps the most frustrating question is, when will all these questions be answered? Some may take more than a season. For the sake of wins on the gridiron, let's hope that many are resolved expediently and positively, otherwise there may be more frustrating days ahead like today.

ATLANTA, GA – Finally, we have it. The first win of the Coach Collins era at Georgia Tech. Given that many expected a 0-1 record following our season opener, winning in week 2 became an even more important milestone to achieve. With the win over USF on Saturday afternoon, Tech fans can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a small taste of revenge in light of last year's second half collapse in Tampa. This game also provided a clearer look at the strengths and needed improvements for this new-look Georgia Tech squad.

Pressley Harvin

There is not enough that can be said about punter Pressley Harvin so far this year. Without him, Tech would not have won this game. He proved absolutely critical in terms of field positioning, and his high, end-over-end punts were difficult to field for USF's return team. Both of Harvin's first two punts sailed 55 yards and pinned USF at their own 14 and 6, respectively. His third punt was fumbled by the returner which set Tech up for their second and final touchdown. Harvin also had another muffed punt and another 55 yard punt in the game, but the former was recovered by USF and the latter went uncounted following a USF penalty that gave Tech a first down instead. Even with a shanked punt in the game, Harvin maintained an average of 41.3 yards per punt. He will be a weapon moving forward.

Who is our Kicker?

As for questions in the placekicking game, Wesley Wells was dressed for yesterday's game, however Brenton King took all of the reps. When asked about the decision to play King at the postgame press conference, head coach Geoff Collins stated that King was the better kicker in practice and earned the start. There weren't many opportunities for King, with two made PATs and a missed 51 yard FG wide right.

O-Line Depth a Big Concern

The offensive line did best providing a rushing push for most of the game, but had some serious issues with pass protection. This was, in part, due to losing two key starters, Mikey Minihan and Kenny Cooper, in the first half. If anything, this game should show how resilient the line is and how important Coach Key has been on The Flats. Collins reiterated this in the postgame, saying that coaches including Key stress positional flexibility for everyone on the O-Line. Without positional flexibility, including the likes of Jahaziel Lee who due to attrition moved back to offensive tackle full-time from the defensive line, Tech would have had an even more difficult time moving the ball.

Offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude tried to work within the strengths of the team's personnel, calling a number of screens and quick passes to take some of the stress off the line. With a number of scholarship linemen down after only Tech's second game (Hansen, Clark, Minihan, Cooper), the line is facing a huge hurdle for the rest of the season.

D-Line Improvement

The interior defensive linemen provided a lot of help stopping inside runs on Saturday. The line got a great jump off the ball and allowed just one broken play, a QB scramble by USF quarterback Blake Barnett. That unit's highlight was arguably the turning point in the game, when tackle TK Chimedza knocked the ball loose during Tech's fourth quarter goal line stand.

As for the pass rush, the Jackets got inside and forced check down throws and scrambles out of the pocket, while also tallying 4 sacks for the game. Defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker and his line coaches, Marco Coleman and Larry Knight, did a great job of continuously rotating linemen throughout the game to keep them fresh and attack the ball.  They disguised coverages and stunts, causing confusion in the trenches.

Charlie Thomas, Tre Swilling, and Pass Coverage

This was another very good game for the secondary, who allowed just 169 yards through the air. We saw lockdown coverage force check down throws or misreads by the QB. Cornerback Tre Swilling stayed sound in the secondary, while safeties Juanyeh Thomas and Tariq Carpenter played very well in coverage and on the blitz.

One big standout at the second level was outside linebacker Charlie Thomas. Thomas was generally solid in coverage and got in the backfield multiple times, causing 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss. He is becoming an asset for the team. His skills should be helpful against The Citadel, where having a smart, rangy outside linebacker that can get into the backfield should allow Tech to make plays against the option.

The QB Wheel of Destiny

A lot of fans are undecided about the three QB rotation we are showing thus far. While having one QB that could do it all would be great, we saw flashes of excellence (and needed improvements) from all three candidates yesterday.

Lucas Johnson got the majority of the reps under center and did well in the short passing game. He often made the right calls and was very careful with the ball. He did fairly well in the option looks, but sometimes mad wrong reads.

James Graham was my favorite QB yesterday, showing his willingness to go downfield and do so accurately again. He showed some agility and an ability to make plays with his legs, escaping for a 15 yard run early in the 3rd quarter.

Tobias Oliver was a huge threat in our red zone offense, making things happen on the ground on the second touchdown drive. I also thought the option plays with Oliver at slot/running back were effective.

Moving forward, I hope to see more of Graham behind center with running back Jordan Mason and Oliver at skill positions. Their strengths play very well in this new spread system. Both are hard to track and tackle.

Discipline and Intensity

One of the biggest factors in this game was USF's lack of discipline, which led to a number of additional chances for Tech. Collins spoke to that during his postgame press conference, saying he was proud of the team for staying calm and avoiding distractions during the game. This is something we obviously hope to see going forward.

Collins also spoke to his "every play has a life of its own" mentality. Throughout the second half, there were momentum plays that went against Tech. Collins has coached the importance of playing in the moment and being aware and alert on every play, which proved vital when it came time for the goal line stand.

Discipline will be important next week against Citadel. Being in the moment, staying patient and reading keys will be crucial for this team to continue to execute on defense and for the team to improve to 2-1 on the season.