HOW A NEW DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR IMPACTS GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL via ACCSports.com

GTFLETCH

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Change is coming to Georgia Tech, as the Yellow Jackets have moved on from former defensive coordinator Ted Roof in favor of Nate Woody.

Head coach Paul Johnson found Roof’s replacement in his native western North Carolina, as he plucked Woody away from the staff at Applachian State. The Mountaineers have made a relatively seamless transition from the FCS level, largely due to Woody’s defenses. Woody also served as defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Wofford.

With Woody at the helm, the Mountaineers ranked in the top 25 nationally in the FBS in scoring defense, total defense, and interceptions in each of the last three seasons. ASU is coming off a 34-0 shutout of Toledo in the Dollar General Bowl in late December.

Roof, who was head coach at Duke from 2003 to 2007, accepted a position on Dave Doeren’s staff at NC State. Roof spent five seasons as Johnson’s defensive coordinator in Atlanta.



Assessing 2017
On the whole, Georgia Tech was a middle-of-the-road defensive team in 2017. The Yellow Jackets ranked eighth in the ACC in scoring defense (25.7 ppg), fifth in total defense (372 ypg), seventh in rushing defense (152.9 ypg), and seventh in pass defense (219.1 ypg). But a deeper look at the numbers indicates a Yellow Jacket defense that struggled to come up with game-changing plays. For the Jackets to return to the top of the Coastal Division in the coming years, they’ll need to dramatically improve their pass rush, along with their ability to create turnovers and negative-yardage plays on defense.

Georgia Tech’s defense finished the 2017 season tied for last in the ACC in interceptions, with only four in 11 games. That’s the same number of interceptions that Georgia Tech’s run-happy offense threw over the course of 11 games. Over the last three seasons, Georgia Tech has struggled pushing opposing teams back defensively.

After ranking 128th nationally with 3.92 tackles per loss per game in 2015, Tech ranked 120th in 2016 (4.39 tackles per loss per game) and 119th nationally in 2017 (4.27 tackles for loss). This fall, the Yellow Jackets ranked dead-last in the ACC with only eight sacks. The next-closest ACC team to Georgia Tech – Syracuse – had nearly twice as many sacks – 15. ACC leader Miami recorded 39 sacks – nearly five times as many as the Yellow Jackets.

Johnson appeared particularly frustrated with Roof in regards to Georgia Tech’s defensive struggles in late-half and late-game situations. He took a subtle jab at Roof after the Jackets gave up a field goal just before halftime of the UGA game with less than a minute on the clock. Tech also gave up a late touchdown in its 25-24 loss at Miami in mid-October, which turned the tide in this fall’s Coastal Division race.



What to expect in 2018
Under Woody, the Yellow Jackets will be returning to a base 3-4 scheme. However, Woody’s hybrid scheme isn’t the same 3-4 that was employed under former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Al Groh. Woody’s scheme employs elements of both a 3-4 and a 5-2 scheme, depending on the play and the game circumstances. The outside linebackers in Woody’s defenses are versatile, capable of stepping up to the line of scrimmage like extra defensive ends, or dropping into pass coverage or supporting the run. It’s a scheme predicated on creating pressure and confusion on the part of opposing offensive lines, with blitzing linebackers and stunting defensive linemen coming seemingly from everywhere all at once.

Woody also has the potential to raise Georgia Tech’s recruiting profile in the Carolinas. With his extensive experience at Wofford and Appalachian State, Woody has beaten the pavement throughout North and South Carolina. The Yellow Jackets struggled throughout the Roof era in recruiting the kinds of athletic, aggressive defensive lineman that are essential to improving GT’s pass rush. Woody’s addition improves GT’s chances of being more productive recruiting in these critical local states, which can only serve his efforts to improve the Yellow Jackets defensively in the coming years.

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We had double digit leads in every game this season except Clemson and Georgia - 2 teams that made the CFP. Now the offense needs to continue to score as well, but if you have a double digit lead, you should be able to hold that in the vast majority of cases. If we would have won 100% of those, we would have gone 9-2 and been in the ACC Championship game plus gotten a bowl game. Best case 11-2, worst case 9-4.
 
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