Georgia Tech @ Air Force preview
Independence Stadium
The Dec. 27 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., should be a clinic in the option.
Georgia Tech leads the nation with 327 rushing yards per game. Air Force ranks second with 317.9 yards per game. Both teams employ an option-based attack that chews up clock but also creates explosive plays.
Coaches have quipped this could be an extremely quick game, as neither team passes much.
Air Force (8-4, 5-3 Mountain West) enters off three straight wins, with the team averaging 41.6 points during the streak. Coach Troy Calhoun, who took over the program in 2007, was just rewarded with a contract extension through 2015.
The offense revolves around junior quarterback Tim Jefferson, who has run for 769 yards and 15 touchdowns while throwing for 1,342 yards and 10 more scores. Asher Clark has run for 1,001 yards and five touchdowns. He averages 5.8 yards a carry.
Wideout Kevin Fogler, who’s been hampered by a knee injury, should return for the Dec. 27 game and add a deep threat that’s been missing.
Air Force is 9-10-1 all-time in bowl games.
Tech is 22-16 in bowls and 3-0 all-time against Air Force, but those wins over the Falcons came in the late 1970s.
With a win, Tech (6-6, 4-4 ACC) would post its 14th straight winning season and snap a five-game bowl skid.
Senior quarterback Joshua Nesbitt, who broke his forearm in the Nov. 4 loss at Virginia Tech, had hoped to return for the bowl but that appears highly unlikely. Sophomore backup Tevin Washington, who nearly rallied the Jackets to a comeback win in Blacksburg, Va., has run for 383 yards and four touchdowns in less than four full games. He’s also thrown for 376 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
However, Tech lost four of its last five, including 42-34 in the season finale at archrival Georgia.
The Jackets like to control the ball with powerful B-back Anthony Allen, who’s run for 1,225 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards a carry. A-backs Orwin Smith (9.7 yards a carry) and Roddy Jones (6.7 yards a carry) are big-play threats on the outside.
If Tech has to throw, Washington will need a receiver to step up. Because 6-foot-5 sophomore Stephen Hill, an incredible athlete who averages 19.4 yards per catch, has been ruled ineligible after not meeting Tech's academic requirements. Starting safety Mario Edwards is ineligible for the same reason.
While Tech doesn't expect to have Nesbitt, Air Force is hoping fullback Jared Tew can return from the broken bone in his right leg that kept him out of the last five games. The senior was the backbone of Air Force’s ground game and had rumbled for 540 yards. Calhoun called Tew “a longshot” to play.
Air Force linebacker Brady Amack, who missed the regular-season finale with a hamstring injury, is expected to be available. The Falcons will be without defensive linemen Zach Payne and Bradley Connor. Both suffered knee injuries in the finale, a 35-20 win over UNLV.