The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets began the week as +2 Independence Bowl underdogs against the Air Force Falcons, though the spread has increased to +2.5. The over/under started at 56, and there it remains.
Tech coach Paul Johnson doesn’t have a good bowl record, 0-2 at Tech and 2-4 overall. Critics usually attribute that to opponents having extra time to figure out his offense, though in his two bowls as Jackets coach the team faced defenses with personnel perfectly suited to counter his attack. Not making excuses at all — that’s just the way it is.
And shouldn’t the same apply to Falcons coach Troy Calhoun, since Air Force runs an option-based offense as well? Calhoun is 1-2 in bowls in his career, though all three of his bowl appearances have been in the Armed Forces Bowl, for whatever that’s worth. The Falcons are 7-8 in bowls since the beginning of previous head coach Fisher DeBerry’s time on campus, when the team began using the system it’s adapted into its current offense.
A game like this, between two very similar teams, will come down to execution. Tech has fumbled 12 more times this season than Air Force has. There’s also some uncertainty about Tech’s quarterback situation. They’ll either play a recovering and possibly rusty Joshua Nesbitt or the still-inexperienced Tevin Washington.
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