Georgia Tech Season Review

By David England
SouthernPigskin.com

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Winning the program's first bowl game in seven years has Georgia Tech fans very excited for next season.

There is an old adage that goes as follows: "it's not how you start, it's how you finish." If that holds true, then Georgia Tech had a great season, ending the year with a bowl win over a talented USC team that was picked as the number one team in the land during the preseason. If you look at the Jackets' campaign as a whole, it was not overly impressive, as they finished with a 7-7 record to close out their season.

What we saw from the Yellow Jackets throughout the season was incredible resiliency. Midway through the season, the team had a 2-4 record, including a loss to Middle Tennessee State out of the Sun Belt Conference.

Then, the Jackets won five of their next eight contests. For a team that some considered in shambles (myself included), they made one incredible comeback, one that placed them in the ACC Championship game against a top 15 Florida State team. What was even more impressive was the way that Georgia Tech acted during the tough times. They never showed one bit of doubt about their talent or reason to give up on a season that most would have easily compromised on.

The season was expected to be one of the best in recent memory, as Paul Johnson's squad had more returning talent on offense than he had ever had in Atlanta. But what 2012 handed us was something completely different than most expected. Virginia Tech had one of its worst seasons in 20 years, Miami would have taken the Coastal crown had they not self imposed a ban, and Duke made it to a bowl game. Yes, you read that right. Duke made it to a bowl game. So in other words, it was an unpredictable year in the ACC.

There is no question about the talent on the 2012 Tech squad, though. With Tevin Washington having one of his best seasons on the Flats, Orwin Smith continuing to be the homerun threat, and Zack Laskey showing up in a big way, the offense was often unstoppable.

The defense, on the other hand, had its share of ups and downs, with defensive coordinator Al Groh being fired from his position halfway through the season. The defense was unimpressive through the first six games, giving up an average of 30 points per game. Once Charles Kelly took over as defensive coordinator, however, the defense played a more aggressive style of football that forced teams into mistakes.

The Jackets faced a tough schedule in 2012 and it didn't look promising through the first half of the season, but Georgia Tech had a major bounce back to its season. Winning the program's first bowl game in seven years has Tech fans very excited for next season.