For the next few weeks our very own Jordan Lauterbach will be previewing the upcoming 2009 College Football season. Each day, he will be posting a new preview so be sure to check in everyday.

Last Season: 9-4, 5-3, lost to LSU in Chick-fil-A Bowl

Coaches and AP Poll: 15

There is no denying that the loss of Darren Evans at Virginia Tech opens up the A.C.C Coastal division. While I still believe that the Hokies are still the class of the conference, I have my questions about the offense without Evens.

One of the teams that could benefit from a Virginia Tech team that is a little less scary is Georgia Tech. Like the Hokies, the Yellow Jackets offense is defined by an outstanding running game. But unlike the Hokies, that running game is completely healthy.

Known as one of the best running backs in the country, Jonathan Dwyer returns as the defending A.C.C player of the year. Dwyer ran for 1395 yards last season and found the endzone 12 times. He finished twelfth in the country in rushing yards.

What’s scary about Dwyer is that he figures to be even better this season. The junior is ten pounds lighter this season. He expects that the drop in pounds will only improve his game, which boasts an incredible balance of power running and speed.

By Jonathan Dwyer is not the only aspect of this rushing attack that will scare opposing defenses. Dwyer’s counterpart in a running game that ranked fourth in the country last year is Roddy Jones. Last year, Jones ran for 690 yards and four touchdowns. Also keep an eye out for Louisville transfer Anthony Allen. Allen has racked up over 1000 yards in his last two years with the Cardinals.

But Georgia Tech’s running attack doesn’t end with Dwyer, Jones, and Allen. Quarterback Josh Nesbit is far more dangerous with his legs than with his arms. Despite missing two games with injury, Nesbit was second on the team with 693 yards. To give a sense of how important Nesbit is to the running game, consider that Jonathan Dwyer carried the football only 28 more times than Nesbit last season.

Two question marks exist on the offensive side of the ball. One is the offensive line. Georgia Tech, despite having an outstanding rushing game, did not have a fantastic offense line. Add in the loss of David Brown and Andrew Gardner and that could equal even more question marks for Tech. The offensive line will have to rely on new blood stepping in and playing effectively alongside Dan Voss and Cord Howard on the line.

The second question mark is not as big, but still warrants a look. The passing game. If the Chick-fil-A showed anything about the Yellow Jackets, its that the offense is fairly one dimensional. In a 38-3 loss to LSU, Georgia Tech’s offense was shut down. Although Jonathan Dwyer averaged over 6 yards a carry, but only touched the ball out of the backfield ten times. Both Josh Nesbit and Roddy Jones were stifled.

If the running game is shut down, the passing game doesn’t provide much relief. In the bowl loss, Nesbit completed only eight of twenty four passes and threw one interception. This stat line was not tremendously out of the ordinary for Nesbit either. Last season, the quarterback completed less than fifty percent of his passes and had a touchdown to interception ratio of 2-5. He was also sacked twelve times.

This gives some credence to the theory that last year’s offensive success isn’t necessarily set up to continue. Being only head coach Paul Johnson’s second season, these players were not recruited to play in this system. Some insiders wonder how much of last year was a fluke.

I don’t think an offense with a back as good as Jonathan Dwyer can ever be a fluke, but I do have my questions about how this team stacks up against good rush defenses.

Defensively, the Yellow Jackets boast one of the best secondaries in the A.C.C. All-American safety Morgan Burnett grabbed seven interceptions last season. Cornerback Rashaad Reid and Cooper Taylor also return. But perhaps the most intriguing player on Georgia Tech’s defense is Jerrard Tarrant. Tarrant was suspended last season and redshirted in 2007. He had a great spring and is poised for a big year.

While the defensive line lost three starters, it returns end Derrick Morgan who had seven sacks last year.

Georgia Tech’s running game is the best in the A.C.C coastal division. Assuming the Yellow Jackets regain that offensive production, the defense looks to be good enough to at least challenge Virginia Tech.

3 Games To Watch

September 26th- North Carolina- A tough defense strolls into Atlanta one week after what may be a tougher game then people think against Miami. A win here would show a lot in terms of the A.C.C coastal division race.

October 10th- @ Florida State- The toughest road game of the season. Florida State is predicted to be the class of the A.C.C Atlantic division. With the Va.Tech game looming, this would be an awful time to look ahead.

October 17th- Virginia Tech- This may be the battle for the division. Virginia Tech has a heck of a run defense and may cause a lot of problems for this offense.