The Vanderbilt Commodores will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Birmingham Bowl for a post-Christmas matchup on Dec. 27. This ancient rivalry dates back to 1892, and both teams will battle it out for the previously lost Gold Cowbell. Vanderbilt has not beaten Georgia Tech since 1941 and will enter the bowl game hoping to break a three-game losing skid that ended its regular season. The Yellow Jackets, however, represent a steep test and are a mirror offensive match for Vanderbilt.
Georgia Tech, like Vanderbilt, was a team full of surprises this season. It started the season with a game-winning field goal in Ireland over then-No. 10 Florida State. It shocked the college football world and halted then-No. 4 Miami’s playoff hopes with a 28-23 victory. Then, to cap off the year, Georgia Tech went to war on the road with SEC powerhouse No. 2 Georgia, ultimately falling short in eight overtimes. While their season was far from perfect, the Yellow Jackets, like their bowl opponent, were a consistently scrappy opponent for all teams they faced.
The basis for Georgia Tech’s success is based on head coach Brent Key’s scheme of downhill, power running. The Commodores and the Yellow Jackets both play through a spread option scheme; while Vanderbilt capitalizes on misdirection and trickery, Georgia Tech thrives on running right through the jaws of a defense.
However, Vanderbilt’s opponent in Birmingham will be missing pieces offensively. Georgia Tech’s top receiver, Eric Singleton Jr., and starting left tackle, Corey Robinson II, are in the transfer portal. Even without those two main pieces, Georgia Tech’s offense isn’t one to look down on.
Quarterback magic of their own
Vanderbilt fans are more than familiar with Diego Pavia’s wizardry. In a way, Pavia is the embodiment of the Commodores’ culture, playing with fearless energy and a gamer, underdog mentality. Georgia Tech has a stud at quarterback, too: the quick bruiser Haynes King. Standing at 6’3 and 215 lbs., the former Texas A&M signal-caller is a force to be reckoned with, providing a great blend of speed and power not dissimilar to Pavia’s. A nagging right shoulder injury suffered against North Carolina in Week Seven had limited him down the stretch of the season, but a gutsy performance against Georgia showed that an injury won’t stop him from playing.
King capitalizes on zone reads and designed runs for himself on the ground, staying between the tackles while blasting up the middle. While he also has the speed to make big runs at the edge and frequently does, Georgia Tech’s offensive line is extremely physical and consistently moves the middle of the line of scrimmage forward. Especially in short-yardage situations, King is usually expected to keep the ball for himself and charge forward, again replicative of Vanderbilt’s Pavia.
This year, King has posted 578 rushing yards on 5.1 yards a carry, adding on 11 rushing touchdowns. Those numbers rank 2nd and 1st among ACC quarterbacks, respectively. Notably, he’s an extremely efficient passer, boasting an 82.3 QBR, which is good for 9th in the nation, while only tossing one interception all year. King is the prototype for a leader in Key’s offense: a gritty, smart and athletic dual-threat who doesn’t make mistakes.
More Haynes, more problems
If King at quarterback isn’t enough of a threat on the ground, the Yellow Jackets’ leading rusher, Jamal Haynes, will be another headache for Vanderbilt to deal with. Behind a powerful offensive line, Haynes is slippery through gaps and is the perfect complementary athlete to the larger, hard-nosed runner in King. Because of the balancing act with King, Haynes does not get a surplus of carries. His season high is 19 carries, which he had done twice. Against Georgia, when he rushed for 91 yards, he only ran the ball 13 times. Against Miami, he rushed for 83 yards on three carries. He might not run the ball often, but when he does, Haynes is fresh and effective.
What makes Haynes so deadly? His explosiveness. Georgia Tech’s offense will churn out short-yard rushes until opposing defenses break down and Haynes rips out for massive runs. His speed makes him a threat in both the pistol option and in normal spread sets, as he can both bounce runs outside and pick up yards in between tackles when defenses key in on outside rushes.
Vanderbilt’s defense has struggled greatly against explosive plays and quality backs all year. Look no further than Nate Noel (199 yards on 24 carries), Raheim Sanders (126 yards on 15 carries) and Dylan Sampson (178 yards on 25 carries), who all gashed a banged-up defensive line during SEC play. It’s reasonable to believe that Georgia Tech’s offensive line will have the advantage against a weak Vanderbilt front, meaning that if the Commodores can’t get some early stops, Haynes will be lurking.
Jack of all trades
Another similarity between Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech is motion and pull usage. The Yellow Jackets often send receivers in motion to set up power reads, jet sweeps and play actions. Concurrently, Georgia Tech’s offensive line excels on the move and will have pulling players and linemen moving up to the second level of Vanderbilt’s defense to attack linebackers. All of this movement causes confusion — as Vanderbilt is certainly aware of — and Georgia Tech excels at keeping defenders on their toes.
This then builds into the eventual play action and King, with a now (likely) healthier shoulder, will be able to make longer and quicker throws across the field. King completed 26 passes for 303 yards and 2 touchdowns against Georgia, much of which came on quick, efficient throws and shots off the play action. His completion percentage of 72.5% led the ACC, meaning that if Vanderbilt can’t keep him from throwing, tackling in the secondary to prevent RAC opportunities is important.
In Georgia Tech’s case, it does a much better job than Vanderbilt at not being predictable. Even though Vanderbilt may have more tricks up its sleeve, the Yellow Jackets are more balanced and varied in terms of their playcalling,and they are unafraid to take some shots downfield. The power run and option game is Georgia Tech’s bread and butter, but there’s more than enough talent and King has a good enough arm to make all the throws needed to win a football game.
For Vanderbilt to prevail in a bowl game for the first time since 2013, getting early stops against Georgia Tech will be the key. Letting the Yellow Jackets bleed the clock and wear down the defensive line will be a formula for disaster. The secondary needs to remain disciplined and play with awareness as active participants in both coverage and run-stopping more than ever. The Birmingham Bowl will be a battle won in the trenches, making a quality performance from the front four, along with linebackers Langston Patterson, Randon Fontenette and Bryan Longwell all too important for success.
Vanderbilt will look to cap off a magical 2024 season with a postseason victory as it takes on Georgia Tech on Dec. 27 at 2:30 p.m. CST at Protective Stadium in the Birmingham Bowl.
