How Good Were the Hokies Against the Run Monday?

Even though this is a short, somewhat obvious post, I felt it was necessary to write. The defense was outstanding against the run, Georgia Tech's bread and butter, Monday night. Their effort was fueled by the Hokies deep defensive line (7 players played more than 30 snaps) that penetrated, created havoc, and held their gaps at the line of scrimmage. It was preserved by a back seven that for the most part cleaned up the wash—any loose ballcarrier. The longest run from scrimmage was just 22 yards.

The Hokies held the Yellow Jackets to 192 yards on the ground. Let's put that into context. Over the Paul Johnson era (2008-11, not including 2012), Georgia Tech accounts for 17 of the top 20 rushing games, including four of the top five, among ACC schools. Over the same timespan nationally, they're tied for second best with Neveda with 9 of the top 100 single game rushing totals (Air Force and Navy each have 10). They have ranked in the top 4 nationally in rushing yards per game each of the last four seasons.

So yeah, normally they're adept at running the ball.

However, the Bees 192 yards rushing Monday ranks as their seventh lowest total since Paul Johnson took over as head coach.

It was one hell of an effort that I felt I needed to make a bigger deal of.

Stats are from the NCAA's official site and Sports-Reference.com. Analysis is my own.