Georgia Tech has gradually risen in the polls this season by starting 5-0. Any fears that head coach Paul Johnson’s offense had grown stale after a disappointing season last year have been allayed. The only major-conference program to run the triple option is once again putting fear into defensive coordinators all over the ACC after Tech rolled up tons of yards in its first four games. The Yellow Jackets took a bit of a step back offensively last week against a poor North Carolina State defense, so Johnson will be looking to get the offense rolling again, with Maryland playing the role of the next victim.

Of course, new Maryland head coach Randy Edsall will want to avoid another disastrous performance after starting the season on a high note by knocking off Miami on Labor Day on national television. The Terps followed up that win by losing to West Virginia and then getting blown out by Temple in a 38-7 game that was just as embarrassing as the score would imply. Last week, Maryland beat on overmatched Towson team to even its record at 2-2. The Terps have struggled at times on both offense and defense, and will face its stiffest test on defense in the potent Yellow Jackets option attack.

Even after season lows in rushing yards and total yards against North Carolina State, Georgia Tech still leads the nation in rushing yards per game with 378 and is second in points per game with over 50. The Maryland defensive line, which has struggled against power running formations in particular, will have its hands full with Tevin Washington and company. And Washington remains a passing threat, even after a poor passing performance where he complete only 4 passes in 12 attempts for 117 yards and 2 TDs. For the season though, Washington is a 57% passer with an outstanding 17 yards per attempt. Maryland’s corners are going to have their hands full with Stephen Hill and company. Because each man has an assignment when defending the option, the corners are often in one-on-one situations with the 6’5” Hill. Outstanding linebacker Kenny Tate will help to neutralize the running game to an extent, but Johnson will be able to find matchups to avoid Tate as much as possible by getting the ball outside the tackles.

> Check out our great selection of Georgia Tech Apparel & Merchandise & the ACC Football Scoreboard!

Like Maryland, Georgia Tech has been a bit soft on defense this season, giving up at least 21 points in every game and surrendering an average of 25 points per game. Maryland has, at times, played like they were expected to on offense coming into the season. Which is to say that at times, Maryland has looked quite good offensively. But overall, it’s safe to say Maryland’s offense has been a disappointment. Last season, Maryland had an explosive offense with excellent players at the skill positions. In particular, sophomore quarterback Danny O’Brien had a tremendous freshman year, but he has not been able to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. He’s thrown 5 interceptions to only four touchdown passes, and is only averaging about 6 yards per attempt.

Davin Meggett has also been a bit disappointing in his production, with only 327 yards on the season, though that is partially attributable to an offensive line that has been underwhelming. However, Georgia Tech’s run defense has been a liability, so Meggett may be able to produce the breakout game he’s been looking for. The difference for Maryland might be if O’Brien can manage to exploit the Georgia Tech secondary in a way that Mike Glennon was not able to for North Carolina State. Since Georgia Tech is expected to score a ton of points, Maryland will have to put a compete offensive game together for the first time this season since the opening game against Miami. If Georgia Tech can hold serve at home, they have winnable road games at Virginia and Miami before what might set up to be the ACC game of the year when Tech hosts Clemson. That game will likely feature the top teams in each division and perhaps will be a preview of the ACC Championship game. Georgia Tech would love to get past Maryland to set up the second half of a season that is turning out to be better than expected for Georgia Tech, while Maryland is looking for something – anything – to avoid a desperate scramble just to become bowl eligible.