Week 1: Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has been a solid presence in college football for more than a decade, making 11 consecutive bowl appearances. But the Yellow Jackets want to turn solid into special, so they have turned to former Navy coach Paul Johnson to help make that happen.

Johnson enters his first game as Georgia Tech’s head coach with a reputation as an offensive mastermind. His style is unconventional — he uses A-backs and B-backs instead of tailbacks and fullbacks — but his production is undeniable. Navy led the nation in rushing each of the last three seasons under Johnson’s tutelage, so Jacksonville State can expect a steady dose of the run from quarterback Josh Nesbitt and B-back Jonathan Dwyer in the season opener.

Jacksonville State, a Football Championship Series team starring LSU castaway Ryan Perrilloux at quarterback, returns 12 starters from a team that went 6-5 in 2007. The Gamecocks were picked during the preseason to win the Ohio Valley Conference.

Notes/Things to Watch:

This is the first meeting between the schools.

Georgia Tech is the youngest team in the ACC, with 75 of its 110 players being freshmen or sophomores. Twenty-six of the 44 players on Tech’s two-deep depth chart are freshmen or sophomores.

The Yellow Jackets return just eight starters, but they feature an experienced and talented defensive line that the Gamecocks must contain. The senior trio of end Michael Johnson and tackles Vance Walker and Darryl Richard can dominate the line of scrimmage.

As many as eight true freshmen could see action for Georgia Tech. Among them are wide receiver Tyler Melton, who is listed as a starter on the depth chart after enrolling early in the spring, and freshman backup quarterback Jaybo Shaw. Johnson already has said that Shaw will not be redshirted this season.

Key Player (Gamecocks) — Ryan Perrilloux, QB

It’s not often than an FCS team features a talent like Perrilloux, who was the national high school offensive player of the year coming out of high school. But Perrilloux, a junior who helped LSU win the national championship last season before being dismissed from the team, had to move down a level for a chance at redemption.

Key Player (Yellow Jackets) — Scott Blair, K

Blair replaces Travis Bell, who set a school record for career field goals and converted all 138 of his extra-point attempts during his time at Georgia Tech. If Blair, an untested sophomore with a big leg, proves to be anywhere near as reliable as Bell, the Yellow Jackets will be in good shape putting up points with Johnson’s offense.

Georgia Tech by 21