Hokies-Georgia Tech Q&A With James Fitzgerald of Yellow Jacked Up

Sep 13, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas (5) reacts with head coach Paul Johnson after a touchdown with 23 seconds left against the Georgia Southern Eagles during the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech defeated Georgia Southern 42-38. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Battle of the Techs in Blacksburg might not be the biggest ACC game this week but the battle between the Hokies and the Yellow Jackets definitely has plenty of intrigue. The Hokies enter as the favorite but Georgia Tech enters this game as the team that is still undefeated.

This week, we were able to get the chance to talk to James Fitzgerald, the editor of FanSided’s Georgia Tech site, Yellow Jacked Up. We asked Fitzgerald some questions about the program and the current talent on the roster so here’s our Q&A with Yellow Jacked Up.

Q: How confident are people in the direction of the Georgia Tech football program after nearly losing to Georgia Southern?

A: Georgia Southern is actually a pretty good football team so the direction questions really did not get intensified with that game. The direction has been in question since the team has posted average season after their title season. Fans want national championships and that does not seem to be in the cards for some reason. So if confidence comes from title contention, there is not a lot of confidence.

Q: Is Head coach Paul Johnson on the hot seat?

A: Honestly, I would say the fans are a definite yes because of general consensus. Some fans feel that his offense is a deterrent from getting top notch recruits. The thing is that he does make a bowl game every year. His hot seat in the end is based on what the administration wants. If they want national championships then his seat is hot but if they are satisfied with just making average bowl games, then he is secure.

Sep 13, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas (5) runs the ball against the Georgia Southern Eagles during the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Q: Is Justin Thomas the answer at quarterback in the long run?

A: Justin Thomas is infectious. The team feeds off of him. He has the potential to be a very good to great college QB. He makes plays! He is extremely fast.

The only thing he needs to work on is his passing accuracy because he has a pretty good arm. He will be the QB going forward and a good one.

Q: What is Georgia Tech’s strongest unit on defense? 

There is a flaw with each unit. Overall, I think the linebackers are pretty good. Quayshawn Nealy is solid. Tyler Marcordes and Paul Davis have not been bad either. They have given up some big plays in the run game but overall they have been pretty good. Really, the big runs are everyone’s fault.

Q: Who do you think is going to win the battle of the Techs?

Of course, Georgia Tech. I know the history of this series but this Jackets’ team is resilient. They are going to surprise some people during conference play.

Here at Fighting Gobbler, we would like to thank James Fitzgerald and Yellow Jacked Up for joining our coverage this week.