When I hit submit on the Three Keys post for Kennesaw State, I thought that was it for my Bleed Tech Blue contributions in '24. Tech was sitting at 4-7, our Bowl dreams dashed by the worst loss of the season at Arkansas the week before.
But then Santa brought us not one, but two Christmas gifts for the ages: that Tony Franklin would be returning to helm the Bulldogs offense... and that we'd get to see the rumblings of that in action not in '25, but THIS year in the Independence Bowl.
As my good buddy Nathan wrote in his Stat Attack post, Army's just about the toughest team Tech could've realistically drawn in a bowl game. So what can Tech do to win?
Well when half your team's in the transfer portal... maybe not a whole lot. But for ol' time's sake - let's take one last ride in 2024!
Practice?! We talkin' about... PRACTICE?!?!
The last time I wrote, we all assumed that the November 30th date with Kennesaw was the end of the line for the 2024 season. Sure, there are player meetings, signing day, and maybe some workouts in December... but we wouldn't see anything from our beloved Bulldogs until March of 2025.
Since then, we've had at least ten days of practice. Practices that we wouldn't have had without this Indy Bowl windfall. Practices that allow Tony Franklin to see what he's working with... before the transfer portal closes and WAY before he would've seen guys in action come Spring.
So while this isn't about "Winning the game"... we definitely got a win as a program with these practices. And listen. We need any wins we can get right now!
Surprises
With the amount of players in the portal - especially after the JUCO thing that apparently allows seniors who went to JUCO to have an extra year - I honestly have no idea who's playing in the game and who isn't.
I'll work on figuring that out... but regardless, we'll need some players to surprise Army (and us, in the process) by coming out of nowhere to become BALLERS. Who can step up for the injured Kolbe Fields? Who can stuff the run on a D-line that will be playing a lot of names I've never heard before?
If we want a chance to win this game, we're going to need some guys to become fan favorites REAL quickly.
Actual Statistical Analysis
Okay, so here are some actual stats that suggest Tech might be okay:
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............... Still looking.......
Alrighty. Turns out Army is good at... pretty much everything. Tech's run defense this season would've been extremely challenged at full strength. With portal departures and question marks across the defense - it becomes nearly impossible to imagine a scenario where we could limit Army's attack like Navy and Notre Dame did in West Point's two losses.
I'll give you one area where the Dogs will HAVE to be successful if they want a shot at the W:
Offense: Find a way to score in the redzone. Army boasts the nation's #2 red zone defense - allowing points on just 59.5% of redzone possessions (INSANE).
Defense: Stop the nation's #1 rushing attack with our depleted front seven (HIGHLY UNLIKELY).
Enjoy it Bulldog Fans!!!
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Evan is also a part of go tech pls dont die, a zany LA Tech sports blog, Twitter, and podcast. Check us out!
