Wed., Aug. 22 Along with running back Jermaine Hatch, the Yellow Jackets have also lost receiver Nate Curry for the season with a torn ACL suffered during practice. Fortunately, they are deep at receiver. The injury is not catastrophic, although Curry was an excellent player last year as a freshman.

OFFENSE
In my opinion, Godsey's performance last season was on par with the top Heisman Trophy candidates. He was able to distribute the ball accurately, was an incredibly sound decision-maker and provided leadership. For the year, he tossed 23 TD passes and just six interceptions.

He'll be throwing the football to a receiving corps that may be as deep as any in the country. The primary headliner is athletically gifted, super blue-chip senior Kelly Campbell, who enters the 2001 season with 139 career receptions and 21 TD grabs. If he catches 27 passes this season, he will become GT's all-time leader. Other key performers include sophomore Nate Curry, junior Kerry Watkins, junior Will Glover and sophomore Jonathan Smith. The staff is also excited about the prospects of freshman Levon Thomas. Even at TE, there are four players who contributed to the attack last season, led by senior Russell Matvay.

Rambling Wreck at a glance

2001 schedule Aug. 26 at Syracuse Sept. 1 vs. The Citadel Sept. 8 at Navy Sept. 15 at Florida State Sept. 29 vs. Clemson Oct. 6 at Duke Oct. 11 vs. Maryland Oct. 20 vs. N.C. State Nov. 1 vs. North Carolina Nov. 10 at Virginia Nov. 17 at Wake Forest Nov. 24 vs. Georgia 2000 results (9-3, 6-2 ACC) Central Florida W 21-17 Florida State L 26-21 Navy W 40-13 at N.C. State L 30-23 at North Carolina W 42-28 Wake Forest W 52-20 Duke W 45-10 at Clemson W 31-28 Virginia W 35-0 at Maryland W 35-22 at Georgia W 27-15 vs. LSU L 28-14

Allowing Godsey, Burns, Campbell and company to do their damage will be an offensive line that could be top-notch, provided the starting five remains intact the entire way. Depth on this unit isn't a strong suit. But the first-string O-line combines talented up-and-comers such as sophomores Hugh Reilly (RG) and John Bennett (RT) with junior LG Raymond Roberts-Blake and reliable senior center David Schmidgall. Senior Jason Kemble will be a key, though, since he takes over as the starting LT this season. That spot was opened up due to the graduation loss of Chris Brown, who had been a quality bookend in the ACC since his redshirt freshman campaign. Of the starters, keep a close eye on Reilly. The 6-4, 280-pounder could ultimately rank as one of the top players at his position in the conference.

DEFENSE
The Rambling Wreck defense, which was overmatched in '99, held the opposition to 22 or fewer points on seven occasions last season. They also limited Florida State (26 points) to its second-lowest output during the regular season. The previous year, the D allowed 28 or more points in seven games -- with Florida State, Virginia, Clemson and Georgia all scoring over 40 points.

This season, Tech will be fielding an athletically gifted and speedy defensive unit that could one of the best in the ACC, provided the DTs get the job done and the new CBs are up to the task.

Up front is a pair of proven and highly skilled outside pass-rushing DEs: junior Greg Gathers (13 sacks last season) and senior Nick Rogers (nine sacks). Along the interior, senior Merrix Watson, a three-year starter, is the headliner, with junior Gary Johnson at the other DT spot. In addition to the sacks, Gathers recorded 17 QB pressures, while Rogers had 16 QB pressures and caused six fumbles. Both are extremely destructive off the edge.

The linebackers really fly around the field, and they go four deep with quality, top-of-the-line performers. Daryl Smith led the defense with 96 stops last season, earning him Freshman All-American honors. Right behind him was talented junior Recardo Wimbush (94 stops), while sophomore Arther Brown had 48 tackles. Pushing Brown is highly regarded sophomore Keyaron Fox, a rangy 6-3, 222-pounder who appears ready to emerge as a standout in the ACC. Freshman Gerris Bowers-Wilkinson could push his way onto the field.

The deep patrol is headlined by a pair of blue-chip safeties in senior Chris Young (62 tackles, 10 pass breakups, two interceptions last season) and junior Jeremy Muyres (four interceptions, 12 pass breakups). But the overall key to the success of the defense figures to hinge on the play of the new starters on the corner.

At the one CB spot will be junior Marvious Hester, with Notre Dame transfer Albert Poree on the other side. Hester has the necessary recovery skills and has started 12 games over the last two years, but the lead corner for the Rambling Wreck figures to be the talented Poree. After sitting out last year, the 5-10, 191-pound sophomore has garnered a great deal of positive commentary heading into the season. Blue-chip freshman Dennis Davis (6-0, 183) could compete for playing time as well.

The kicking game is in solid shape with the return of P Dan Dyke and PK Luke Manget, both of whom are juniors.

Overview: With Florida State looking to replace so many key starters from last year, this could be the season that Georgia Tech presents a serious challenge to the Seminoles' dominance in the ACC. To do so, however, Tech will have to beat FSU at Tallahassee, where the Seminoles have put together a 52-game unbeaten streak (their last home loss was in '91, 17-16 to Miami).

Godsey leads a high-powered yet extremely balanced offense that features an exceptional talent in WR Campbell and a steady, productive RB in Burns. If the starting five remains at full strength the entire way, the offensive line figures to be outstanding. The key change on offense has Bill O'Brien (spent last six seasons as GT's RBs coach) taking over for Ralph Friedgen as offensive coordinator. While the system remains the same, it will be interesting to see if the Rambling Wreck will continue to be as dynamic and unpredictable as they were under the brilliant Friedgen, who is definitely one of the top offensive minds in college football history.

With abundant speed and athleticism on defense, this could turn out to be the top defensive unit that George O'Leary has fielded. Gathers and Rogers are tough to handle for mammoth OTs due to their explosive quickness, while Wimbush and Smith spearhead a linebacking corps that also has a star of the future in top backup Fox. What they lack in the front seven is a dominating force at DT, although Watson is a solid veteran along the interior. Young and Muyres form a top-flight safety tandem, but the success of the pass defense hinges on the play of CBs Hester and Poree. Hester has plenty of prior starting experience, while Poree is regarded as a potential star in the ACC. A big plus is the proven kicking game.