That tackle Kris Kocurek can overcome shoulder surgery and help stabilize a defensive front that is woefully inexperienced. That the punting game will be any better than last year's atrocious effort that had Tech 103rd of 116 teams nationally with a net average of 32.1 yards. I'm not saying we should have, but could have. That's good and speaks well for our program. Until the bowl debacle, Tech's four losses were by a combined 14 points.
Little things separate competitive teams from contenders.
For Tech to improve a notch, that means improving last year's special teams and a debilitating turnover margin. And it's solidifying the interior defense and the wide receivers. We're way ahead of where we were this time last year, but we've got a long way to where we want to go. Offensively, Tech has essentially seven returning starters. The Raiders offense was ranked 29th in the country, averaging 404 yards a game.