Key Stat: Tech vs. UGAy

As it goes for almost any football team on any levels, turnovers can be costly, and likewise forcing turnovers can lead a team to victory. After some thinking (scary, I know), I figured that most of Tech's success and failure this year was based on giving the ball up via the fumble or interception. A quick analysis of our schedule confirmed by suspicion.

Overall, Tech is +4 on the year in turnover margin, with 27 takeaways and 23 giveaways. That's about 2.5 takeaways per game and about 2 giveaways per game. I'll provide a more in-depth turnover margin breakdown below:

Win/Loss Split

In 8 wins: +10
In 3 losses: -6

Home/Away Split

Home: +6
Away: -2

Result Splits

Tech wins by 10 or more (JSU, MSU, Duke, Miami): +7
Tech wins by less than 10 (BC, G-W, Clemson, FSU): +3
Tech loses by less than 10 (VPI, UVA): -3
Tech loses by 10 or more (UNC): -3

Out of all this, the most important thing to me is how many times we turn it over.

In Tech wins: 1.75 giveaways/game
In Tech losses: 3 giveaways/game

And now for the record breakdown:

Record by Giveaways

None: 1-0
One: 2-0
Two: 3-0
Three: 2-3

In my book, 2.5 is the key stat for Saturday. If Tech has over 2.5 giveaways, we lose. If less, we win. No other one statistic jumps out at me as much as much as this in terms of telling the story of Tech's season.