The last time Georgia Tech made the trip down to Tallahassee, it was for the memorable debut of QB Jeff Sims, in a game that Tech was able to come out on top in during the weird 2020 season.
Despite to the close proximity of the two programs, they don't match up on a very regular basis, and will go into Saturday afternoon's matchup with Georgia Tech on a two-game winning streak.
Can they extend the streak?
Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-2 ACC) at Florida State (4-3, 2-3 ACC)
Doak Campbell Stadium
Date and Time: 12 p.m.
TV: ACC Network, ESPN Mobile App, WatchESPN.com
Radio: 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan/SiriusXM 109 or 203
Last Week: Georgia Tech lost 16-9 at home vs. Virginia last Thursday; Florida State was idle after losing to Clemson 34-28 on Oct. 15
Series History: Florida State leads 14-13-1
Last Meeting: Georgia Tech won 16-13 at Florida State on Sept. 12, 2020
GEORGIA TECH Key Offensive Players: Hassan Hall (RB, Sr.), Nate McCollum (WR, Soph.), Jordan Williams (RT, Soph.)
FLORIDA STATE Key Offensive Players: Jordan Travis (QB, RS-Jr.), Johnny Wilson (WR, RS-Soph.), Treshaun Ward (RB, RS-Soph.)
GEORGIA TECH Key Defensive Players: Keion White (DE, RS-Sr.), Charlie Thomas (LB, Sr.), Myles Sims (CB, RS-Jr.)
FLORIDA STATE Key Defensive Players: Jammie Robinson (FS, RS-Jr.), Jared Verse (DE, RS-Soph.), Tatum Bethune (LB, RS-Jr.)
Game Preview Analysis: It was the old, familiar dud last Thursday night when Georgia Tech put up a less-than-stellar overall performance against a rather average Virginia team in a loss on national television. The offense looked stuck in the mud for the entire second half without Jeff Sims available and transfer Zach Gibson very limited in what he could do to move the chains. It was just one of those times Tech fans have seen so much over the years of having some momentum and being brought right back down to Earth.
Now, does that mean the Jackets can’t go on the road and beat Florida State this week. Absolutely not. The Seminoles are a team that has shown some spurts of improvement in 2022 but have also looked rather average again. The offense relies heavily on the running game, which Tech has been strong against in recent weeks. Heck, the Tech defense has looked good against the passing game too. They outscored the Jackets offense last week if you don’t remember.
There are still a lot of people that think that even though Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis has shown some improvement, if you are able to make the offense one-dimensional by forcing Travis to beat you in the passing game, you should be in good shape.
With all that said, if the Tech offense can’t put anything together just like last week, it really won’t matter how well the defense plays. It is unclear if Sims will play on Saturday or it will be Gibson again…or it will be Gibson and Zach Pyron…or it will be Sims, Gibson and Pyron. The good thing is, Florida State doesn’t really know who to prepare for, but a hampered Sims and unexperienced Gibson or Pyron might not have opposing defenses shaking in their boots either.
If Georgia Tech could get the running game going it would probably help whoever the quarterback is, and the Seminoles defense has been below average against the run, ranking 12th in the ACC at 157 yards allowed per game.
This is a matchup of two teams that can look like they have turned the page at times or go back to the same mistakes that have hurt them for the last several seasons. That screams a close game in the second half. Not sure what made the odds makers gave Georgia Tech 24 points to work with for the spread, but they should cover that. Can they win outright? That depends on which Georgia Tech team shows up.
Prediction: Florida State wins, 23-20.
