The Georgia Tech football team faces its toughest opponent of the regular season tomorrow as they travel to Tallahassee to take on conference rival Florida State. The Ramblin' Reck are in the crux of what could be a great season: the Jackets currently have a 4-1 record which includes an impressive victory this past weekend over North Carolina State, 27- 17. The Jackets, ranked 21st in the nation, are atop the ACC along with Florida Sate and North Carolina.
In five ACC meetings, the Jackets have yet to defeat the Seminoles. Again,the Jackets will have all they can handle this weekend. Head coach Bobby Bowden and his football team come into tomorrow's game with a 5-0 overall record, a 3-0 conference record, and a number three national ranking. However, FSU is coming off a very sloppy victory this past weekend against Duke, the worst team in the ACC. Although the 'Noles pulled off a victory, 51-27, the 'Noles did not play up to par. FSU was flagged for 20 penalties, the defense allowed big offensive plays, and the offense missed several opportunities. Also, FSU did not score a touchdown in the second half.
Florida State has a tremendous passing offense. Quarterback Thad Busby has already amassed 1,396 passing yards in only five games. The Seminoles depend on two very good wide receivers in senior E.G. Green and super sophomore Peter Warrick.
The major weakness of the 'Noles is in their rushing offense. The Seminoles have one of the worst rushing offenses in the country, currently ranked 90th out of 112 Division-I schools, rushing a mediocre 105 yards per game this season. Coach Bobby Bowden is unhappy with the running game, and he benched his starting tailback, Dee Feaster, early in this past weekend's game against Duke. He plans to start freshman Davy Ford against the Jackets. The Georgia Tech rushing defense, anchored by linebackers Keith Brooking and Ron Rogers, and defensive end Jesse Tarplin, should not have a problem handling the FSU running attack. Defensive tackle Patrick Bradford is questionable for this weekend.
The key feature in this weekend's game will be the matchup between Tech's strong offensive rushing attack against the smothering defense of Florida State. The Jackets have the top rushing offense in the conference, and with the return of top tailback Charlie Rogers after missing two games from injury, Tech looks to rely heavily on its running attack. Including Rogers, Tech possesses four of the 20 top rushers in the ACC including Phillip Rogers, Charles Wiley, and quarterback Joe Hamilton.
Nevertheless, the Seminoles will strongly challenge Tech's offense. The Seminoles have the top defense in the nation, allowing an average of less than 50 rushing yards per game. The defense is anchored by senior linebackers Daryl Bush and Sam Cowart.
Another major defensive contributor is senior defensive end Andre Wadsworth, who leads the team in sacks, and is a top candidate for the Lombardi Award, given to the top defensive lineman in college football each year. The outcome of this matchup will be key for determining the victor of the game.
"They [FSU's defense] are very, very good," said head coach George O'Leary.
"The effort, contact, and speed of the defense is very impressive. They lead the nation for obvious reasons."
The Jackets are heavy underdogs against the Seminoles.
"[In order to win], everybody has to carry their best game into this one," said O'Leary.
If the Jackets defeat FSU, the victory will be one of the greatest
and important victories in school history. As a result, the Jackets will be atop the ACC standings with North Carolina, they will substantially advance in the national rankings, and they will build tremendous confidence to overpower the rest of their regular season opponents.
The Jackets will play a tough football team tomorrow, but taking into consideration the level at which the Jackets have played this season, Georgia Tech is in good stead to heavily compete with the Seminoles this weekend. A positive outcome for the Jackets will have tremendous implications for the rest of their season.
Kickoff is at 3:30 pm in Tallahassee, and the game will be televised locally by ABC.
