With Brant Mitchell out of Saturday’s game against Wake Forest because of an injury sustained the week before at Miami, the Georgia Tech linebacker corps took a major hit with its most experienced and vocal player sidelined for a test against a tricky Wake Forest offense.
Though Tre’ Jackson, a junior with some experience on special teams and defense, got the start, freshman Bruce Jordan-Swilling’s role greatly increased from the special-teams action he’s seen all season.
Jordan-Swilling played against the Hurricanes, though the nasty field conditions and a tough Miami offense didn’t make it the greatest debut of meaningful playing time for the New Orleans native.
His play improved against the Demon Deacons, but the challenge of defending the slow mesh in Wake Forest’s read-option offense was no small task.
“They came out really fast,” Jordan-Swilling said. “Second half, I was patient. I had to lay back a little bit and see what the running back did and just track it back.”
He finished with three tackles … his third being the biggest of the night. On fourth down late in the game with Wake Forest getting one more shot at a game-tying drive, Jordan-Swilling made the tackle at the line of scrimmage to force a turnover on downs.
“Bruce Swilling, Tre’ Jackson, a lot of those guys came in and did their thing and handled business,” linebacker Victor Alexander said. “They held down their end of the bargain, and it benefited us.”
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