As of Wednesday afternoon, the confidence that gamblers had in Georgia Tech’s capacity to avoid getting routed by Clemson was quite low. The point spread for the game had reached 37 points, making the Yellow Jackets a greater underdog than they have been for any game dating to the 1985 season, according to data on the Covers website.
According to a recent ESPN.com story, only two college football teams in the past 25 years have won as bigger underdogs.
What do the Jackets have to do to have a chance against the defending national champions?
1. Play a clean game
On Sunday, offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude laid out his objectives for Thursday with typical clarity.
“Play as fast as you can play. Play as clean as you can play,” he said. “They’re going to make a bunch of plays. They’re a really good team. So are we. We’re going to make plays, and if something (bad) happens, just go to the next play and continue to push the tempo.”
The Jackets will debut their up-tempo spread offense Thursday night, and it would seem almost inevitable that mistakes will occur. Tech’s chances of upsetting the Tigers would be aided by minimizing those gaffes, like poor snaps, loose ball security or unforced penalties.
With Collins as coach, Temple was effective at holding onto the ball, averaging 1.1 fumbles per game, better than most teams in the country. However, his two Owls teams ranked 121st (2017) and 114th (2018) in penalty yardage per game.
2. Get the Tigers on the ground
Clemson’s playmakers are difficult to tackle as it is, notably running back Travis Etienne, a terror in the open field who gashed defenses for 23 runs of 20 yards or more last season, second most in FBS. But add in the fact that the Jackets will be playing their first game of the season, a game when they’re often tuning up on an FCS opponent, and the task’s difficulty only increases.
Also, Tech’s defense will have a number of players who will be starting, getting significant playing time or actually playing in a college game for the first time. And the scheme is new.
It will be important for players to shed blocks and play the techniques they’ve been taught to limit big plays from Etienne and others.
“For the first game, people are going to be a little jumpy, missing tackles, trying to lay hits, but it all comes down to that one thing, and you’ve just got to tackle right,” safety Juanyeh Thomas, expected to make his first career start.
3. Get after Trevor Lawrence
Clemson was magnificent in keeping quarterback Trevor Lawrence clean last season, allowing sacks on 3.3 percent of pass plays (teamrankings.com), eighth lowest in the country. It speaks not only to the ability of Clemson’s offensive line, but Lawrence’s skill at setting up protections, getting rid of the ball quickly and escaping pressure (and also having targets such as Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross).
The Jackets do not appear to have a dominant pass rusher, and likely will have to take some risks to unsettle Lawrence through a combination of blitz pressure and an assortment of coverages.
As defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker put it, “I can’t call the game scared.”
Playing conservatively could lead to getting dissected by Lawrence. Cornerbacks coach Jeff Popovich called him “an unbelievable football player” and said he was “blown away at his ability to manage a game and operate and make all the throws.”
4. Make a big play in the kicking game
Collins’ 2018 Temple team specialized in game-changing plays from special teams, whether it was blocked punts or kicks (the Owls had five) or fake punts or field goals or returns for scores (Temple scored eight touchdowns on special teams). Collins has sought to infuse Tech’s kicking game with the same volatility and stressed its importance by permitting players to play offense or defense only if they can contribute on special teams first.
“Not a lot of people want to get on special teams, but if you have to get on special teams just to play, everybody’s going to want to play,” cornerback Jaytlin Askew said.
Against a team that figures to put up points and be likewise difficult to score on, stealing possessions or getting points via the kicking game (not to mention preventing Clemson from doing the same) could be vitally important.
The spotlight will fall upon return specialist Juanyeh Thomas, who took back a kickoff and a free kick for touchdowns last season.
The last time Tech scored on a punt return? 2009. It’s the longest drought in the ACC by five years.
5. Don’t get overwhelmed
A favorite word of Collins’ is “inordinate,” as in “we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time on situational football since we’ve been here.”
That could be two-minute offense and third-down offense and their defensive counterparts and other scenarios where different factors are at play. It’s one reason why Collins has student managers wave cards with dollar signs and yell “Money down!” on the sidelines on third down – as a reminder to the defense of the down’s importance.
To score the upset, the Jackets will have to not be overwhelmed by the moment and keep their heads. In this case, that could mean getting out of bounds in a late-minute drive, keeping Tigers ball carriers from getting to the first-down marker, avoiding sacks to stay in field-goal range or being mindful of the play clock.
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