After helping lead the Georgia Tech offense to 549 yards of offense Saturday, quarterback Justin Thomas was ready to move on.
“I feel like we’re going in the right direction,” Thomas said following the Yellow Jackets’ 56-23 victory against N.C. State. “We had a big win (Saturday), but we can’t get too high on it. We’ve got to come back ready and prepare for Clemson.”
Improbably, the No. 24 Jackets will prepare this week for the biggest game of the season and arguably their most meaningful since the 2011 season. In facing No. 21 Clemson, Tech will try to win nine games for the first time since 2009, beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 2011 and keep alive its hopes for a trip to the ACC title game. The last time the Jackets have played in a game this late in the year in which both teams were ranked was 2011, when Tech and Georgia met in the final game of the regular season as the Associated Press poll’s Nos. 25 and 13 teams, respectively.
“Definitely, after this win, we’re going to take it, have fun (Saturday night) and enjoy the rest of the weekend,” linebacker Quayshawn Nealy said following the game. “But at the same time, now we’re thinking about Clemson.”
No less than a possible berth in the Orange Bowl could be at play. If, as many surmise, Florida State beats Duke in the ACC title game and is chosen for the inaugural College Football Playoff, the Orange Bowl will take the next highest-ranked ACC team. In last Tuesday’s College Football Playoff selection committee rankings, Clemson at 21 and Tech at 24 sandwiched Duke at No. 22.
The Blue Devils obviously would go to the Orange Bowl were they to advance to the title game and beat the Atlantic champion. They are obviously also an Orange Bowl possibility if they advance and lose, particularly if it would be a close loss to Florida State. Clemson finishes with Georgia State and South Carolina, while Tech has an open date and then its season finale against Georgia. Duke closes with Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest.
And Tech is still alive for a spot in the ACC title game. If the Jackets (8-2 overall, 5-2 in the ACC) can beat the Tigers to finish their ACC season at 6-2, they would advance to Charlotte, N.C., if Duke loses two of its final three games.
It’s pretty lofty territory for a team that was picked to finish fifth in the Coastal Division and didn’t receive a single vote in either preseason poll and also was shut out again after losing consecutive games to Duke and North Carolina. Tech rejoined both polls again Sunday, appearing at No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the USA Today coaches poll.
The Tech offense, which has been a near picture of efficiency this season, will face probably the best defense it will have played this season. Clemson leads the country in yards per play allowed (3.97) and, despite being paired with an up-tempo offense, is 12th in scoring defense at 18.4 points per game. The Tigers are also first in tackles for loss at 91.
In winning three games in a row since the Duke and North Carolina losses, Tech’s last three opponents rank 66th (Pittsburgh, at 26.3 points), 55th (Virginia, at 25.2 points) and 93rd (N.C. State at 30.4 points) in scoring defense.
Tech’s defense will have to brace for Clemson’s fast-paced offense, which averages 80 plays per game, tied for 11th highest in the country. Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has missed the past three games with a broken finger, is expected back Saturday. Watson, a freshman who was a five-star prospect from Gainesville, most notably led the Tigers to blowout victories against North Carolina and N.C. State.
The game was designated early Sunday morning for a noon kickoff. It will be broadcast on ESPN.
