Georgia Tech most likely will be without starting center Jay Finch for its Saturday night game against Clemson. Tech coach Paul Johnson said Finch is “probably out” for the game with a lower-leg injury.
Finch has not practiced this week after sustaining the injury on Tech’s first play from scrimmage in the loss to Miami on Saturday. Nick McRae, who replaced Finch, likely will be his replacement.
“He’s played well,” Johnson said of Finch. “I think for the most part, anytime you lose a starter, it’s tough, but it’s like I’ve said before, the next guy’s got to step up.”
McRae, along with guards Omoregie Uzzi and Will Jackson, will have their hands full. Clemson nose guard Brandon Thompson is projected to be the first interior defensive lineman taken in the NFL draft.
“I think [Finch’s injury] affected them a great deal” against Miami, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Wednesday. “This is a guy that took all the reps, first-team guy all week and all of the sudden you get in there early like that and you lose kind of your key guy.”
On his Wednesday night radio show on 790 the Zone, Johnson said that, assuming Finch can’t play, he hopes he will be back for the Nov. 10 Virginia Tech game after the open date and that Morgan Bailey will back up McRae. It would be the second career game for Bailey, a redshirt freshman who has fought injuries since coming to Tech.
Game plan
Despite Clemson’s firepower on offense, Tech won’t play any more conservatively on defense than usual, secondary coach Charles Kelly said.
“We’re going to play what we play,” he said.
The Jackets will have to be mindful of Clemson’s various formations and motions, know where the Tigers’ playmakers are and communicate well before the snap. Tackling well and preventing yards after catch will be other keys, Kelly said.
“I think what it’s going to boil down to is our individual battles summing up to us winning the play,” defensive end Jason Peters said.
Lineup and practice updates
Johnson said he’ll keep his kicking and punting specialists the same Saturday as last week — David Scully on kickoffs, Justin Moore on field goals and Sean Poole on punts. Asked if Zach Laskey would field punts again, Johnson replied, “We’ll see when the game starts.”
Of the team’s practice this week, Johnson said that “it’s hard to be real up-tempo. Guys are banged up, beat up, so I think they’re focusing on what we’re trying to do with our game plan.”
Popular in Vegas
The betting spread on the game has dropped a half-point, to one point, from its opening line because of money wagered on the Jackets. Most lines initially had the Tigers as a 4-to-4.5-point favorite. Caesars Palace senior sports-book analyst Todd Fuhrman said that among professional gamblers, “there is some appetite out there in the market to take Georgia Tech as a home underdog.” Johnson’s success against Clemson — he is 3-1 against the Tigers — has made the Jackets a popular bet among “sharps,” Fuhrman said.
On the tube
Mike Patrick (play by play), Craig James (color) and Jenn Brown (sideline) will call the game for ABC. The game will be broadcast across the Southeast and into Pennsylvania, Indiana and Arkansas. The rest of the country will see the Stanford-USC game.
