Should Florida State fumble the ball near the goal line in Saturday's game against Georgia Tech, you can bet Rashaad Reid will fall on it this time.
Reid's fumble recovery in the final minute preserved the Yellow Jackets' 31-28 victory over the Seminoles in Atlanta last season. The two teams meet again Saturday in Tallahassee.
But Reid came close to being the goat. After Cooper Taylor knocked the ball loose from Marcus Sims, Reid tried to pick it up, which is a no-no.
Only after the ball took another bounce did Reid fall on it, which is what he had been coached to do. After the game Tech coach Paul Johnson joked that didn't know whether to hug Reid or slug him.
"I knew if I didn't get it, there's no telling what would have happened to me," Reid said.
Reid and Dominique Reese will split time at free safety this week, defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said.
Reese injured his shoulder against Miami and has missed the past two games. He is listed as questionable on Tech's injury list. Reese, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior, has nine tackles this season.
Wommack said Tech needs to use more players defensively in order to give the starters a rest. Safety Morgan Burnett, for example, has played all but a handful of snaps this season.
Steven Sylvester is working with the first-team linebackers, in place of freshman Julian Burnett. Wommack said that will both play on Saturday.
Another night game
Johnson said if were up to him, every college football game would be played at noon.
Alas, as he quickly points out, they don't ask him.
Tech's 8 p.m. game against Florida State will be its fourth night game this season and second in a stretch of three consecutive. The Yellow Jackets will play Virginia Tech at 6 p.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Oct. 17.
"Night games on the road are brutal," Johnson said.
He may not like them but he's had success in them, going 4-3 at Tech and 20-14 overall away from home.
Johnson said the team arrived in Atlanta at 3 a.m. after last Saturday's 42-31 victory against Mississippi State. He was back in the office at 8:30 a.m.
He said he feels worse for the players, who are tired and beat up.
"It's controlled by TV, so it is what it is," Johnson said. "I realized a long time ago that you can't worry about things you have no control over."
Melton's return
Wide receiver Tyler Melton got his first snaps of the season against Mississippi State. Melton, a sophomore, hurt the MCL in his knee during August's practices.
Melton replaced freshman Stephen Hill in the staring lineup opposite Demaryius Thomas. While Melton didn't catch a pass against the Bulldogs, he said he was pleased with his progress.
"I had the butterflies," said Melton, who caught five passes for 53 yards last season. "But once I got on the field and ran the first play, I got back into the swing of things pretty quickly. I was out there flying around and having fun."
