As Georgia Tech prepares for its matchup against No. 6 Clemson on Saturday, many questions surround the offense. One thing in particular is the quarterback situation. After freshman quarterback Jeff Sims was injured in the Yellow Jackets’ season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 4, backup quarterback Jordan Yates was given the keys to the offense. He has thrown for five touchdowns on 70 percent passing (29-41) and 389 yards.
Since he took over, the Jackets have averaged 33 points in their two games and have the chance to get Tech’s first win against a ranked opponent since 2017 (No. 24 Virginia Tech).
While coach Geoff Collins will not announce the starter for Saturday’s matchup (3:30 p.m., ABC), he mentioned the importance of each quarterback being ready.
“We don’t talk about injuries in this program, but we have three (quarterbacks on Tech’s Above the Line depth chart) that got to get ready and prepare at a high level to go into a hostile environment to prepare against one of the best defenses in college football.”
Collins also mentioned that Sims was slated as “emergency only” for their previous game against Kennesaw State, in which they won 45-17.
Finishing games and avoiding penalties are important keys to the Jackets’ chances against the Tigers. In their season-opening loss to Northern Illinois, the Jackets gave up an 80-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion that contributed to their 22-21 loss. Collins spoke to his team Tuesday about finishing games.
“We addressed it before we went into the last period of practice,” said Collins. “We’ve played really good at times, we’ve had really good stretches. We have to finish this the right way.”
Last season, the Jackets finished 119th (last in the FBS) in penalty yardage per game at 74.9 yards. This season they rank second in FBS at 18 yards per game, and Collins loves that improvement from his team.
For the Jackets to get a huge upset win on the road in Death Valley, Collins knows it is going to take a collective effort.
“The next one (game) just happens to be one of the best teams in the country,” Collins said. “We know we have our work cut out for us. The leadership in our program has to get us ready. We know we have a great opponent coming up on Saturday.”
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