Georgia Tech enters the Clemson game on Monday night as a 23-point dog as of me writing this. The Jackets are entering year four under Geoff Collins and there is tremendous pressure on both Collins and his boss Todd Stansbury to pull off a signature win or at least to make Tech fans proud with another close effort against the Tigers. On paper, the game is a significant mismatch for Tech with the Jackets' inexperienced offensive line going against one of the top five defensive lines in college football if the best. My prediction for our Clemson site was a 20-7 Tigers win. However, I have no idea what to expect.
Will Clemson have growing pains under a pair of new coordinators? Is the progress I saw and everyone on the team and staff has spoken of a legitimate thing for Tech? Will this game go back to how Clemson games recently have been, one-sided affairs where the Tigers name the score? Has Jeff Sims turned the corner? Will the Tech defense be functional?
This is why I dislike these types of games out of the gate. Chemistry is important and how teams play changes dramatically over the course of a season. A rivalry game should not be an opening week game yet this is another Clemson-GT game to open a season. I doubt either coach wants to open like this either.
So what am I looking for from the Jackets?
The main thing I want to see is crisp play on both sides of the ball without the mental mistakes that have plagued this team in the Collins-era.
I want to see fundamental concepts like kicking a short FG or a PAT not look like misadventures.
The team needs to be able to play clean football without the old Oakland Raiders level of penalties every week.
I want to see Tech fight and come out expecting to win and compete. I did not see that in the last two games of last season.
Progress can be measured in many ways, but the up-and-down week-to-week nature of the football team over the last three years has to go away. The ACC conference part of the schedule is very winnable, but Collins needs one of these three hard games upfront to go his way to keep things going in the right direction.
The defense has to look well-coached and prepared. This is why Geoff Collins is a head coach. It is his baby whether he puts his name on it or not. Andrew Thacker might be calling the plays, but Collins is ultimately responsible for every aspect of this program and his legacy as a defensive coach.
Tech fans want something badly to cheer for and the players are bought in and the staff appears to have the team ready, but can they turn the corner? I don't know if it will be this game, but the pieces are in place to make something finally happen. It is just a huge question mark whether this group can make them happen. That is where I sense most of you are in this as well. Collins has oversold and underdelivered over three seasons. He pulled back his sales pitches and has been more measured this year so hopefully that means things are going to be delivered because GT football badly needs a winning season.
