Fourth-ranked Florida State is just one win away from a third straight ACC title and perhaps one victory from a spot in college football’s first playoff. The Seminoles will put their 28-game winning streak on the line Saturday in Charlotte against the team it began with — Georgia Tech.
The 2014 ACC Championship contest will be a match-up of the ACC’s top two scoring teams. The Yellow Jackets sit just outside the top 10 at #11 following an impressive rivalry victory over Georgia this past Saturday. To break down the contest, the Noled Out staff brings you, “Five Things”:
1. On Georgia Tech
Mike Ferguson: As one of the few teams that run the triple-option, head coach Paul Johnson’s Yellow Jackets will look to pound away at the FSU defense. At 10-2, Georgia Tech has been opportunistic on defense with 17 interceptions on the season which ranks second behind only Louisville in the ACC.
Jon Marchant: Florida State plays Georgia Tech this Saturday night in Charlotte for the 2014 ACC Championship. Georgia Tech runs the triple-option on offense, and is ranked #1 in F/+ as the most efficient offense in all of college football. On defense it is average, around 50th. Tech rarely throws it, but when it does, it is effective. The Yellow Jackets just lost a starting wideout to a torn MCL however, and it remains to be seen how that will affect their attack.
2. Players to Watch for FSU
Mike Ferguson: On offense, the guy to watch for the Seminoles is the guy the rest of the country has been watching for most of the week. Quarterback Jameis Winston is coming off the worst game of his career, throwing a career-high four interceptions and for a career-low 125 yards. Defensively, the interior of the defensive front will need to repeat its performance from last week. Against a run-heavy offense, defensive tackles Eddie Goldman and Derrick Mitchell must dominate at the point of attack.
Jon Marchant: The player to watch this week is Jalen Ramsey. Expect him to rack up the tackles this weekend playing from a wide spot. If he has a poor game, it could mean Georgia Tech had a field day running the football.
3. Biggest Concern for FSU
Mike Ferguson: In this one, the Seminoles should be worried about the depth up front defensively. With Nile Lawrence-Stample done for the year, Florida State doesn’t have much behind Goldman and Mitchell. Senior Desmond Hollin, junior Giorgio Newberry and freshman Derrick Nnadi must be active for the Seminoles against a Georgia Tech offense that can shorten the game against a FSU team prone to falling behind early.
Jon Marchant: The biggest concern for FSU is turnovers. Jameis Winston simply must do a better job of protecting the football. He had one of if not his best game ever against Boston College in the rain, and then followed it up with his worst against Florida. He must get FSU moving on offense early in the game, keeping the Georgia Tech offense off the field.
4. X-Factor for FSU
Mike Ferguson: There’s no doubt who the X-factor will be for Florida State in this one: it’s freshman running back Dalvin Cook. Over the last month, Cook has proven to be a game-changer in the backfield. Against Florida last week, Cook accounted for 56 percent of the Florida State offense and may be the biggest home run threat the Seminoles have.
Jon Marchant: The X-factor in this game will be the field. How rain-soaked will it be? Rain games favor offenses that are mostly ground based, as Boston College and Georgia Tech are. It will slow down FSU’s speed. A player to watch for is FSU linebacker Terrance Smith. Smith is not healthy, and struggles moving laterally. Tech’s option will be sure to try and exploit that and will test the edge against this defense, and right up the gut against Nile Lawrence-Stample’s backup-turned-starter Derrick Mitchell.
5. FSU Wins If…
Mike Ferguson: The recipes for success this week for Florida State are to start fast and win the early downs. The Seminoles’ propensity to fall behind early could finally bite them this week against an offense that can eat eight or nine minutes off the clock with one possession. Florida State will need to play well from the start and win the early downs defensively. The Yellow Jackets rely heavily on the ground game, but quarterback Justin Thomas is completing just 50 percent of his passes and that came with DeAndre Smelter, who is out with a ACL tear, in the lineup. Making Thomas a passer will bode well for FSU.
Jon Marchant: Florida State will win if it can take care of the football. The offense SHOULD be able to move the ball against Georgia Tech, and FSU is more talented on both offense and defense. The defense must stay disciplined and read their keys and execute. If they can’t, Georgia Tech will burn clock, keeping the Florida State offense off the field, effectively limiting their possessions. If FSU only gets seven or eight possessions, even a single turnover could be very costly.
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