After a bye week and mired in a three-game losing streak, Florida State will be healthy and ready to get back to work in the Atlantic Coast Conference when it hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Seminoles (4-3, 2-3), who have lost to three ranked teams by a combined 18 points, have dropped two straight to Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-2). The last one, a 16-13 home defeat in 2020, featured the collegiate debut of Yellow Jackets quarterback Jeff Sims, a former FSU commit who may not play this week due to a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Florida State is expected to get back wide receiver Ja’Khi Douglas and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett.
“I think that having those few extra days is going to be able to help,” said Seminoles coach Mike Norvell. “It was good seeing Fabien move around, very hopeful for what that’s going to look like this week. But all in all, I think it was a very positive time for us with a bye week.”
Georgia Tech appeared to have magically righted its sinking ship after firing coach Geoff Collins following a loss to UCF on Sept. 24. With interim coach Brent Key calling the shots, the Yellow Jackets reeled off a pair of solid wins — 26-21 at defending ACC champion Pitt and 23-20 in overtime against Duke.
However, the enthusiasm of those two victories was tempered greatly by last week’s ugly 16-9 home loss to a struggling Virginia squad that came to Atlanta with a 2-4 mark and a three-game skid.
With the sophomore Sims questionable for Saturday and the offense sputtering, the Seminoles opened as a heavy 20 1/2-point favorites against the Yellow Jackets.
Backup Zach Gibson, a transfer from Akron, went 10 for 25 for 99 yards and was sacked seven times in relief as the offensive line was porous against Virginia.
“With Zach being the quarterback, we have to go back to the drawing board and find what gives him the best chance to run the offense and gives us a chance to win,” Key said.
Across 26 games in a series that dates to 1952, the Seminoles are 14-11-1 overall – 0-7-1 in the first eight matchups – and are 6-2 on their home turf.
–Field Level Media
