Georgia Tech hasn’t sniffed the College Football Playoff since the tournament’s inception in 2014.
Nearing the midway point of the regular season, the No. 13 Yellow Jackets will meet Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta in hopes of bolstering their odds of making their first CFP appearance.
Georgia Tech (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won its first five games of the season for the first time since 2014, which was the last time the Yellow Jackets made the ACC championship game.
As it stands now, Georgia Tech won’t play another ranked opponent until its regular-season finale against rival Georgia. Enjoying the return to national relevance, head coach Brent Key’s team can’t afford to overlook the Hokies on Saturday.
“It’s an exciting time, and I want the guys to be excited, but also understand that this part of the season now is to protect what we’ve already done,” Key said. “(Virginia Tech) has talent on their roster. The teams they have lost to are a combined 15-6, good football teams, and some of them were very close games, especially going into the fourth quarter.”
Prior to its bye last week, Georgia Tech escaped Wake Forest 30-29 in overtime, rallying from a 17-point second-half deficit. As the Yellow Jackets learn how to stack victories, Key is taking one week at a time.
“You’d love to play every game and have to lead the whole time, but I don’t think that’s ever happened in the history of football,” Key said. “Not to give coach-speak, but we’re worried about one thing — that’s the day we’re in. You can’t look behind, you can’t look forward. We have to understand how fragile this is.”
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King is averaging just 189.5 passing yards a game this season, but the dual-threat, sixth-year senior’s seven rushing touchdowns and 380 yards on the ground rank second and seventh in the ACC, respectively.
Virginia Tech (2-4, 1-1) had as bad a start to the season as any power conference team. After dropping games to then-No. 13 South Carolina and Vanderbilt, the Hokies were blown out at home by Old Dominion, prompting the firing of head coach Brent Pry.
Interim coach Philip Montgomery has won two of three games since taking over, but the road will get harder on Saturday.
“Obviously, this week we have a really tough opponent,” Montgomery said. “Georgia Tech is playing really well right now. They’ve had a bye, so they’re going to be fresh. It’ll be a great test for us, but we’re looking forward to going on the road and getting an opportunity to go to work.”
Virginia Tech was held without a second-half touchdown in a 30-23 loss to Wake Forest last week — just another speed bump the Hokies will have to overcome in a difficult season.
“This team has faced a lot of adversity throughout the season, but they’re resilient,” Montgomery said. “We have to move forward, continue to grow, learn from our mistakes, and get better as a football team, because we’ve got a tough game this week.”
Looking to help turn the season around, Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones will need to stay upright, as the third-year starter has been sacked 14 times this season, tied with Stanford’s Ben Gulbranson for most in the ACC.
