Florida State vs. Georgia Tech Complete ACC Title Game Preview
Florida State had played The Citadel in September, a game that may have been nearly three months ago but could be the perfect preparation for Saturday's ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech.
The Citadel plays a triple-option offense, which means one of three things will happen: The quarterback will keep the ball and run, he will hand it off to the fullback on the dive play or he will pitch to a running back. Yes, Georgia Tech does pass the ball—but it's happened just 91 times in 12 games.
So FSU knows what is coming on Saturday.
"Citadel ran it pretty good," FSU linebacker Terrance Smith said. "We had a good chance to face it this year. I think we're a little more prepared than other teams are facing it."
Georgia Tech (10-2) runs the ball extremely well, racking up 333 yards on the ground each game. It will be a tough challenge for FSU (12-0), which is looking to win its third straight ACC title and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Here's a look at Saturday's ACC Championship Game (8 p.m., ABC).
FSU Keys to Victory
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Make Stops on Third Down
FSU has played the run well at times late in the season, holding Virginia to 37 yards and keeping Florida to 113 yards on 33 carries. But Miami accumulated 176 rushing yards, with Duke Johnson racking up 130 yards.
Georgia Tech is the kind of offense that will move the chains with four-yard carries, wearing out FSU's defense if the Seminoles can't force the Yellow Jackets to punt. So FSU must prevent long drives, or else Georgia Tech will win the time-of-possession battle and could pull off the upset.
Be Efficient on Drives
FSU is seeing fewer possessions the past few games, getting the ball just eight times against Boston College and 13 vs. Florida. The Seminoles were only able to score on four possessions against the Eagles, and they fell short on four of five second-half drives (managing just a field goal after halftime).
Coach Jimbo Fisher has mentioned that the team needs to be more efficient, that the Seminoles must start faster and value possessions. Against Florida, the Seminoles had five turnovers. FSU is looking at a game against Georgia Tech where it may only see the ball eight to 10 times. It's essential that FSU protects the ball better and generates at least a field goal if possible to avoid falling behind again.
Georgia Tech Keys to Victory
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Build Long Drives
Georgia Tech doesn't break off long runs, so the Yellow Jackets will need to put together drives that take 10-14 plays. The bonus is that they will also use the ball-control offense to keep FSU's high-scoring offense on the sideline.
The Yellow Jackets' average time of possession is 34 minutes per game. If they can repeat that effort, and get points off long drives, they have a chance to upset FSU.
Force Turnovers
Georgia Tech has allowed 24 points per game, which puts the Yellow Jackets 42nd nationally. But it's also one of the more opportunistic defenses in the nation (ranking 12th in the Football Bowl Subdivision), generating 17 interceptions and recovering 10 fumbles.
After a Saturday in which Winston was intercepted four times, Georgia Tech can win this game with a few turnovers.
FSU Players to Watch
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Jameis Winston
Winston completed just 12 of 24 passes for 125 yards, two touchdowns and a career-high four interceptions against Florida. How will Winston respond to his worst college game?
In 11 games this season, Winston has thrown for 250 or more yards in 10 of them (he was suspended for the Clemson game and fell well short vs. the Gators). Expect Winston to come back looking focused against a Georgia Tech defense that ranks 57th nationally against the pass.
Dalvin Cook
There were high expectations for Cook, a Miami native who was the state's Mr. Football in 2013. But he has been nothing short of impressive in the second half of the season.
Cook ran for 144 yards in the win over Florida, following up a 76-yard game against Boston College and a pair of two-touchdown games against Louisville and Miami. He was thought to be a complementary piece in FSU's running game to starter Karlos Williams, but now Cook leads the team in rushing with 728 yards.
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Georgia Tech Players to Watch
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QB Justin Thomas
Thomas is the key to the offense, a mobile quarterback who also reads the defense and makes the decision to keep, hand off or pitch. He has run for a team-high 861 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
RB Zach Laskey / RB Synjyn Days
Georgia Tech's top two tailbacks are built like fullbacks and are physical. Running back Zach Laskey has 748 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. And running back Synjyn Days has has 683 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
What They're Saying
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FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher
On FSU's perfect regular season: "I think they're very proud. But our team keeps looking forward. That's why I mentioned that to you. You rarely hear me mention things like that. But I want them to understand what they've accomplished because sometimes you can't see the forest through the trees. Sometimes that's a bad thing because you don't worry about what's going on, but sometimes that's a good thing. You're doing really good things and what you're accomplishing and being able to do, you need to sit back and say we're doing pretty good."
On Georgia Tech's offense: "(They have) an outstanding job on offense. They can move the football, very dynamic. They can throw it very well. It starts with their dive inside and their quarterback (Justin Thomas) really reads that thing well. He reads all the phases of that option well. I mean, teams always have this, some of those quarterbacks can't make decisions consistently. And I think Thomas is the key to making them go to their fullback dive."
FSU Linebacker Terrance Smith
On FSU defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, who was on the Georgia Tech staff from 2006-12: "Coach Kelly being a coach there previously, it's a good benefit to us. He's a coach that saw their offense day-in and day-out for a couple years. He knows the ins‑and‑outs of what they're going to try to do and how to stop it. I feel that will help us out."
On stopping the Yellow Jackets' triple-option offense: "These types of teams that run the triple-option, physical type of game, they're going to run a lot of dives. Just got to stop the run, pound it, keep them into throwing the ball, which is something they're not used to doing. Try to make them one‑dimensional."
Georgia Tech Coach Paul Johnson
On FSU: "I see a really good football team that knows how to win. Winning is hard, and you look and they've won 28 consecutive games. I mean, that's really hard to believe in this day and age. They've got a bunch of guys that are good athletes. They're very well coached, and they know how to win. You know, they haven't blown as many people out as maybe a year ago, but they've still got a really fine football team, make no mistake about that."
Prediction
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Florida State has had mixed results against the run this year. But the Seminoles turned in one of their best efforts in holding Florida to just 113 rushing yards.
Georgia Tech runs for an average of 333 yards per game, the No. 3 rushing attack in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Will FSU be able to keep the Yellow Jackets from turning three- and four-yard gains into first downs and long drives?
One advantage that FSU has is defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, who was a Yellow Jackets assistant coach from 2006-12. Kelly and Fisher will remind FSU's front seven that this game will be about watching your man and not the football, making sure that all of the Yellow Jackets' rushing options are covered.
FSU 27, Georgia Tech 23
Bob Ferrante is the lead FSU writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bob on Twitter. Stats courtesy of seminoles.com, ramblinwreck.com and FSU game notes. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.com.
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