ACC Championship 2014: FSU vs. Georgia Tech TV Info, Spread and Injury Updates
Florida State is taking on Georgia Tech in the 2014 ACC Championship Game, but it might as well be taking on Ohio State, TCU and Baylor as well.
With four spots up for grabs in the initial College Football Playoff, there are plenty of teams battling that would love to see a Seminoles loss. Considering that hasn’t happened since the 2012 season, though, it may be asking for too much.
Here is a look at the essential information for Saturday’s ACC clash.
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Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Spread: Florida State -3.5 (via Odds Shark, as of Friday morning at 9 a.m. ET)
Injury Report (via USA Today, as of Friday morning at 9 a.m. ET)
| Jalen Johnson | S | 11/30/2014 | Questionable | neck |
| Austin McClellan | RB | 11/30/2014 | Questionable | concussion |
| Nick Menocal | LB | 09/03/2014 | Out | personal |
| Michael Preddy | DL | 11/30/2014 | Questionable | foot |
| Rusty Scott | LB | 11/30/2014 | Questionable | ankle |
| DeAndre Smelter | WR | 12/01/2014 | Doubtful | knee |
| Broderick Snoddy | RB | 11/16/2014 | Out | leg |
| Brady Swilling | QB | 11/30/2014 | Questionable | hand |
| Roderick Tyler | DB | 11/30/2014 | Questionable | ankle |
| Colin Blake | S | 10/29/2014 | Out | shoulder |
| Demarcus Christmas | DT | 11/30/2014 | Questionable | ankle |
| Ukeme Eligwe | LB | 11/07/2014 | Out | disciplinary |
| Isaiah Jones | WR | 08/16/2014 | Out | academics |
| Nile Lawrence-Stample | DT | 09/24/2014 | Out | pectoral |
| Delvin Purifoy | LB | 08/31/2014 | Out | ankle |
| Karlos Williams | RB | 11/30/2014 | Questionable | concussion |
Preview/Prediction
The ACC as a whole, including Florida State and Georgia Tech, has plenty of momentum coming into this game after going 4-0 against the mighty SEC in the final week of the regular season. Heather Dinich of ESPN passed along some of the info:
While that is a nice feather in the ACC’s cap, both Florida State and Georgia Tech are far more concerned with who wins Saturday’s game.
The Seminoles have made a habit of falling behind early, trailing in the first half in nine separate games this season. ESPN Stats & Info pointed out that the first quarter has been particularly problematic for Jameis Winston and Co.:
Perhaps no team in the country is better suited to protect a lead than Georgia Tech, which boasts the country’s fourth-best rushing attack at 333.8 yards per game. The Yellow Jackets have won five games in a row, including the impressive win over Georgia the last time out, and they will look to keep that momentum going with an early lead.
Interestingly, Florida State allowed 250 rushing yards to The Citadel earlier in the season, and the Bulldogs run a very similar version of Georgia Tech’s triple-option attack. Justin Thomas, Zach Laskey and Synjyn Days could find some running lanes Saturday if the Seminoles bring the same defensive effort they did against The Citadel.
Thomas also has 1,460 passing yards and 16 touchdowns through the air to only four interceptions.
Georgia Tech is simply an efficient offense that holds on to the ball and keeps the clock moving. It leads the nation in third downs converted as well, which is critical when holding on to a lead. Ideally for Georgia Tech, the offense would wear Florida State down over the course of the game and hit on a back-breaking play in the fourth quarter on some misdirection.
Florida State may be forced to throw the ball in a comeback effort if it falls behind again, which could be a concern for Winston, who has thrown 11 interceptions in his last six games. The Yellow Jackets have 17 interceptions of their own, which is ninth in the nation, so a game-turning pick isn’t out of the question.
The slow starts and turnovers have left many people unimpressed with Florida State, but Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson recognized that winning is the most important thing, according to The Associated Press, via ESPN.com:
"I see a really good football team that knows how to win. Winning is hard. They've won 28 consecutive games. That's really hard to believe in this day and age.
They've got a bunch of guys that are good athletes, they are very well-coached and they know how to win. 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.
"
You can throw all the statistics out there that you want to suggest Florida State could be in trouble in this game. Yes, falling behind early against a team that thrives by keeping the ball on the ground is a recipe for disaster. Yes, having a quarterback who is prone to throwing interceptions against an opportunistic defense could make life difficult for the Florida State offense. Yes, the Yellow Jackets have plenty of momentum coming into this game.
As cliche as it may sound, though, the Seminoles simply find ways to win.
Whether it is Florida and Boston College missing critical late field goals, Notre Dame committing an offensive pass interference penalty to nullify the game-winning touchdown or Louisville’s defense forgetting how to defend in the second half, Florida State always emerges with the victory.
It certainly deserves plenty of credit for that. The Seminoles feature a balanced offensive attack with Winston hitting weapons Rashad Greene and Nick O'Leary for critical first downs and touchdowns in fourth quarters of games or Dalvin Cook and Karlos Williams picking up important yards on the ground.
The defense is also 27th in the country in points allowed and always steps up when the team needs it most.
There is no reason to expect anything different Saturday. Sure, the Seminoles may fall behind early, but they will eventually grab the lead behind their offensive attack, like they always do. That will put Georgia Tech in the uncomfortable position of having to throw the ball (122nd in the country in passing yards per game), and the talented Florida State secondary that thwarted final efforts from Florida, Boston College and Miami will rise to the occasion yet again.
Ohio State and Baylor better hope one of the other top four teams loses.
Prediction: Florida State 31, Georgia Tech 24
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