GREENSBORO, N.C. – True freshman quarterback Jeff Sims (Jacksonville, Fla./Sandalwood) and sophomore defensive end Curtis Ryans (Kennesaw, Ga./North Cobb) were named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Rookie and Defensive Lineman of the Week, respectively, after Georgia Tech football’s comeback win at Florida State, the conference announced Monday afternoon.
Becoming the first true freshman quarterback to start a season-opener for Georgia Tech since 2003, Sims shined in his debut, amassing 341 yards of total offense. The Jacksonville, Fla. native completed 24 passes on the night – the most for a Tech freshman since 2003 – to a whopping 10 different targets for 277 yards, which is the most by any Yellow Jackets quarterback since 2014. Tech knotted the game at 13 apiece when Sims connected with Malachi Carter in the third quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass, the first of Sims’ career.
Sims also led the game with 64 yards of rushing on the night, averaging nearly 5 yards per carry.
Making only his third start of his career, Ryans recorded the first two sacks and first two forced fumbles of his career on Saturday, all at pivotal moments of Georgia Tech’s second-half surge. The Kennesaw, Ga. native’s sacks came on back-to-back plays midway through the fourth quarter, with the second sack resulting in a fumble that was taken by David Curry to FSU’s 11-yard line, setting up the Jackets’ go-ahead field goal with 8:56 remaining in the game.
Ryans would once again come up big, forcing his second fumble on Florida State’s ensuing possession to thwart any chance the Seminoles had at tying or regaining the lead. Overall, Ryans finished with a career-high-tying four total tackles to go along with the two tackles for loss, sacks and fumbles.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and the Support The Swarm Fund, created to give fans an opportunity to help Georgia Tech athletics maintain its recent momentum through the financial challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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