ATLANTA – Georgia Tech will return to the friendly confines of Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field for the first time in nearly a month when the Yellow Jackets host Wake Forest for Homecoming on Saturday afternoon, October 14.
The Yellow Jackets host the Demon Deacons on Saturday at 12 noon. The game will be regionally televised on the ACC-Jefferson Pilot television network (airing on Fox Sports Net South in the Atlanta area), while live radio coverage will be available on the Georgia Tech/ISP Sports Network (WGST 640 AM in Atlanta).
Tech enters the game with a 3-2 overall record and a 1-2 mark in ACC play after picking up its first league victory two weeks ago at North Carolina, 42-28. Wake Forest is 0-5, 0-3 after falling to Vanderbilt, 17-10, last Saturday.
Tech had won four straight games in the series with Wake Forest from 1995 through 1998, but the Demon Deacons pulled off a 26-23 upset last year in Winston-Salem.
“I’ve addressed the players that I have a short memory,” said Tech head coach George O’Leary, recalling that the Deacons pounded out 322 yards on the ground last year. “I remember last year, and they should too. It wasn’t a fluke that they beat us on the field. We didn’t play as well as we should have played on either side of the ball. All we have to do is take out last year’s film. Their attack hasn’t changed, so we have to be better at what we’re doing. I’ve addressed that to the kids, and they know that.”
Despite its 0-5 record, Wake Forest has shown improvement over its last two games (losses to Virginia and Vanderbilt). In that stretch, the Deacons have averaged more than 170 yards more per game than it did in the first three games. Wake Forest is averaging 236 yards per game for the season, but over the last two contests the offense is producing 341 yards per game.
“My concern is that Wake Forest controlled the ball for 38 minutes against Vanderbilt,” said O’Leary. “They ran 82 plays to Vanderbilt’s 48, and that’s a concern because you have to have the ball to score. Defensively, we have to make sure that we’re on top of that. Last year I thought they beat us offensively and defensively ” they beat us on the field. I’ve addressed that to the team, and I think that on any given Saturday, we need to be ready to play.”
The Yellow Jacket defense will have to prepare for two Wake Forest quarterbacks. Since starter C.J. Leak went down with a season-ending knee injury three weeks ago, the Deacons have turned to true freshman Anthony Young and junior James MacPherson. Young, an option-style quarterback, leads Wake Forest with 299 yards rushing in two and half games, while MacPherson, a drop-back passer, has passed for 241 yards in two games.
“I think that they are basically controlling the ball,” said O’Leary. “I think they’re mixing their quarterbacks up pretty well as far as putting Young in who can run and throw, and then MacPherson to throw the ball. They have been in a lot of games, and that the key is that they’ve played some pretty good competition.”
After playing five straight weeks to open the season, and preparing for a sixth game at Virginia Tech, the Yellow Jackets finally had a open date last weekend. O’Leary used the time to allow players a chance to recover from some minor bumps and bruises.
“I think the off week was a great time for us,” said the Tech head coach. “We had a lot of kids nicked up with injuries that we had to get healthy. We’ve been going at it since August 1, and that’s a long time, especially when you’re playing some young kids. That’s too much without a break and without a day off. It came at the right time, and now we start the second half of the season.”
On the injury front, O’Leary reported that Tech should be back to a near-full lineup on Saturday after the off week. Sophomore free safety Cory Collins (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.), the backup to starter Jeremy Muyres, is listed as questionable with a sprained MCL. Freshman linebacker Keyaron Fox (Atlanta, Ga.) is out for four to six weeks with a broken arm.
