UNC vs Georgia Tech: Tar Heels vow not to overlook Jackets in potential ‘trap game’
North Carolina moved up to No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released Sunday, and figure to make a similar jump when the College Football Playoff poll is revealed on Tuesday.
The Tar Heels (9-1, 6-0 ACC) are starting to attract the national attention that comes with the stratosphere that they’re entering, especially with those late-comers trying to figure out if quarterback Drake Maye is truly as good as his stats suggest.
The Heels will close out against rival N.C. State in a game they’ve been waiting on since their colossal nine-point collapse in the final two minutes in last season’s loss. And the ACC is now officially advertising the league’s title game — since UNC clinched the Coastal Division in its win over Wake Forest — where Atlantic Division champ Clemson will await in Charlotte.
There’s enough potential “other stuff” that Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech could easily be overlooked. The Yellow Jackets fired head coach Geoff Collins in September after a 1-4 start and will enter Kenan Stadium led by interim coach Brent Key.
“We got to come out with the same attitude, get after it in practice,” Maye said. “It’s a game like they call a trap game so we got to come ready and do what we want to do and finish out the season right.”
Mystery at quarterback
Georgia Tech starting quarterback Jeff Sims has been reserved for “emergency use only” after an injury forced him to sit the past two games. During the Yellow Jackets’ 35-14 loss to Miami, his replacement Zach Pyron also went down late in the third quarter and was unable to return to the game. That thrust third-stringer Zach Gibson into the lineup.
Key said in his postgame remarks, “At the time Pyron got hurt, (Sims) was not available to go in the game.” And asked if Sims had been cleared to play he added, I’ll just leave it at that.”
So the Heels will be in a position where they may not know the status of Tech’s starting quarterback until game day.
Three Georgia Tech players to watch
Keion White, DL: The Garner native, who played at Garner High School, does it all for the Yellow Jackets up front. He leads the team with 4.5 sacks and is second with nine tackles for loss. The fifth-year senior is also third on the team with 44 tackles.
Nate McCollum, WR: Finished just three yards shy of setting a new career-best with 101 receiving yards against Miami. McCollum tied his career best with eight catches. He leads the Jackets with 54 receptions and 590 yards.
David Shanahan, P: Is tied for the lead in the ACC with 16 punts of 50 yards or more. He’s also placed 10 of his kicks, which average 43.4 yards, inside the 20 yard line.
Three UNC players to watch
Drake Maye, QB: Set a new personal best with 448 passing yards against Wake Forest. Maye’s previous season-high was 388 yards against Pitt. Oh, and the redshirt freshman ran his streak without an interception to four games and 175 consecutive attempts.
Josh Downs, WR: Depending on the availability of Antoine Green, the eyes of the Jackets defense could all be focused on Downs. He’s had 11 or more receptions in each of the past three games and a combined five touchdowns.
Kaimon Rucker, DL: The junior continues to split time between playing the Jack position and playing power end. Rucker was the initial tackler on a crucial fourth down stop at Wake that started their fourth quarter shutout.
Vegas betting odds
The Tar Heels are 14.5-point favorites, according to VegasInsider.com.
UNC vs Georgia Tech game and TV info
Who: North Carolina Tar Heels (9-1, 6-0 ACC) vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-6, 3-4)
Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill
When: 5:30 p.m., Saturday
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+
