Georgia Tech will bring a fresh look to Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, but the bigger mission is much more familiar: try to slow down an undefeated Duke team and get the season pointed back in the right direction.
The Yellow Jackets are set to unveil a new Reck decal on their helmets as part of Reck Day when they host the Blue Devils. Georgia Tech shared the decal ahead of the game, and fans were quick to embrace it online.
RECK ON THE HELMET RECK ON THE HELMET RECK ON THE HELMET!!!! https://t.co/70PUfwOBpE
The helmet update is a nice touch, but it’s not what Georgia Tech is chasing. After a 1-3 start, the Jackets are more concerned with the result than the uniform detail, even if the new decal gives Saturday’s game a little extra flair.
Georgia Tech has not announced its full uniform combination yet, though that typically comes out on Thursday.
The matchup itself is no small task. Duke enters undefeated and brings one of the best running backs in the country along with one of the ACC’s top defenses. The Blue Devils allow fewer points per game than any team in the league except Miami, which is currently ranked No. 4 nationally.
Brent Key made it clear on Wednesday that Georgia Tech will need to be sharp against what he sees as a very disciplined defense.
“They have the ability to pressure. You know, they have various pressure packages, blitz and whatever.
But they also play man coverage. They play zone.
They mix it up. They disguise things well.
They support in the run game very hard. They have tendencies.
They do a good job reading their tendencies on what they have. They're a well-coached team.
To do one thing and look like something else, that's challenging. So we've got to have good eyes.
We've got to play with good discipline. We've got to play collective team football.”
Key also stressed that Georgia Tech’s expectations aren’t shifting because of the slow start.
“It's about collectively binding to the principles and the values of the organization. The standards.
Standards are not changing. There are boundaries here.
Boundaries don't do the job. The enforcement of boundaries does the job.
There are rules. There are standards.
There's a way we do things. That's whether you're in the building, on the field, away from here, socially, with your family.
None of that matters. There's a way you carry yourself as a Georgia Tech football player, and that will not change."
Georgia Tech will try to do exactly that on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, with the new Reck decal on the helmet and Duke standing in the way.
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Cross also leaned on his own coaching background while acknowledging the reality of trying to compete in the ACC with such a fresh group. For Georgia Tech, the immediate question is not just whether the pieces fit, but how quickly they can start looking like a team that belongs in a league where there is little patience for rebuilding projects. [Read more 🡒]
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Georgia Techs history against Duke should at least give the Yellow Jackets some confidence, but the present matchup is shaped more by what happens up front than by the past. The bigger question is whether Georgia Tech can get healthy enough to answer Dukes physical style, since there are still injury concerns hanging over the roster. If the Jackets are going to control this one, they will have to hold up in the trenches and make Duke work for every yard. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas Title Surge Now Faces The One Test Fans Care About
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For followers of Georgia Tech, the bigger takeaway is what comes next in the SEC and beyond, where those high-end teams keep colliding and sorting themselves out on the field. Georgia and Alabama are headed toward a matchup that will tell plenty about which contender is for real, and with the national picture still fluid, the one test fans care about is whether Alabama can back up the surge against a defense built to expose any weakness. [Read more 🡒]