Georgia Tech’s trip into a familiar matchup brings a simple challenge: slow down a handful of Pittsburgh playmakers and the Yellow Jackets give themselves a shot to flip the recent trend. Pittsburgh has taken four of the last five meetings, and this time Georgia Tech has to deal with a Panther offense that can hit in different ways.
The biggest uncertainty sits with Damon Ferguson Jr., who is listed as questionable. If the freshman back suits up on Saturday, he immediately becomes a problem for a Georgia Tech defense that has had real trouble against the run.
The Yellow Jackets are allowing 210.4 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 131 nationally, and Ferguson Jr. has been Pittsburgh’s most productive runner so far with 477 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 5.2 yards per carry. He already has two 100-yard games this season, and with No. 26 possibly available, Georgia Tech cannot afford to let him settle in.
“He's a very good running back. Um, very good running back.
For us to stop him, we have to set edges. We have to communicate.
We have to communicate on the line throughout the whole defense. Um, we can't lose at the line of scrimmage.
That's a major part,” said Speakman.
Pittsburgh’s receiving threat starts with Hicks, the team’s top wideout and one of its most explosive options. He’s averaging 21 yards per catch and also owns a solid Pro Football Focus grade of 71.9.
His production this season includes 31 receptions, 649 yards, and five touchdowns, and he’s coming off back-to-back games with at least 135 receiving yards. His best outing came against No.
1 Miami, when he posted five catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia Tech’s secondary has had its share of busts, and Hicks is the kind of player who can punish those mistakes quickly. The Yellow Jackets also have a specific warning sign here: they were burned earlier this season by a No. 3 against Virginia Tech, so they’ll need to stay locked in on Pittsburgh’s No. 3 and keep him from taking over the game.
On the other side of the ball, Brookins has emerged as Pittsburgh’s most active defender. He leads the Panthers with 55 tackles and has added three passes defensed. The senior defensive back has been especially busy over his last three games, finishing with 11 tackles against UNC, then 9 against Boston College, and 9 more against Miami.
Brookins is in the middle of a career season and is on pace to top last year’s numbers. Georgia Tech has to be smart if it tests him, especially in single coverage. He tracks the ball well, fights for separation, and has shown he can make plays when the ball is in the air.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Gets An Early Read On Jackson Fields And Team Chemistry
Before the season even gets rolling, Jackson Fields is already giving Troy a useful early snapshot of where this group stands. Speaking to the media ahead of the opener, the veteran under Scott Cross sounded energized about getting back on the floor after time away, and he pointed to a roster that has spent the preseason sharpening its identity on the defensive end while trying to build the kind of chemistry that tends to matter once games start counting.
Fields also made clear that the Tigers are not just talking about togetherness in the abstract. He noted the growth he has seen from teammates Colby Garland and Kayden Allen, especially in the way they are handling defensive responsibilities and communicating with the group, which is the sort of progress that can quietly shape a teams ceiling. For Georgia Tech fans watching cross-sport storylines around the region, it is a reminder that Troy is trying to come into the year with more than just talent - it wants cohesion, too. [Read more 🡒]
Atlanta Just Got Pulled Into Georgia Florida's Biggest New Tension
The Georgia-Florida rivalry is headed to Atlanta for the first time, and that alone gives this matchup a different kind of edge. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit has already framed the conversation around Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, saying he expects a cleaner performance after the turnovers that hurt the Bulldogs against Auburn, while Kirby Smart has pointed to Florida's offense as a group that can still make life difficult if it gets rolling.
Smart also singled out a familiar name on the other sideline in Jadan Baugh, a running back who gives Florida a physical option the Bulldogs have to account for. With the game landing in a new setting and both sides carrying their own pressure points into it, the buildup feels less like a routine rivalry week and more like the start of a fresh wrinkle in one of college football's oldest grudges. [Read more 🡒]