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Georgia Tech a cautionary tale for Florida State

 
Georgia Tech returned 13 starters from a team that won 11 games last season but already has  two double-digit losses in a 2-5 start. [Getty Images]
Georgia Tech returned 13 starters from a team that won 11 games last season but already has two double-digit losses in a 2-5 start. [Getty Images]
Published Oct. 19, 2015

No. 9 Florida State is rightfully focused on its ACC championship aspirations and feasible goal of a second straight berth in the College Football Playoff.

But Saturday's game at Georgia Tech should also serve as a reminder of how rare such success has become in an era of parity.

The Yellow Jackets returned 13 starters from a team that won 11 games last season. They began the season in the top 20 of both polls, and CBS' Dennis Dodd and Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples were among those who pegged Georgia Tech as a dark horse playoff contender.

But the Ramblin' Wreck has been, well, a wreck.

Georgia Tech's pass defense is No. 85 nationally. The Yellow Jackets already have two double-digit losses in their 2-5 start. Bowl eligibility seems farfetched. All this for a team that challenged FSU in the Seminoles' two-point win in last year's ACC title game.

FSU, obviously, has gone the other way since that 37-35 win in December.

The 'Noles are 6-0 for the third year in a row, and a win over the Yellow Jackets would extend the nation's longest active streak of winning seasons to 38. It would also give FSU wins in 29 straight ACC games.

Coach Jimbo Fisher said after Saturday's 41-21 win over Louisville that his team still doesn't know how good it can be. At his weekly news conference Monday, Fisher said he's pleased with how the 'Noles are evolving and emerging and accepting every challenge they face. But he's not sure himself how long FSU can keep rolling.

"I don't know," Fisher said. "We're going to find out."

UM, CLEMSON DUDES: Not long after Miami finished off its 30-20 win over Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes already began focusing on this week's showdown with No. 6 Clemson.

With preseason favorite Georgia Tech down, the ACC's Coastal Division remains open. UM can stay in that race if it can generate offense against the country's No. 6 scoring defense. QB Brad Kaaya did not seem too intimidated by the challenge.

"They've got dudes across the board," Kaaya told reporters after the game. "We have some dudes, too, and we've just got to go to work this week."

FOR KICKS: No. 13 Florida is using its bye week before the Georgia game to try to find another kicker.

The Gators used Twitter to ask for kickers to sign up for walk-on tryouts. Austin Hardin — ESPN's No. 1 kicker prospect in high school — missed three games because of a leg injury. Then his replacement, walk-on Jorge Powell, kicked the winning extra point against Tennessee but left Saturday's loss at LSU with an apparent knee injury. That gave the job back to Hardin.

Although Hardin had four touchbacks and made all three extra points against the Tigers, coach Jim McElwain hasn't seemed pleased with Hardin, who has missed his past three field goals.

WEEKLY HONORS: FSU WR Kermit Whitfield and LB Jacob Pugh earned the ACC's weekly honors as the top players at their positions. Whitfield had a career-high 172 yards in the win over Louisville, while Pugh — a Dade City native — recorded two sacks and a career-high seven tackles. UM CB Artie Burns earned ACC honors for his two interceptions against Virginia Tech.

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MISCELLANY: John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan law firm announced that his group will represent UF QB Will Grier, who is appealing the NCAA's year-long suspension after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. … FSU LB Terrance Smith (ankle) remains day to day. … Halloween kickoff times were announced Monday: Syracuse at FSU (noon, Ch. 28), UF-Georgia (3:30, Ch. 10), Miami at Duke (7, ESPN2 or ESPNU).

Contact Matt Baker at mbaker@tampabay.com. Follow @MBakerTBTimes.

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