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A season ago, Georgia Tech came to Death Valley as the big underdog and gave Clemson all it could handle in a 14-8 loss, with the Tigers needing a late field goal to secure the victory.
However, despite being so close to pulling off the mighty upset, Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins isn’t paying too much attention to that game as his Georgia Tech team hosts No. 4 Clemson on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Obviously, it shows in the cuts,” Collins said. But the biggest thing is that this is a new team that we have and the biggest thing is that we are ready to play together at the highest level. And I think the messaging, the way we communicated internally and the way our people are. It’s just understanding that nothing is easy about talking, you have to struggle with things, some situations arise, and how we handle difficult things says a lot about us and how we can overcome them.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 3-9 season, a program that finished next to the ACC Coastal at just 2-6 in league play. Clemson is expected to have one of the best defenses in the country, so opening up against the Tigers is a big challenge.
“I think they’re the best front four in college football and I don’t know how much of a debate that is,” Collins said. “They’re really good, they’re good players and they play really hard. They have a great scheme for the defensive line to make an impact.”
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Sweeney is concerned with the new 12-team game.
CLEMSON, S.C. – Although Dabo Swinney welcomed the 12-team playoff format in college football, Clemson’s head coach wasn’t happy about the news after Friday’s practice.
“Obviously, we know we have our work cut out for us, and coach (Brent) Key is really, really hard at work and making sure the right matchups are the right way and the way we line up, we can have some fun and some success. We know it’s going to be a challenge. They’re really, really good players. They have depth and it’s a challenge and our guys know it’s a challenge and they have to come out every day and work to be ready to play at the highest level.
Playing a Top 5 team at home, against an ACC opponent in the season opener, gives the Yellow Jackets a chance to make a big statement out of the gate. However, Collins stressed that the players must focus on the task at hand, saying they cannot allow any outside noise to become a distraction.
“They know what a great opponent is,” Collins said. “Everybody knows the stage they’re sitting on. The biggest part is the daily focus on getting yourself ready to play at the highest level and understanding the challenge ahead of you. And I think that mindset permeates the entire organization.”
“I don’t think you have to make it any bigger than that because the best players and the best coaches and the best environment, the only show on TV, all of those things are online, but the biggest part is just getting it all ready. Every single player at every level, focused on getting the organization ready to compete at the highest level. And it will be focused until we reach eight o’clock next Monday night.
The Tigers are currently +1800 on the moneyline, according to Fanduel.
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