As we head into the 2019 Clemson football season, the Tigers will face a Georgia Tech team with a renewed sense of confidence and poise.
The Georgia Tech football team has made it clear that it doesn’t fear the prospect of playing Clemson football.
Though the Tigers are a national powerhouse and potentially on their way to a second National Championship, Georgia Tech coaches and players have maintained that they are coming up to Death Valley to give Clemson a tough game and that they won’t back down from anyone.
There has been no shortage of respect coming from the Yellow Jackets, though, when they speak about Clemson football. Georgia Tech Defensive Coordinator Andrew Thacker told the media that Trevor Lawrence was a generational talent and that he’s currently one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.
Even with the talent, depth and hostile environment that Georgia Tech will face when the Yellow Jackets enter Death Valley Thursday night, it seems the message coming out of Atlanta is pretty clear: Don’t fear and don’t play scared.
"“So the big message for us in our defensive meeting room is, know them, and we literally put up a slide (Sunday in a meeting): Know them,” Thacker told the media. “But more important, know us and then, no freaking fear. I don’t think our kids are going to fear anything, I really don’t.“I can’t call a game scared. “You can’t cover everything on every single play. You can’t double team everybody on every single play. So we’ve got to be us.”"
In addition, Georgia Tech Offensive Coordinator Dave Patenaude said the team will be ready to compete with anyone.
"“We’re not going to be afraid to go out and play anybody anywhere,” Patenaude said via WSB TV. “We’ll just put the ball down and play whoever we get a chance to play. That’s kind of our mentality.”"
Defensive Lineman Antwan Owens said the Yellow Jackets are up for the challenge and that they’re going to be a tough-out for the Tigers.
"“This is a tremendous challenge with these guys coming in No. 1-ranked team, rightfully so, have a lot of skill guys, great QB, great running back a great team,” Owens said via WSB TV. “But I feel like we’re up for the challenge. As always, we never back down from anything. We’re going to attack, attack, attack, just like coach Collins says, and it’s going to be a great game.”"
Behind Enemy Lines:
It’s always interesting to look at things from the opponent’s perspective coming into a game. Georgia Tech Coach Geoff Collins hasn’t taken shots at Clemson, but he has continued to talk up his program and tell the media that the Yellow Jackets truly believe they can compete with the Tigers.
That’s exactly how it should be handled.
Georgia Tech knows going into this one that it’s a long shot they come away with a victory. According to ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index), Clemson has a 98.8 percent chance of beating the Yellow Jackets.
The Tigers are just more talented and have more depth. Not only does Clemson win the game on paper, but the Tigers also have the home field advantage.
But, it always should be noted that games aren’t won on paper. Clemson has to execute to win this game. Georgia Tech has made it clear that they aren’t going to lay down. They are going to come in and try to attack. They’re going to give their best effort.
The Tigers will need to counter that and make sure they come out focused, ready to play and ensure they execute at a high level.