Much of the college football world, and especially anyone associated with the ACC, was fixated Saturday on the Georgia Tech-Florida State matchup played in Dublin.
It was a game the Yellow Jackets won 24-21 on a last-second field goal by Aidan Birr. It was the overall performance, however, that had more than most impressed with how the Jackets got it done.
“They do what Tech does very, very well,” ACC Network studio analyst EJ Manuel told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week.
Manuel will be part of the on-air cast during live broadcasts of “ACC Huddle” starting at 3 p.m. Saturday at Tech Tower Lawn and then at 6:30 p.m. from inside Bobby Dodd Stadium. Manuel also saw the Jackets live inside Aviva Stadium, and the former FSU quarterback marveled at how the Tech offense didn’t throw a lot of curveballs, just executed at an extremely high level.
“Run-game wise (it’s) counter, counter, stretch, counter, power, counter, counter, counter,” Manuel added. “I believe the number of times they ran counter in that game was 17, if I’m not mistaken?
“We have a guy like (running back) Jamal Haynes with a dual-threat quarterback in Haynes King — who’s a willing runner. I think that’s the difference with (King) and maybe some other quarterbacks who may get rushing yards. (King) is down to run and put his shoulder down. That part makes it really tough for the defense.”
Tech’s victory over the Seminoles was the program’s first over a top-10 team in almost a decade. And it was a victory that ramped up expectations for a team that won a modest seven games in 2023 and was picked to finish ninth in the 2024 ACC preseason poll.
But now there’s a different outlook and a heightened excitement for a squad that plays its home opener at 8 p.m. Saturday against Georgia State. Having notched a win over the defending league champions, the Jackets are now very much part of the discussion of teams that could factor into this season’s ACC title race.
“I think we have believed all offseason that the ACC is as wide open as it’s ever been since I played, since I’ve been covering it,” ACC Network studio analyst Eric Mac Lain said. “Now it’s like, ‘OK, here’s another player you can just slide into that.’ The only real reservation I had thinking that preseason was how brutal the schedule is. It’s the hardest in the ACC. It’s one of those (wins) where you say, ‘Man, you go do it with that? Look out.’ Who knows what this team’s gonna be able to do.”
Mac Lain has a special affinity for Tech and second-year coach Brent Key. A former Clemson offensive lineman, Mac Lain said he loves to see another former lineman running a program and that he became even more smitten with Key early in Key’s tenure when Mac Lain attended a Tech practice and watched how Key ran his team.
And while Mac Lain enjoys how Tech’s offense operates as much as anyone, he was taken aback Saturday by the turnaround of the Jackets’ defense.
“I expected the offense to be good, right? We saw it last year, we saw what they were capable of — consistency was gonna be a key, ‘Can we do that every single game?’ And we still need to see that,” Mac Lain said. “But I was worried about the defense. They were the worst in the league. The run defense specifically was horrific.
“We just thought that Florida State was gonna do the same thing, just run all over them. And that was absolutely not the case. (Defensive coordinator Tyler) Santucci fired those guys up. I think also the defensive line coach (Jess Simpson) doesn’t get enough credit. I think that guy is amazing. Was really excited when he got hired.”
Tech’s win over Florida State included yet another memorable performance from King, a junior whose individual success has gone virtually hand-in-hand with the Jackets’ resurgence as a team. His play over Tech’s past 14 games hasn’t gone unnoticed by Manuel or Mac Lain, either.
Manuel threw for nearly 3,400 yards as a senior in 2012 at FSU and went 25-6 as a starter. He was the No. 16 overall pick by Buffalo in the 2013 NFL Draft so knows what winning in the ACC, and getting to the next level, looks like. Manuel thinks King fits the bill for both.
“The first thing that comes to mind with (King) is he’s tough as nails. I know in his time at Texas A&M he played for the same coach that I had in Jimbo Fisher. You can’t play for (Fisher) unless you’re mentally tough. So that part, I know (King) already checks that box,” Manuel said. “Physically I think he can make all the throws. I don’t think he has the strongest arm, but truthfully, I think that’s a stat that people try to make too big of a deal. Can you hit your target? That’s the question. And he can. He just has to cut that interception number into thirds. If he can throw max, like, six picks on the season, not only will that help him reach whatever personal goals he has for him as a player, his team is gonna win.
“If he can just remain healthy, this team is gonna have a great chance to win pretty much every game that they’re in.”
Mac Lain added for good measure: “Haynes King is just a baller. I’ve said this a multitude of times: If you take away projections and we just talk about what we know? He’s the best quarterback in the ACC. I think that was on display (in the Tech win over Florida State).”
Tech has a very long way to go in 2024, with one of the toughest schedules in college football this year, according to several rankings. It must travel to Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and No. 1 Georgia. No. 19 Miami and No. 24 North Carolina State come to Bobby Dodd Stadium. A matchup with No. 7 Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium awaits Oct. 19.
And before all that the Jackets have to get past Georgia State on Saturday. If they can’t do that, much of that current hype will vaporize before the calendar even turns to September. Mac Lain doesn’t perceive that will happen because of the man guiding the ship.
“There’s a reason why they’ve beaten so many ranked teams. (Key) injects positivity into his players and I think they like to be that underdog,” Mac Lain said. “They like to be that team that nobody thinks they’re any good and nobody thinks they got a shot. He embodies that. I really think he’s able to harness the negativity, or the lack of attention that Georgia Tech football gets on a national basis and use it to a positive for his ballclub. That’s coaching.”
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