:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71195198/1351731888.0.jpg)
We continue previewing all 12 opponents the UCF Knights will face on the gridiron in 2022 with the final non-conference game of the 2022 regular season against their second ACC opponent of the season, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Week 4: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Kickoff: Saturday, September 24th, Time TBA, FBC Mortgage Stadium
TV: TBD
Series: Georgia Tech leads 3-1
Last Meeting: 2020 — UCF won 49-21 in Atlanta
UCF’s first post-COVID game didn’t start all that great, but the Knights quickly gained their footing and dispatched Georgia Tech with ease. It was Marlon Williams’ breakout game, as he caught 10 balls for 154 yards and two of Dillon Gabriel’s four TD passes.
About the Yellow Jackets
This Season: Picked 6th of 7 teams in the ACC Coastal Division
Last Season: 3-9, 2-6 in the ACC
Tech started 3-3 but dropped their last six, including their last two games last season against #8 Notre Dame and #1 Georgia by a combined score of 100-0.
Cincinnati’s 2021 Team Stats and Rankings
| Category | Offense | AAC Rank | FBS Rank | Defense | AAC Rank | FBS Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Offense | AAC Rank | FBS Rank | Defense | AAC Rank | FBS Rank |
| Rush Yards | 173.3 | 4th | 56th | 149.1 | 5th | 62nd |
| Pass Yards | 241.2 | 6th | 58th | 169.2 | 1st | 2nd |
| Total Yards | 414.5 | 5th | 58th | 318.4 | 2nd | 10th |
| Points | 36.4 | 2nd | 13th | 16.9 | 1st | 5th |
Key Stats: 51.2 penalty yards per game (58th-best in FBS)
Head Coach: Geoff Collins
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23914038/1185635147.jpg)
Tech fans are running out of patience with Geoff Collins. The former UCF Linebacker Coach under George O’Leary has won just three games in each of his three seasons in Atlanta (9-25 overall).
Collins overhauled the offensive staff, with new OC Chip Long, who comes over from Tulane. He retains two other former UCF staffers: Associate Head Coach and OL Coach Brent Key, and Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker Coach Andrew Thacker.
Key Players
#10 Jeff Sims — QB
Sophomore (3rd season) | 6-4, 219 lbs | 2021: 60%, 1468 yards, 12 TD/7 INT, 372 rush yards, 4 rush TDs
Sims’ first college start came against UCF in 2020. Now entering his third year as GT’s starter, he will have to prove himself worthy of his recruiting praise when he came out of Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville. He battled injuries and inconsistency all last season, and much like with his head coach, it’s now or never.
#2 Ayinde Eley — LB
Redshirt Senior | 6-3, 233 lbs | 2021: 90 tackles, 3.5 TFLs
Eley is Tech’s top returning tackler after coming over from Maryland. He had three double-digit tackle games last year, including a 14-tackle, 1.5-TFL, and 0.5-sack performance against Duke.
Other Stuff To Know
- This game in Orlando was initially scheduled for September 16th, 2017, but was canceled due to Hurricane Irma. Of course, UCF went undefeated that season.
- This is Georgia Tech’s first-ever trip to UCF. All three previous meetings were in Atlanta.
- In the first three meetings, George O’Leary was Georgia Tech’s head coach. Two of them were decided by one score.
- UCF has played Georgia Tech more than any other ACC team. This will be the fifth meeting.
- Georgia Tech’s QB Coach is Chris Weinke, the former Florida State and Carolina Panthers QB who is the oldest player to ever win the Heisman Trophy (28 years old in 2000).
The Latest on the Yellow Jackets:
Loading comments...