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GAME NOTES: ACC foes collide in Tallahassee on Saturday night, as the disappointing Florida State Seminoles play host to the 22nd-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech improved to 4-1 last weekend with a 42-31 decision over Mississippi State. That victory was the second in as many games for the Yellow Jackets, who are 2-1 in ACC play. The only loss came against Miami on the road, but the fact that Tech was able to hang 42 points on an SEC club on its own field last week suggests that it has little trouble performing in hostile environments.

Florida State is in desperate need of a victory, as it has suffered consecutive losses to fall to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference. The most recent defeat occurred last weekend against Boston College in Chestnut Hill by a 28-21 final. This week, there have been rumors circulating that this could be the final year for head coach Bobby Bowden, who has been a fixture on the FSU sidelines for well over three decades.

"We will fight to come out of this," says wideout Bert Reed of FSU's poor start. "This will test who we are because Florida State hasn't been 2-3 in a long time, but we have to just go about our business and try to get better next week."

The Seminoles own a 12-8-1 series advantage over Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jackets won last season's meeting by a 31-28 final.

Georgia Tech relies heavily on the run, as head coach Paul Johnson brought over the offense that he previously featured at Navy. The Yellow Jackets, who are scoring 30.0 ppg, are gaining 252.2 rushing ypg at a clip of 4.8 ypc. Of the 16 offensive touchdowns that the team has mustered through five games, 12 have come on the ground. Jonathan Dwyer is a true star at the tailback position, and he has rushed for 409 yards and three scores while averaging 6.3 ypc. As for quarterback Josh Nesbitt, he has 363 rushing yards and three touchdowns to his credit.

As a passer, Nesbitt has completed 50.8 percent of his throws for 712 yards with three scores and two interceptions. There is only one legitimate receiving threat on the Tech roster, and Demaryius Thomas is a good one. Through five games, the dangerous wideout has hauled in 24 passes for 536 yards and three touchdowns.

"They are going to start rolling guys to him so we have to get other guys involved," said Johnson of Thomas.

Defensively, Georgia Tech is limiting opponents to 354.4 total ypg while allowing 23.0 ppg, numbers that can best be described as mediocre. The Yellow Jackets have been solid against the run, but their play against the pass has been suspect. In fact, opponents have scored a total of 13 offensive touchdowns against Tech, and 10 of those have come via the pass. On a positive note, the Yellow Jackets have recorded 12 takeaways. Sedric Griffin leads Tech with 28 tackles. Morgan Burnett checks in with three interceptions, and Derrick Morgan has 5.5 sacks.

In the win over Mississippi State last week, Nesbitt threw for a career-high 266 yards on just 11 completions, and the main reason for those lofty stats was that Thomas proved to be nearly impossible to cover. He hauled in eight receptions for 174 yards and a score, while Dwyer ran for 83 yards and a touchdown. The offense needed every bit of output it could get from its three stars, as the Tech defense yielded 487 yards and three touchdowns. Fortunately, the club did come up with five takeaways.

"I think they had over 100 yards more offense and they controlled the ball," said coach Johnson after the Mississippi State game. "We were far from perfect, but we competed and played with some intensity."

Through five outings, Florida State is averaging 27.0 ppg and 403.4 total ypg, solid numbers that would typically translate to a winning record. Christian Ponder is the team's veteran quarterback, and he has completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 1,423 yards and four touchdowns against one interception. Richard Goodman hasn't found the end zone yet, but the receiver does lead the 'Noles with 26 catches for 332 yards. As for the ground attack, Ty Jones is tops with 228 yards and four scores.

Unfortunately, FSU has not played well enough on the defensive side of the ball thus far, as opponents are scoring 24.0 ppg while gaining 405.6 total ypg. Without a doubt, the biggest problem for the Seminoles has been their effort against the pass, as they are yielding a staggering 18.2 yards per completion. Of the 16 touchdowns that the defense has allowed, 10 have come through the air, and Georgia Tech's Thomas is just the type of big-play receiver that has killed Florida State this season.

Florida State outgained Boston College, 411-399, but the Seminoles still lost the game by seven points. Ponder was tremendous, completing 29-of-42 passes for a career-high 341 yards, but the ground attack managed a paltry 70 yards on 29 attempts, an average of 2.4 yards per rush. FSU allowed two rushing touchdowns and two passing scores, as the defensive effort once again fell short of expectations.

"We are not making enough big plays," said Bowden after the disappointing loss. "We had our chances to win the game tonight. We had our chances to win again and we didn't do it."

The Seminoles are desperate for a victory, and they will find a way to knock off the Yellow Jackets. Expect this contest to be decided late.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Florida State 31, Georgia Tech 27