Georgia Tech looking for first consecutive wins of Geoff Collins era

Georgia Tech has a chance to accomplish something it hasn’t done in three-plus seasons under coach Geoff Collins when it hosts No. 20 Ole Miss on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. — win consecutive games.

The Yellow Jackets have posted three straight three-win seasons since Collins’ arrival prior to the 2019 season. But with an upset of the Rebels (2-0), Georgia Tech will improve to 2-1 having posted back-to-back victories for the first time since winning four straight games from Oct. 25-Nov. 17, 2018 under former coach Paul Johnson.

“It is a big challenge to replicate (what Ole Miss does when we) practice,” Collins said. “We are trying our best to simulate how it is going to be on Saturday but once it starts rolling, they know what they are doing. They are fast in what they do and they execute at a high level. They’ve got really good players running it as well, so we have a big challenge ahead of us.”

Fortunately for Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets have already played a ranked team, opening the season with a 41-10 loss to then-No. 4 Clemson.

Meanwhile, Ole Miss hasn’t played a team from a Power 5 conference. The Rebels opened with a 28-10 over Troy from the Sun Belt Conference before hammering Central Arkansas, an FCS school, 59-3 last week.

Playing Georgia Tech “is a different set of obstacles,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “They’re a really talented team that played great early in week one against Clemson and played on five days’ rest the other night and probably self-admittedly they started a little slow and that usually happens after a big game like that.”

While Georgia Tech will start quarterback Jeff Sims, who has completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 264 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, Kiffin has decided to wait until closer to kickoff to announce who is starting under center for the Rebels.

Luke Altmeyer and Jaxson Dart each have a start this season. Dart, who transferred from Southern Cal, started the season opener against Troy and completed 18 of 27 passes for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Altmeyer started against Central Arkansas and went 6-for-13 passing for 92 yards, two scores and an interception before he was sidelined with an upper-body injury and relieved by Dart.

Regardless, expect Dart or Altmeyer to hand the ball off to Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans, who have run wild through two games.

Judkin has 191 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries — an average of eight yards per attempt — while Evans, a transfer from TCU, has 31 carries for 183 yards — an average of nearly six yards an attempt — and a score.

Jonathan Mingo (six catches, 129 yards) leads the team in receiving, but tight end Michael Trigg, a transfer from Southern Cal, tied a school record with three touchdown receptions against Central Arkansas. He has nine catches for 61 yards this season.

Georgia Tech’s defense has been inconsistent.

After playing well in the first half against Clemson, it collapsed in the final two quarters. After surrendering touchdowns on Western Carolina’s first two possessions last week, it held the Catamounts to just a field goal in the final 50:37.

Linebacker Ayinde Eley is the only player in all of FBS with at least 20 tackles, two tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble this season. Charlie Thomas has a team-high 15 solo tackles, two for loss, a sack and an interception.

“They’re an explosive offense, both quarterbacks are very, very talented,” Collins said. “They’ve got a host of receivers that can make explosive plays and stretch the field vertically and an offensive line that is big, it’s physical and the pace of their offense and the multiplicity of their offense is a big challenge.”

Georgia Tech could give Ole Miss problems, considering the Rebels haven’t faced a team of the Yellow Jackets’ caliber.

Dontae Smith is the only running back in FBS to rush for at least 100 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries or less in a game this season, which he did with 102 yards and three scores on 11 carries against Western Carolina.

Nate McCollum has emerged as Georgia Tech’s top receiver, with seven catches for 72 yards. The Yellow Jackets are hoping Malachi Carter and E.J. Jenkins, who each have four catches, can emerge and bolster the passing game.

Trying to stop the Yellow Jackets will be a familiar face — defensive end Jared Ivey.

The Suwanee native played in 20 games (13 starts) for Georgia Tech the previous two seasons before transferring to Ole Miss this year. He’s made five tackles and 1.5 sacks through two games.

“You guys have to believe that I know absolutely nothing, right? [Georgia Tech] knows that I used to play there, play in the scheme and I’m at a school that they’re playing,” Ivey said. “They’re not going to come in and run all the stuff that they ran when I was there, that’s crazy. I don’t think any team in the country with transfers would do that.”