Everything to know ahead of Georgia Tech vs. No. 18 Tennessee

Georgia Tech had a plan against Colorado. It didn’t work. But don’t expect dramatic personnel changes or an identity overhaul against the Volunteers.

“You don’t have a game like that and you blow everything up,” Key said. “You don’t do that. That’s a recipe for disaster for the entire season.”

Here’s what you need to know:

Kickoff: 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12

Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium (52,113)

TV: ESPN

Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network, 1230 AM, Xtra 106.3 FM in Atlanta

Odds: Tennessee is a 12.5-point favorite, according to Vegas Insider. The over/under is 50.5.

Series history: Tennessee leads 25-17-2. They have played just once since 1987, a double-overtime Tennessee victory in 2017 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Weather: 78 degrees at kickoff, 37% chance of rain, per AccuWeather.com.

Top storylines ahead of Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee

Up front: Perhaps the biggest surprise of last week was how little Georgia Tech ran the ball against Colorado.

The offensive line looked overmatched as the Jackets rushed for just 51 yards and quarterback Alberto Mendoza was sacked three times.

Still, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel expects a slugfest on Saturday.

“They are a physical football team,” he told reporters at a press conference earlier this week. “They’ve had some turnover on their offensive line, but they still have a ton of experience, I think over 90 starts, on the offensive line. Their running back room’s as deep as anybody in the country. They’re physical. They run downhill. They’ve got great pad level. It’ll be a physical football game on Saturday night, and we have to win with physicality.”

Key chalked up the offensive line’s struggles to, well, everything. He said his players have the ability, talent and scheme to get the job done. But “at the end of the day, when you don’t run the football, I put it on the offensive line,” he said. “That’s on me.”

The Jackets cross-trained during August camp, with multiple linemen taking reps at different spots. The starting five last week were tackles Ethan Mackenny and Malachi Carney, guards Joseph Ionata and Kevin Peay Jr. and center Jameson Riggs.

“I’m not going to make drastic changes on something that for eight months we evaluated and practiced, repped,“ Key said. ”Our job is to put the best five on the field. That’s what we’re doing.”

Plot twist: While running the ball will always remain a priority for Key, the season opener offered a glimpse of a passing attack with real potential.

Mendoza, making his first college start, completed 74% of his passes. The redshirt sophomore made several of his best throws in the fourth quarter, helping position the Jackets for a potential win.

Key revealed the plan called for opening it up through the air, but that idea didn’t fully materialize as the game played out. Colorado maintained a field-position advantage, and Tech spent much of the night starting drives deep in its own territory.

“I’ve got full confidence in our quarterback to be able to move the football now,” Key said. “We’ve seen him out there on the field, we’ve seen him play, seen how he throws the football, see how he avoids pressure, makes people miss.”

One of the biggest question marks entering the season centered on Tech’s wide receivers and the lack of proven production at the position.

A pair of sophomores provided an encouraging answer against Colorado.

Jordan Allen had eight receptions for 113 yards. Dalen Penson had three catches for 73 yards. The duo totaled 15 targets on Mendoza’s 23 attempts.

“I feel like we’re going to attack defenses in every which area,” Allen said. “I think we’re going to continue to work on that and we’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”

For real: Say what you want about Tech’s defense allowing Colorado to run for 183 yards and to score the game-winning touchdown inside the final minute.

But the unit allowed 14 points. Playing at home, that’s good enough to expect a victory.

An encouraging part of the performance was how the secondary largely shut down Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis.

Safety Tae Harris was a key figure in that success. The sophomore made nine tackles in his first career start.

“I don’t feel like I exceeded my expectations,” Harris said. “I just want to go out there and just keep elevating.”

Now Tech gets a much different challenge.

Tennessee’s Faizon Brandon was the only true freshman among Power Four teams to start at quarterback last week. The former five-star recruit passed for 226 yards and three touchdowns in the Volunteers’ 56-9 win over Furman. He added 68 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 10 carries.

“We’ve got to come out with our hair on fire,” Harris said. “They’ve got a freshman quarterback back there who can sling it.

“It will be a big test for us this week.”

Brandon is helped by one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country. The Volunteers return four of their five primary starters from a year ago.

“I think the smallest guy on their line (weighs) about 350,” said Tech defensive end Jordan Walker. “A lot of big guys.

“We’re not going to shy away from anything. We’re going to go out there with the right mindset and play ball for four quarters.”

Full on The Flats: Bobby Dodd Stadium will be filled to capacity again on Saturday, Tech announced earlier this week.

The four-game sellout streak, dating back to last season, is the Jackets longest since they sold out all six home games in 1999.

“It definitely helps us out a lot,” Harris said. “I don’t think the fans understand that enough.

“That atmosphere helps us out with the energy and stuff like that. Just knowing we have the city behind us, it helps us prepare in pregame and helps us get out energy going and our juice going.”