As we continue looking ahead to North Carolina’s 12 opponents for the coming football season, it’s time to looking at Georgia Tech, which visits Kenan Stadium for UNC’s 11th contest of the campaign.

Last fall, the Yellow Jackets won big, 45-22, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. For UNC, miscommunication and inadequate preparation for quarterback Jeff Simms led to the Jackets’ upset over the Tar Heels.

Georgia Tech finished last season 3-9, also beating Kennesaw State and Duke, making the win over Carolina its best win of the season.

The Yellow Jackets' staff enters the 2022 season under a lot of pressure. The program is struggling, its fans have grown apathetic, and a swift shift in the right direction must be made soon, espeically given the landscape of college football.

Is this year's team equipped to change the program's course?

Today we preview UNC's late-season matchup with Georgia Tech:

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Nov. 19 @ Kenan Stadium

Head Coach:

Geoff Collins enters his fourth season at the helm of the Yellow Jacket program. Collins owns a 9-25 record while at Georgia Tech. Although Collin's first three seasons haven't produced the wanted results, the Jacket coach still believes in his operation.

"The big thing is just teaching the guys the process," Collins said at ACC Kickoff last week. "How we do things, how we go about our preparation, how we go about our work.

"One of the biggest things and the benefits of the leadership in the program is staying true to the process and improving the process even though results aren't showing on the field."

Noteworthy:

Preseason FBS rankings by Athlon Sports rank the Jackets No. 88.

Returning Starters:

Georgia Tech returns the least number of starters of any school in the Coastal Division with five; three on offense and two on defense.

Stars:

Quarterback Jeff Sims, who ran the ball ten times for 128 yards last September against the Tar Heels, returns to Atlanta for his third year with the program.

Charlie Thomas, a 6-foot-2, 207-pound linebacker, recorded 70 total tackles last season and led the team in interceptions with two. Thomas was Honorable mention all-ACC a year ago.

Linebacker Ayinde Eley ranked fifth in the ACC with 90 total tackles. Eley also was second on the team in quarterback hurries with three.

Key Stats:

Georgia Tech ranked next to last in sacks last season, only getting 20 as a team.

My thoughts:

After a third consecutive three-win season, Georgia Tech supporters have run thin on patience with the program's current staff. Wins are the only thing that can save Collins’ job, but those won't come easy after losing so much to transfer, including 2021 leading rusher Jahmyr Gibbs. So, the Yellow Jacket coaching staff replenished the roster, bringing 17 players from the portal.

Though UNC is the likely favorite, the Tar Heels must address their issues with running quarterbacks, or Carolina is prone to another upset.