"Their quarterback has got plenty of arm strength," said UNC coach John Bunting. "His timing has been off at times, some of it due to rain, some of it due to some pressure. We hope his timing remains off."
The bad news for Suggs is that there's more rain in Saturday's forecast, and there will certainly be an abundance of pressure from a UNC defense that likes to blitz and let its corners go one-on-one with receivers.
With a depleted running game, Tech will have to capitalize on those single coverages in order to score.
"If we're going to be a blitz team, which we're going to do some, then we're going to give up a big play or two every once in a while," Bunting said. "But if you miss a tackle then that's really hurting your team, really hurting your defense. We can't afford that."
One player who missed a few notable tackles against Texas two weeks ago was North Carolina corner Michael Waddell.
The senior played well against good receivers from Miami (Ohio) and Syracuse earlier in the season, and he will be heavily relied upon to contain Watkins, who ranks second in Tech history in career touchdown catches, third in receiving yards and third in receptions.
"I've challenged our secondary all week long," Bunting said. "They've got to be able to work disguises, play multiple coverages, and we've got to tackle, whether it's Dexter (Reid) making 14 tackles or (Waddell) making a tackle in space.
"Every team's going to complete passes, so you've got to tackle the catch, minimize the gain."
Final analysis/prediction: The Yellow Jackets have played well this season, but Hollings is an overwhelming reason for a lot of their success. Without him and standout defensive end Gathers, Tech will likely be overmatched.
Suggs looked downright bad against Brigham Young last week, throwing three interceptions. Georgia Tech will be asking a lot by putting the game in his hands against an experienced UNC secondary.
But Tech's defense will ensure that UNC doesn't run away with the game. The Yellow Jackets rank first in the ACC in points allowed, yielding just 15 points per game, and they limited a potent Cougar offense to only 19 points last week -- 16 below its average entering the game.
Somehow, though, Tech will have to get into the end zone itself if it wants to win. And that's where the Yellow Jackets' luck will run out.
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UNC 17, Georgia Tech 9.
-Compiled by Aaron Fitt
