KNOW YOUR FOE: Geoff Collins on the hot seat at Georgia Tech ahead of trip to UCF

Redemption is the goal for UCF when it takes the field for its first Saturday home game of 2022.

Two weeks ago, an ACC foe — Louisville, in that instance — limped into the Bounce House and strutted out of it victoriously. Knights head coach Gus Malzahn plans to send the fans home happy this time as Georgia Tech (1-2, 0-1 ACC) enters to conclude non-conference play.

"Our crowd was unbelievable the last time we played here, and we didn't get it done," Malzahn said Monday in his weekly press conference. "That's really the motivating factor for us. … Looking forward to being back home."

UCF (2-1) withstood an early surge from Florida Atlantic, which played in front of its largest crowd ever, and hammered the Owls in the second half. The defense limited FAU to 18 total yards, while John Rhys Plumlee set new career-highs in completions (25) and passing yards (339) in a 40-14 runaway.

More: 3 takeaways from UCF Knights' win over FAU

The Knights surpassed 600 total yards for the second time in three weeks and currently rank fourth in the nation in rushing (273.0 yards per game). Plumlee is 26th individually with 304 yards to go along with three touchdowns, including a spectacular leaping somersault over a defender last Saturday.

Making its first trip to UCF, Georgia Tech endured a 42-0 beatdown at the hands of No. 13 Ole Miss last week — piling yet more pressure on embattled fourth-year head coach Geoff Collins, whose record in charge of the Yellow Jackets is a lowly 10-27.

"We've got against each other numerous teams," Malzahn said of Collins, who was Mississippi State's defensive coordinator during his tenure at Auburn. "I've got a lot of respect for him."

More: USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Might a loss this weekend — especially if it's as lopsided as the 49-21 blowout UCF celebrated in Atlanta two years ago — expedite Collins' exit?

For that and more, Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talks all things Georgia Tech in this week's edition of Know Your Foe.

Boyle: Georgia Tech has already lined up against Clemson and Ole Miss this month, and lost by a combined score of 83-10. Is this team battle-tested, beleaguered, somewhere in between or something altogether different?

Sugiura: Georgia Tech has taken two pretty big lumps, although the games were different in feel. The first, the Yellow Jackets played well for about 2½ quarters but were done in by two blocked punts (both turned into touchdowns), not being able to do much against an elite defense and then losing their best defensive player (linebacker Charlie Thomas) due to targeting.

In the Ole Miss game, the Jackets were throttled start to finish. They couldn’t handle Ole Miss’ tempo, offensive line and playmakers on offense. Tech’s offensive line couldn’t do much, and quarterback Jeff Sims was not on his game. It was an embarrassing performance.

As for Saturday’s game, it’s conceivable that the team comes out ready to atone for getting blown out, but a repeat of the Ole Miss game is also possible.

Boyle: Your colleague, columnist Mark Bradley, wrote a piece after the Ole Miss debacle titled "Georgia Tech's Geoff Collins experiment needs to end." He survived the weekend, but is his dismissal inevitable at this point? Would a loss to UCF be the final straw?

Sugiura: I don’t know that it’s inevitable, but things have got to turn around quickly and significantly for him to save his job. I’m not positive, but a decisive loss to UCF might leave the administration — including athletic director Todd Stansbury, who once held the same position at UCF — no choice but to act.

Boyle: Jeff Sims, a former four-star recruit out of Jacksonville, has yet to top 200 passing yards or 50 rushing yards in a game this season. What have been the sources of Georgia Tech's offensive shortcomings?

Sugiura: The offensive line hasn’t been great — it’s inexperienced and young. Sims was sacked seven times against Ole Miss. The offense is last in the ACC in third-down rate (28.9%) so that’s just limited opportunities. And they’ve played two pretty good defenses. That makes the following difficult to tease out, but Sims doesn’t appear to have made the steps expected of him in his third year as a starter, namely being consistently accurate and making good decisions with the ball.

Boyle: The last time these two teams met, Jahmyr Gibbs had 126 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in a breakout performance. He's at Alabama now, of course, so who have emerged as the Yellow Jackets' most dangerous weapons at the skill positions?

Sugiura: The top threat at running back is Dontae Smith, who is averaging 6.2 yards per carry and 51.3 rushing yards per game. He’s elusive and can break tackles. Hassan Hall and Dylan McDuffie are also part of a three-back rotation. The top receiver is Nate McCollum, a slot who can get deep and make plays across the middle. Malachi Carter and E.J. Jenkins are also threats, but McCollum is the No. 1 guy. Tight end Luke Benson has also been a frequent target.

One positive for GT, as Gus Malzahn pointed out Monday, is its defense tying for seventh nationally in tackles for loss per game. What is the strength of the defensive line/linebacker units, and how have they consistently been disruptive against quality opposition?

Sugiura: The best player on the defense is Thomas, who has speed and instincts for the ball. Linebacker Ayinde Eley, who has five tackles for loss, has also been productive at the other linebacker spot in Tech’s 4-2-5. Defensive end Keion White has been effective on the edge, although less so against Ole Miss. Like the offensive line, the Jackets are pretty young on the defensive line.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: Know Your Foe for Week 4, Georgia Tech