Georgia Tech vs. Maryland: Yellow Jackets scrambling to prepare for Shawn Petty

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have the advantage of facing a quarterback starting his very first college game when they face the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, but that also presents a handicap. There's no footage of Maryland true freshman Shawn Petty, leaving the coaching staff to comb game film from Petty's high school days under center for Eleanor Roosevelt High in Maryland. Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly didn't sound like he gained a tremendous amount of insight from the footage:

"He was in some 7-on-7 stuff in that area when he was coming out of high school and was in more of an option offense. But he still had times where he threw the ball. He throws a nice ball."

Georgia is expecting that the Terrapins will try to take some of the pressure off Petty by relying on Wes Brown and the run game. That's of slight benefit to Tech, who rank in the top half of the FBS in run defense, averaging 149 yards given up per game. Maryland is averaging only 91 rushing yards gained per game, so the Yellow Jackets have a clear advantage there.

In the passing game, Stefon Diggs is Tech's main concern. The true freshman is averaging 83 receiving yards per game, fourth in the ACC. He averages 17.5 yards per catch and has four touchdowns on the season.