Georgia Tech coach Brent Key announced Thursday that three starters are questionable ahead of the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets’ matchup against Syracuse at Bobby Dodd Stadium at noon Saturday.
Wide receiver Malik Rutherford, center Harrison Moore and defensive back Jy Gilmore are questionable against the Orange because of injuries suffered during the Jackets 27-18 win at Duke last Saturday. Rutherford is tied for the team lead in receptions with 23 and Gilmore is coming off an ACC defensive back of the week performance against the Blue Devils.
Moore has played a team-high 456 offensive snaps and shared time at center with Tana Alo-Tupuola and at left guard with Joe Fusile.
“It’s that time of year, it’s that time of year where you get banged up,” Key said. “It’s a test of your depth on the football team and the preparation and the readiness of your depth. That’s why we really address that in the offseason to build the depth on our football team and our roster knowing this time of year when it’s gonna be most critical.
“You wanna play meaningful games in November, you gotta play meaningful games in October. To play meaningful games in October you gotta have players to do it with.”
Rutherford has 202 receiving yards and two touchdown catches this season. He also has four carries for 18 yards, and he completed a two-point conversion pass in Tech’s win over Clemson on Sept. 13.
Rutherford, who has played on 183 offensive snaps this season, ranks sixth in Tech history with 159 career catches and ninth with 1,693 career receiving yards. His potential absence Saturday could mean more opportunities for freshman Jordan Allen, who had two receptions for 20 yards against Duke.
“(Allen) was able to step in and really didn’t miss a beat,” Key said Tuesday. “And that’s what we expect with him. He can run, he’s got great speed, got really good hands, sure route runner. So we’re excited about him.”
Gilmore, a transfer from Georgia State, recorded 11 tackles, including 1½ for loss, to go with a half-sack and two pass breakups against Duke. A senior from Citra, Florida, Gilmore had the team’s second-best coverage grade and fourth-best overall defensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus, against the Blue Devils.
For the season, Gilmore has 29 tackles and has played 361 snaps — only safety Clayton Powell-Lee has played more.
Tech already is without starting cornerback Ahmari Harvey, who left the Virginia Tech game Oct. 11 with an injury. That should be a concern against a Syracuse offense that ranks second in the ACC in passing offense (294.3 yards per game), even with a quarterback rotation because of injury.
“(Syracuse coach Fran Brown) has carried the same philosophy really that we carry here in that he’s got good quarterbacks on the roster,” Key said. “It’s not like he had the starter and then some other guys. You got talented guys on the roster, and they’ve invested heavily into that position for this reason.”
Sophomore Rickie Collins has thrown for 733 yards in five games for the ‘Cuse, but is only completing 53.5% of his throws and has been picked off eight times.
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