Alcorn State set for big test vs. No. 16 Georgia Tech

Alcorn State doesn't feel like its flag will be the only one it'll carry into the season opener against 16th-ranked Georgia Tech Thursday, the first night of the 2015 college football season.

The Braves believe they're running with those of the FCS, SWAC, and other HBCUs as well.

"We're kind of putting everybody on our back, taking everybody for this ride. We're going to show them we're not voted No. 1 (among HBCUs) for no reason," Alcorn State senior linebacker Damon Watkins said. "We're going to show them we're capable of doing big things and doing what we want to when we really are focused."

The Braves' sole focus is their game against the Yellow Jackets, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.

Alcorn State played FBS opponents such as Mississippi State in 2010 and Central Michigan in 2009 that finished the season ranked in the Top 25.

Opening the season against a team the caliber of Georgia Tech, which went 11-3 in 2014, beat Mississippi State 49-34 in the Orange Bowl and finished eighth in the AP poll, is a completely different story, though.

But it's not a game the Braves, who went 10-3, won the SWAC and were named Black College National Champions last season, are shying away from.

"Derek Horne, our athletic director, asked and it was a game I certainly approved of, and those are the kind of opponents we want to play," Alcorn State coach Jay Hopson said. "We want to play Georgia Tech, Texas, whoever ... We know they're a great football team. They're Orange Bowl champions. We know it's a big challenge, but it's a game we're excited to play and we're looking forward to it."

The Yellow Jackets, who were the preseason favorites to win the ACC's Coastal Division, come into the contest with their vaunted triple-option offense and dual-threat quarterback Justin Thomas, who passed for 1,719 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,086 yards and another eight scores last year.

Georgia Tech ran for 342.1 yards per game, which ranked second in the FBS, and averaged 6.1 yards per carry, which was sixth-best.

The Braves held their opponents to 3.1 yards a carry, but are about to play an offense that's drastically different than any other they've seen.

"It's almost like your fundamentals are one dimensional, especially as a linebacker. You're going lateral, lateral, downhill, downhill," Watkins said. "You kind of dumb it down a bit … but it's complex the more you study them. It's basic, but it's not because they can do so many things with it. It's totally different preparing for it."

Georgia Tech isn't the only team in this game with a playmaker at quarterback. Alcorn State senior signal caller John Gibbs Jr., who was the SWAC's preseason Offensive Player of the Year, passed for 2,482 yards and ran for 1,006 yards a year ago.

The Braves return a bunch of key cogs from an offense that was one of the highest scoring in FCS last fall. But the opener will be the offense's first game under new coordinator Fred Kaiss, who previously held the same position at Alabama State.

Nonetheless, Gibbs doesn't feel like nerves should play a role for him or his teammates in this game.

"It's a terrific opportunity. It's a chance to make history," he said. "We had a chance against Southern Miss last year, but fell six points short. We have another chance again this year to make history and prove (ourselves) to the world and shock everyone."

Both Gibbs and Watkins said the team gained confidence from a 26-20 loss at Southern Miss last season. Watkins said he doesn't want his teammates to be intimidated because Georgia Tech is a bigger school and plays in a higher classification.

"With teams like that, you have to make them play a good game. You really have to make them show their athleticism and show why they're better than us," Watkins said. "On our defense, we want to make offense earn everything they get. If we have a blown coverage obviously that makes them look good because somebody is running wide open down the field.

"When everybody is covered man-for-man and one of their receivers makes a good play, that's why he's there; that's why he's at Georgia Tech. You can't get mad at that. It's a fair matchup."

Contact Antonio Morales at amorales2@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @AntonioCMorales on Twitter.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON BEGINS

Alcorn State at Georgia Tech

When: Tonight, 6:30

Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

How to watch: ESPN3

Today's notable games

North Carolina vs. South Carolina (5 p.m., ESPN): The Gamecocks were a preseason Top-10 team before they fizzled to a 7-6 record. Expectations aren't as high this year as South Carolina tries to bounce back.

Michigan at Utah (7:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1): The Wolverines will try to match the hype that came with the arrival of first-year coach Jim Harbaugh, who will coach his first game for his alma mater against a tough Utah team.

No. 2 TCU at Minnesota (8 p.m., ESPN): The Horned Frogs, who are a popular pick to reach the College Football Playoff, left Texas just three times for games last year. The Golden Gophers may provide an interesting out-of-state test.

Other games to watch

•Western Kentucky at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m., SEC

•Duke at Tulane, 8:30 p.m., CBSSN

•Texas-San Antonio at Arizona, 9 p.m., PAC12

•Colorado at Hawaii, Midnight, CBSSN