Written by Adrian Beecher
Atlanta, GA - TaQuan Marshall and KirVonte Benson’s 130+ yard rushing performance led an offensive attack that ran for 403 yard on the ground as the Yellow Jackets demolished UNC 33-7 Saturday afternoon at Bobby Dodd Stadium in downtown Atlanta.
Georgia Tech started with the opening possession and was quickly moved off the field after starting 3 and out. The Tar Heels followed suit, with a 3 and out for their own. However, the trend would not continue, as they Yellow Jackets were able to put together the 9th longest drive in Tech football history on their 2nd drive. It was an 18-play 90-yard drive that ate 8 minutes and 54 seconds off the clock. The drive was capped off by a 5 yard QB run from TaQuon Marhsall to the right side pylon. This made it 7-0 with just 3:27 left in the quarter. UNC was held to just 7 yards of total offense during the first quarter compared to 91 by Tech. UNC’s ensuing possession showed promise as they swiftly marched down to the Tech 23 yard line. However, after the Yellow Jackets defense stiffened up, they were able to forced a 40 yard field goal. Freeman Jones would send that attempt wide left for UNC and Tech took over at their own 23. Then it was again Georgia Tech’s turn to do what they do best, running the ball and eating the clock. This time it was a 17 play drive that went 74 yards eating 7 minutes and 37 seconds off the clock before Shawn Davis put through a 21 yard field goal to give Tech a 10-0 lead with just 1:08 left to play. North Carolina was able to move the ball swiftly down field with limited time. However, after getting just inside field goal range and with 1 second left on the clock, Freeman Jones would miss his 2nd field goal of the day to send Tech into the locker-room with a 10-0 half time lead. After a quick 1st possession of the 2nd half for UNC ended in a 3 and out, Tech started moving the ball down field in hopes of extending their lead. However, after getting the ball to midfield, QB TraQuon Marshall fumbled the ball and the Tar Heels recovered it. That gift was then immediately returned to the Yellow Jackets as UNC’s Chazz Surratt was picked off by A.J. Gray, which then set the Yellow Jackets with a 1st and 10 at their own 37 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage on the next possession for Tech, KirVonte Benson took it 63 yards to the house with the help of some great blocks for a Yellow Jackets TD. This made it 17-0 with 8:45 still left in the 3rd quarter. After another UNC drive stalled, Georgia Tech was able to again quickly move the ball. It took them just 5 plays to move the 80 yard down field as Marshall found Rickey Jeune for the 12-yard td completion to make it 24-0 with 1:16 left in the 3rd. Yet another turnover for UNC on their next possession, resulted from a 2nd A.J. Gray interception, setup Tech with prime field position starting at the UNC 24 yard line. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson spoke highly of Grays performance, “I told somebody walking in, I thought A.J. probably played as well as he has played. Some of their run-pass stuff he was right on cue with it. He stepped underneath the slants and got a couple picks and it was good to see him make plays because he has got a lot of ability. Plus he made a couple nice plays in open field on tackles. I'm proud of A.J., I thought he played well." This set the Jackets in forward motion right up to the goal line. However, Benson fumbled the ball before crossing the goal line and UNC recovered in the endzone for a touchback as the 3rd quarter approached a close. He Tar Heels was unable to move the ball and would have to punt after 3 plays. Then, once again the Jackets got things rolling on offense, however, this time their drive would stall out after getting deep into Tar Heels territory, forcing tech to settle for a 25 yard field goal from Brenton King to make it 27-0. The ensuing possession for UNC was their most successful drive of the game. After starting at their own 39 yard line, it took just 7 plays for the Tar Heels to drive 61 yards down field with tailback Jordon Brown capping off the drive with an 8 yard TD run to break the goose egg on the scoreboard for UNC. The Tar Heel’s would attempt the on sides, but were unable to recover. Tech would then run the 6 straight times to find themselves back in the end zone on a 5 yard rushing TD from back up QB Matthew Jordan. This made it 33-7 after the missed PAT with just 1:39 left to play. The dominating performance moved Georgia Tech to 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in the ACC, while UNC falls to 1-4 and 0-3 in ACC play.
Writer - Melanie Greenwood
The Yellow Jackets are on the right track with their recent ACC opening 35-17 win over Pittsburg, and after Tuesday's press conference, GA Tech head coach Paul Johnson is wasting no time in preparing the Yellow Jackets to face off against one of its formidable opponents, the University of North Carolina.
The Tar Heels, present a different kind of challenge for the team. After all, who can forget UNC's Quinshad Davis 37-yard touchdown pass to QB Marquise Williams in 2015 or the Tar Heels final 48-20 win against the Jackets in 2016. But let’s not hash-up old memories and instead focus on the here and now. It's possible that with UNC losing some of its best players in the 2016 NFL draft, that the Yellow Jackets may very well have an advantage over their opponent. With the ACC matchup to be played on the Jackets' home turf, Bobby Dodd Stadium, it's safe to say that another win could be right around the corner. Can you taste it? Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves though, especially when GA Tech Coach Paul Johnson was asked about his confidence in regard to the offensive line, and he replied, "Certainly, I think that our best players up front on offense are in those positions. So that needs to be a strength for us." Now, is that leaking valuable information to your opponent? Maybe or maybe not, but according to Johnson, what it boils down to is this, "every game in this league is a dogfight and if you think you're going to win, you won't. I mean, if you go in lackadaisical and not ready to play, you'll get hit right in the mouth. I tell our guys all the time, nobody is going to be intimidated watching us get off the bus and as we walk into the stadium, they're not going to look over and think, 'Oh my god, we've got to play them?' So, you better bring it and be ready to play and prepare." That's the way to tell them, Coach Johnson! Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby style. Well, here's hoping Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets current winning streak becomes a trend, and here's hoping that the Jackets can become one of those teams, coach Paul Johnson spoke of, "that you can count on to win."
Written by Brian Pohl
Atlanta, GA- The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets looked to rebound from last week’s heartbreaking loss to Tennessee, as they faced the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. The Yellow Jackets, came in playing on a short week, were presented with another challenge early in the season, as the Jacksonville State Gamecocks are ranked 5th in the FCS. Tech was able to blow away their opponents, however things didn’t start that way.
The first half was a slow start by the Jackets, which may have been caused by the short week. Neither team was able to move the ball much to start the game, although new starting quarterback for GT this season Junior TaQuon Marshall was able to break off a nice run on the first play of the game. The Jackets were able to strike first with 5:37 left in the first quarter, as Shawn Davis was able to redeem his 2 missed field goals versus Tennessee with a 34 yarder to make the score 3-0. The second quarter was again started slow by the Jackets, but they were able to score on a nice 27-yard pass right before half-time from TaQuon Marshall to Ricky Jeune, who would both be set for big second halves. Overall though in the first half, the Jackets were held to just 140 yards of total offense, as the JSU defense held the triple-option GT attack in check. Qua Searcy led the team in rushing in the first half with 27 yards on 3 rushes. Defensively the Jackets held the Gamecocks to only 144 first half yards. A long 14 play, 75-yard drive by the Gamecocks resulted in a touchdown that made the score 7-3 JSU. The drive lasted 8 minutes and 11 seconds and ended on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Before the half, the Jackets were able to regain momentum on an interception by Lawrence Austin. The interception lead to the Ricky Jeune touchdown, and the Yellow Jackets were able to take a 10-7 lead into half-time The second-half was dominated by Georgia Tech. It started almost immediately as JSU quarterback Bryan Horn threw his second interception of the game to Step Durham, giving the Jackets great field position in the red zone. TaQuon Marshall would connect for their second touchdown of the game, giving them a 17-7 lead. On the first play of their second drive, JSU would fumble, and the recovery by A Gray would again set up the Jackets in great field position. Georgia Tech would again take advantage of this field position, as they were able to score on another touchdown pass from TaQuon Marshall, who connected with JJ Green on a 10-yard touchdown pass. This was Marshall’s third touchdown pass of the game, a feat that hadn’t happened at Georgia Tech since 2014 when then quarterback Justin Thomas threw 3 touchdowns against UVA. The Jackets would score one more time in the third quarter, as freshman Jerry Howard would get his first 2 career carries, with the second one going 65 yards for a touchdown to make the game 30-7. TaQuon Marshall’s day would end in the fourth quarter after scoring from the 1-yard line on a quarterback sneak, bringing the final score to 37-10. Overall this was an impressive day by the Yellow Jackets. A slow start in the first half had many around Bobby Dodd Stadium feeling nervous, but a momentum stealing interception leading to a touchdown to close out the first half with the lead was all Georgia Tech would need to seize control and never let go. TaQuon Marshall, who was the standout for Georgia Tech against Tennessee, has continued to look impressive. He finished the day 5-7 passing for 112 yards and 3 touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown. Through the first two weeks, the Yellow Jackets are 1-1, but have shown that they have what it takes to compete for the ACC Coastal Division, and no one should take them lightly. Next the Yellow Jackets will be on the road at UCF in Orlando to take on the Knights. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm Saturday September 16th from Spectrum Stadium.
Written by Manuel DeLeon
Atlanta - What if I told you Rocky Top landed in Atlanta? In front of a raucous crowd, Butch Jones and the Tennessee Volunteers were able to put away the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in double overtime, 42-41.
Defense was the name of the game early on in the first quarter as both team could only manage a total of 30 yards on the first five drives of the game. The game started to open up when Georgia Tech QB TaQuon Marshall drove the Yellow Jackets 86 yards down the field in 12 plays and he himself punched it in on 3rd and Goal from the one giving the Jackets a 7-0 lead. Tennessee trying to find some kind of rhythm early on, found the end zone midway through the 2nd quarter behind the strong running of John Kelly, tying the game at 7. Kelly turned in a monster night and is a main reason for the Vols victory. He would finish the game with 130 yards and 4 touchdowns on 19 carries. The tie would be short lived though, and the Yellow Jackets went into halftime leading 14-7 after a one yard KirVonte Benson touchdown run capped a 75 yard drive. The “Ramblin’ Wreck” kept rolling in the second half. Opening the third quarter, using a combination of Marshall and Benson, Georgia Tech bullied Tennessee on their way to another Marshall touchdown to put the Yellow Jackets up 21-7. Down by two touchdowns late in the 3rd quarter, Quinten Dormandy and the Tennessee offense finally got rolling. With only 42 seconds left, Dormandy lofted a beautiful ball to the end zone to receiver Marquez Callaway to cut the Yellow Jacket lead to 21-14. Neither team had an answer for the others offense, as Georgia Tech would open the 4th quarter and go back up by two touchdowns. It didn't take long for the Vols to strike back, 1 minute and 19 seconds to be exact. Taking the snap Dormandy would find a streaking Callaway once again for the touchdown, this time came from 50 yards out making the score 28-21. Then the fireworks begin. With only 8 minutes left Georgia Tech looked to put the Vols away for good. I'm saying, this is the team that had Florida State fans all over livid. Trying to milk as much time off the clock, the Jackets continued running the ball with Marshall. After a 26 yard run by the Junior put Georgia Tech in Tennessee territory, the Vols would catch a break. Handing the ball to JJ Green, the Jackets were sure to put it away until DB Rashaan Gaulden jarred the ball loose giving the Vols new life after DB Micah Abernathy pounced on the fumble. With only 4 minutes left Tennessee turned in its best drive of the night. Giving life to the Tennessee faithful, Dormandy once again found Callaway for a 40 yard strike. Now at the Jacket 27 yard line, Tennessee turned to their bruising back John Kelly to do the rest who scored the tying touchdown from 11 yards out knotting the game up at 28 apiece. Still with a chance to win, Georgia Tech, with only a minute and a half drive down the field to set up for the winning field goal with 3 seconds remaining in the game. The 36 yard attempt would be blocked by walk on DL Paul Bain, sending the game to overtime. In the overtime session Georgia Tech got the first crack at the win after another 1 yard Marshall touchdown put GT up 35-28. Tennessee’s John Kelly, not to be out done, burst up the middle for 18 yards putting the Vols in position to tie the game and they did just that after a Kelly 1 yard touchdown scored sending the game to double. Tennessee got the ball first in the second OT and Dormandy wasted no time finding Callaway for 15 yards putting the Vols at the 2 yard line. Kelly did the rest scoring from two yards out putting Tennessee up 42-35. With one final chance, Georgia Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall willed his team into the end zone making the score 41-42. Sensing a back and forth game that could have went on forever, GT head coach Paul Johnson opted to go for the two point conversion and the win. GT would fall just short of the goal line and just short of the victory falling to the Vols 42-41. TaQuon Marshall ran the ball 44 times for 258 yards and 5 touchdowns against the Vols. Coach Johnson had nothing but praise for his quarterback “He played his tail off. I thought he played tremendously.” Though coming out on the short end, Georgia Tech showed the ability to move the ball finishing with 655 yards of total offense, 535 of those came on the ground as the triple option gave Tennessee fits all night. “I think there were some positive that we can build on in the game. Our young guys on offense, I thought, went out and played pretty well.”said Johnson. Georgia Tech looks to get back on track next week when Jacksonville State comes to town September 9th.
Writer - Adrian Beecher
After 5 straight punts, the scoring finally came in Atlanta. Halfway through the Labor Day matchup between Georgia Tech and Tennessee, the Yellow Jackets lead 14-7. They are out rushing the Vols’ 167 to 42.
Tennessee received the opening kickoff and Evan Berry got a great run back to setup the Vols’ 1st and 10 at their own 40-yard line. However, after picking up a quick 1st down, a pass breakup from Tech MLB, Brant Mitchell, on 3rd down would end the drive right in its tracks. Tech’s first drive of the game started on the 18-yard line. Their drive ended quickly after 3 straight running plays failed to pick up a first down and they had to punt. This trend would continue with 5 straight punts combined by both teams before we would see more than 50 yards of offense. Then on Georgia Tech’s 3rd possession, TaQuan Marshall would lead the Jackets on a methodical 12 play 86 yard drive that ate 6:51 off the clock and was capped off by a 1 yard Marshall TD run. The ensuing kickoff was returned 51 yards for the Vols’ by Evan Berry to setup Tennessee with great field position. However, they were unable to do anything with the field position and were forced into their fourth straight punt. Tennessee’s defense then came up with a big time turnover the ensuing possession as Daniel Bituli forced a fumble. The Vols’ would recover and immediately get to work starting from the Tech 46 yard line. It took just 5 plays to get inside the 15-yard line. Then on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line, the Vols’ were able to punch it in on a 1 yard TD dive from John Kelly. Georgia Tech then got their turn again. This time they once again milked and milked away the clock as they drove 75 yards down field in 16 plays that took 7 minutes before KirVonte Benson took a 1-yard rush into the endzone to make it 14-7 with 1:11 left in the half. Tennessee was unable to do anything on their next drive after getting to midfield. This would send the teams into the half with Georgia Tech on top 14-7. |
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November 2017
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