Photos taken by Greg Atkins
Written by Brian Pohl
Atlanta, GA- The 7th ranked Georgia Bulldogs were too much for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as the Bulldogs defeated the Jackets 38-7 to claim the Governor’s Cup in the 112th meeting of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.
During his post-game press conference, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson was disappointed in the way his team performed saying, “I think we got beat just about every way you can get beat.” He continued, “They certainly outplayed us, outcoached us. It wasn’t much fun out there.” The Georgia Tech offense was unable to gain any real momentum as they were held to just seven total points and 225 total yards. Georgia Tech quarterback Taquon Marshall finished as the leading rusher for the Jackets, finishing with 17 carries for 72-yards. In the passing game, Marshall finished only completing two of his nine passes for 38-yards but was able to score the only points for the Jackets when he completed a 10-yard pass to redshirt Senior wide receiver Ricky Jeune. This was the only real highlight of the game for the Yellow Jackets as the Bulldog Defense otherwise shut them down. Taquon Marshall did, however, break the Georgia Tech single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback, breaking former Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas’ record set in 2014. The story of the game was how well the Georgia Bulldogs played in all facets of the game. From a steady offense and stout defense, to even momentum-building plays on special teams, the Bulldogs were in control early, breaking the game open in the third quarter and cruising to the finish line. The Georgia offense looked to use the running game to open things up in the passing game for freshman quarterback Jake Fromm. Using their duo of senior running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, the Bulldogs did just that. Michel led the team with 13 rushes for 85-yards and a touchdown, while Chubb finished with 12 rushes for 55-yards and a touchdown. The tandem was a large part of a rushing attack that gained 247 of the team’s 471 total yards in the game. Freshman running back Deandre Swift also joined in with a touchdown of his own late in the third quarter, but it was the senior duo that did the most damage. When asked about Georgia’s rushing attack and the struggles the Jackets had slowing them down Coach Johnson said, “They’ve got good backs and we missed a ton of tackles. There were times when we were in position to make plays and we didn’t make them. You have to give them credit, they’ve got good backs and we didn’t tackle.” Fromm continued his stellar freshman campaign completing 12 of his 16 passes for 224-yards and two touchdowns. The play of the game was a 74-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter that all but sealed the win for the Dawgs. Fromm connected with junior wide receiver Ahkil Crumpton, who escaped a would-be tackler and went unchallenged the rest of the way to the end zone. This was the final score of the game, extending the Bulldogs lead over the Jackets to 38-7. Georgia has seemingly regained all of their momentum after their loss to Auburn two weeks ago. The Bulldogs will next head into the SEC championship next week to take on the winner of the Iron Bowl, which will either be top-ranked Alabama, or a rematch against 6th ranked Auburn. For Georgia Tech, the season is likely over after the loss. With a record of 5-6, they will most likely miss out on a bowl game and be left with a disappointing end to their season. Coach Johnson talked about how he will address the offseason saying, “I think like any season, when you finish you have to take a long hard look at everything.” He continued, “You have to go back and look at everything, no question. Especially when you have a disappointing season like this.”
Writer Brian Pohl
Atlanta, GA- It’s rivalry week in college football, which for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and 7th ranked Georgia Bulldogs means the return of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, as the two teams square off for their annual matchup in the fight for the Governor’s Cup.
The Yellow Jackets will look to play spoilers to the Bulldogs, who are looking to keep their College Football Playoff dreams alive on Saturday. The 112th matchup between these long-standing rivals will come to a head on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, as one of the most intense rivalries in college football is renewed. During his weekly press conference, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson spoke about the rivalry and what his message to his team was heading into Saturday, “It’s like I told them on Monday, this is a game that you’ll remember for a long time, especially if you win.” Johnson continued, “It’s really important to our players, to our alumni, to people in general, that you play well. You’ve got to go out and play with some intensity and try to play your best game.” The Jackets, who are coming off a tough loss to Duke last week, will indeed need to play the best game of their season if they are to upset the Bulldogs for the second-straight year. Last year’s thrilling victory for Georgia Tech saw the Jackets rally from a 27-14 fourth quarter deficit, capped off by a Qua Searcy touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the game to seal the victory. If Georgia Tech is to be victorious they will need great play from their quarterback TaQuon Marshall, who was a bright spot for the Jackets despite last week’s loss. Rushing for 140-yards and surpassing 1,000 yards rushing for the season, Marshall, along with sophomore running back KirVonte Benson gives Georgia Tech two 1,000-yard rushers for just the second time in school history. Something to look out for on Saturday is that Marshall needs only 13-yards rushing to break Georgia Techs single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Defensively, the Jackets need a bounce-back performance after last week’s loss. Allowing eight scores on ten total possessions, including 500 total yards, Georgia Tech needs to return to form if they are going to slow down a Georgia offense who is averaging 35.3 points per game on the season. Despite last week’s performance, the Georgia Tech defense still ranks as the fourth-best defense in the ACC and 29th nationally in total defense, allowing 342.6 yards per game. Led by an experienced secondary, including four starting seniors, the Jackets need these seniors to step up on Senior Day to slow down the big play ability of the Georgia Offense. The Bulldogs, who are coming off a bounce-back performance of their own after their 42-13 victory over Kentucky last week, will look to regain control of the Governor’s Cup on Saturday, and head into the SEC Championship with momentum and a shot to reach the College Football Playoffs for the first time in school history. Led offensively by the running back duo of seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, the Bulldogs rank second in the SEC in rushing offense with 267.4 yards per game. The running attack is key for the Bulldogs, who use it to open up the offense for Freshman starting quarterback Jake Fromm. Fromm has been impressive in his first season at Georgia, leading the team to 9-1 in games he has started and 10-1 overall on the season. The defense for Georgia has been key to the team’s success under second-year head coach Kirby Smart. Allowing just 14.4 points per game this season, the Bulldogs rank fourth nationally in scoring defense and will look to keep Georgia Tech, who is known for long sustaining drives, off of the field as much as possible on Saturday. An experienced group throughout, the Georgia defense needs a big performance from its interior defense to slow down the triple-option offense of Georgia Tech. Linebackers Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy will be keys for the Bulldogs, and will both have major responsibilities in slowing down the Yellow Jacket offense. The last four meetings in this rivalry have been decided by a touchdown or less. Coach Johnson spoke about the close matchups saying, “Other than the one year here that they were really good [2012], the games have been pretty close. I think that’s indicative of a rivalry game. I couldn’t tell you why other than it’s a rivalry game and both teams want to play and it’s a big deal.” Georgia may lead the overall series with a record of 65-41-5 over Georgia Tech, but there is no love lost between the two universities, and Saturday will feature some Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Georgia Bulldogs will kick-off at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
Written by Brian Pohl
Atlanta, GA- Another close game in the Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech rivalry is in the books as the Yellow Jackets pulled off the upset over the 17th ranked Hokies, 28-22 in a back and forth contest.
Games between these schools always seem to be decided in the final minutes. In fact, heading into today’s contest, each of the last nine matchups since Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson took over the position in 2008 have been decided by 10 points or fewer, and today’s matchup was no different. Coach Johnson spoke about the rivalry saying, “It’s always a spirited game when we play them. It’s turned into a pretty big rivalry.” He continued, “They’ve all been hard-fought, tough games, and I think both programs have a lot of respect for one another.” The game started out as a defensive battle, as neither team were able to gain much ground after the first quarter ended with the Jackets leading 7-3. As the game wore on, both defenses began to wear down and be susceptible to big plays toward the later stages of the game. Georgia Tech’s triple-option attack was steady throughout the game, and they were able to finish with 401 total yards of offense. Georgia Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall had a big game in both the running and passing game. Rushing 22 times for 64-yards and two touchdowns, the effectiveness of Marshall was a big part of why the Yellow Jackets were able to come out victorious, but it wasn’t the big story. The big story was the effectiveness of Marshall through the air and even though he only completed two of his eight pass attempts in the game, both completions went for big plays that proved to be the difference in the game. The first came in the first half, as Marshall connected with junior wide receiver Brad Stewart for a 60-yard touchdown. The score was Stewart’s first of his career and the longest completion of the season for the Yellow Jackets, until it was surpassed later in the game. That score came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Virginia Tech had just regained momentum and their first lead since their opening drive of the game, after Marshall threw a pick-six to Virginia Tech cornerback Greg Stroman. In dire need of a big drive to stop the momentum swing, Marshall connected with redshirt-senior wide receiver Ricky Jeune for an 80-yard touchdown that retook the lead for the Jackets and eventually, the victory. Coach Johnson joked about his quarterback only completing two of his passes saying, “He only had two completions, but both were touchdowns and ended up being 140 yards? So, we’ll live with that. That’s a pretty good average.” Along with Marshall, Georgia Tech running back Kirvonte Benson continues to be successful running the football. Rushing 22 times for 86-yards, Benson was a big reason why the Yellow Jackets were able to control the ball and have long sustaining drives to tire the Hokie defense. Fellow Georgia Tech running back Nathan Cottrell also assisted in the rushing total with a 69-yard rush that set up Marshall first quarter rushing touchdown. The Georgia Tech defense kept the Virginia Tech offense in check, holding them to just 258 yards of total offense for the game. Georgia Tech linebacker Brant Mitchell led the team with nine total tackles, including a sack on Virginia Tech quarterback Josh Jackson. Coach Johnson spoke of his team fighting through adversity to win the game after the pick six. “I was proud of our guys. I think they showed a lot of grit and determination. We got up and then we threw the pick-six and got down, it would’ve been easy to hang our head. Then we hit a big play to get the lead back and [were] able to hold on this time.” Georgia Tech will look to build on this victory as they travel to play at Duke next week. With a season record now of 5-4, the Yellow Jackets will need to win one of their final two games to guarantee bowl eligibility. Georgia Tech and Duke will kick off on November 18th at 3:30 p.m. from Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
Written by Brian Pohl
Atlanta, GA- The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are set to take on the 17th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies in an Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division matchup between two teams playing for different reasons this late in the season.
With the Coastal Division all but wrapped up by the Miami Hurricanes after their 28-10 victory over Virginia Tech last week, the season goals for both the Hokies and Yellow Jackets have shifted. Georgia Tech, who is sitting at a record of 4-4 on the season after their loss to Virginia last week, is fighting for bowl eligibility, and need to win two out of their final three games to guarantee themselves a spot in a bowl. The Hokies, whose record now sits at 7-2 after last week’s loss, still has an opportunity at a 10-win season, the second in as many seasons under head coach Justin Fuente. Since the Hokies joined the ACC in 2004, the Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech have been one of their biggest rivals in the Coastal Division, with many of the games coming down to the final possession. Virginia Tech leads the overall series with nine wins in 14 games, but Georgia Tech won the matchup last season with a final score of 30-20. The 10-point victory was the largest margin of victory between the two schools since 2007 when Virginia Tech beat the Yellow Jackets 27-3. Longtime Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster has coached in every ACC matchup between the Hokies and Yellow Jackets in his 22-years as defensive coordinator. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson spoke about coach Foster in his weekly press conference saying, “I think it makes it a challenge and he’s definitely a challenging guy. We were talking this morning and the things that you have success with one year, you can count on they’re going to be taken away the next. You figure how they’re going to counter and it’s like any game, you have to be able to adjust on the fly. If you can’t adjust on the fly, you get behind the 8-ball.” The counter moves and adjustments made by both coaches speaks to how close each matchup has been, and the respect each side has for the other heading into Saturday’s matchup. Virginia Tech’s defense is led by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who leads the team with 77 tackles on the season. Edmunds’ 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles (tied for first in the ACC) had made him a force in coach Foster’s defense. He will have a key role in trying to slow down the challenging triple-option offense of Georgia Tech. There are two guarantees with a triple-option offense: the offense is going to run the ball, a lot, and they will hold onto the ball forever. This year is no different as the Yellow Jackets rank in the top three in rushing offense (331.9 yards per game), and time of possession (34:39 per game). The offense is led by quarterback TaQuon Marshall, whose 870 rushing yards on the season continues the success of running quarterbacks under coach Johnson. Marshall will have to be smart with the football if the Georgia Tech offense is going to be successful on Saturday. Running back KirVonte Benson has risen to ACC and national prominence with his 105.5 rushing yards per game. This puts him at third in the ACC and 21st overall nationally, and his 5.6 yards per carry average places him fourth in the ACC. The Hokies offense continues to be successful under second-year head coach Justin Fuente, as they rank third offensively in the ACC in points per game averaging 32.6ppg. They are led by quarterback Josh Jackson, who has thrown for 2,229 yards and 17 touchdown passes this season. Jackson’s favorite target has been senior wide receiver Cam Phillips, who has caught 58 passes for 793 yards and six touchdowns. Like Georgia Tech’s TaQuon Marshall, Jackson, who threw two interceptions against Miami, will need to protect the football to take advantage of any opportunities they receive on Saturday. The rivalry that has grown between the Yellow Jackets and Hokies is undeniable, as both schools mark this game on their calendar’s as a big game. The history between these programs and the close games that always seems to happen shows that no matter the records, either team can win any matchup, and both teams deserve respect. This matchup has the makings of another close one in Atlanta, and it will come down to whoever can protect the football better will come out victorious. The Jackets and Hokies will kick-off Saturday from Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta at 12:20 p.m. on the ACC network. |
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November 2017
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