The Sports Xchange
NCAAF Team Report – Georgia Tech – INSIDE SLANT
In a miserable season, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets had no sympathy for the Maryland Terrapins.
They didn’t care that the Terps were using a converted linebacker at quarterback. All they cared about was getting to 4-5 and having a chance to stay relevant with a win next week at North Carolina.
Tech did not allow a first down until midway through the second quarter and shut out the Terps for nearly three quarters. The Jackets knew Maryland would run the ball and they were ready, allowing 3.3 yards per carry.
Maryland’s second touchdown came on the last play of the 33-13 Tech win.
“As I told our guys, we keep alive what we’re playing for this season,” coach Paul Johnson said. “We still have a chance mathematically (to win) the league, still have a chance to have a winning season and go to a bowl game. That’s what we’re playing for right now. It makes next week’s game against North Carolina the biggest game of the year for us.”
Senior Tevin Washington started at quarterback, but redshirt freshman Vad Lee played just as much. Lee led three touchdown drives, Washington two.
Look for Johnson to keep using both quarterbacks extensively in the final three games.
“(Tevin’s) been the starting quarterback, so he started,” Johnson said. “We’ll go week by week and see how it goes.”
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NCAAF Team Report – Georgia Tech – NOTES, QUOTES
WHAT’S AHEAD: The Jackets could struggle to get one more win. They visit 6-3 North Carolina and host 6-3 Duke before visiting SEC East leader Georgia in the season finale.
–The Jackets ran for 370 yards against Maryland’s fourth-ranked rushing defense. It was 202 yards more than the previous high allowed by the Terps.
–Senior QB Tevin Washington got the start over redshirt freshman Vad Lee, but they rotated. Lee ran for 60 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington ran for 30 yards and a score. Each completed 1-of-2 passes.
–The Jackets attempted just four passes in their win over Maryland, tied for the fewest attempts in coach Paul Johnson’s five-year tenure. Tech also tried four throws in a 30-24 win over North Carolina in 2010. Tech’s two completions Saturday matched the number it completed in last year’s 24-21 loss to UVA.
KEEP AN EYE ON: Redshirt freshman QB Vad Lee ran for two touchdowns and guided Tech to three TDs on his five possessions. He got one more drive than Washington.
LOOKING GOOD: OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, who came in with just two sacks, sacked Maryland’s Shawn Petty three times. He also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble caused by NT Shawn Green. Attaochu finished with six tackles in easily his best game of the season.
STILL NEEDS WORK: PK David Scully missed two of his five PAT tries. One went off an upright, and one was blocked. It’s the first time Tech missed two PATs in one game since playing Duke in 1993. Scully and Justin Moore have combined to make three of their last nine field-goal attempts.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We actually watched high school film on the guy. I felt like that was different.” — Coach Paul Johnson, on preparing for Maryland linebacker-turned-quarterback Shawn Petty.
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NCAAF Team Report – Georgia Tech – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES:
–Senior QB Tevin Washington scored his 16th rushing touchdown this season, the third-most rushing touchdowns in a season by a Tech player. Washington has 34 career rushing scores, one shy of Joshua Nesbitt’s Tech and ACC record for rushing touchdowns by a QB.
–OLB Jeremiah Attaochu had three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He finished with six tackles. The three sacks matched Attaochu’s career high, which he set last year against North Carolina.
–A-back Orwin Smith ran for 89 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. He also caught a 26-yard-old pass. For the season, the senior is averaging 9.7 yards per carry.
ROSTER REPORT
–OLB Brandon Watts left the game with an upper-extremity injury and did not return, but coach Paul Johnson said he thought Watts would be O.K.
–A-back Synjyn Days, the former QB, touched the ball for the first time since the third game of the season. He ran six times for 66 yards, including a 41-yard run down the sideline.
–Senior QB Tevin Washington got the start over redshirt freshman Vad Lee against Maryland, but they rotated. Washington got four series, and Lee ended up with five.
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