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| Georgia Tech gets run over in loss to Dawgs
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| Staff CollegeFootballNews.com | Nov 28, 2009 | ||
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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 2009 ... Head Coach: Paul Johnson
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Nov. 28 Georgia 30 … at Georgia Tech 24 Georgia outgained the Yellow Jackets 339 yards to 205 on the ground with Caleb King running for a 75 yard touchdown in the third quarter and a six yarder to start out the scoring, but Georgia Tech would bounce back. Down 24-10 after King’s home run, the Yellow Jackets got a five-yard Jonathan Dwyer scoring run and a one-yard score from Josh Nesbitt, who also connected with Demaryius Thomas for a 76-yard touchdown in the third, to pull within six. With the ball late, Tech went to the air, but Thomas dropped a first down pass to give Georgia the win. Blair Walsh connected on three field goals from 22, 38 and 43 yards away for the Bulldogs. Player of the Game: Georgia RBs Washaun Ealey and Caleb King combined for 349 yards and two scores (both King’s) and 38 carries. Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 6-12, 135 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Josh Nesbitt, 19-41, 1 TD, Receiving: Damaryius Thomas, 5-127, 1 TD Georgia: Passing: Joe Cox, 8-14, 76 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Washaun Ealey, 20-183, Receiving: Rantavious Wooten, 2-25 What It All Means: Georgia Tech appeared to be looking ahead to the ACC Championship vs. Clemson, but the team isn’t making any excuses. Morgan Burnett, who made 16 tackles, complained that the team became complacent, but it might have been exposed more than anything else, at least on defense, as a Georgia offense that can’t run on anyone tore off 339 yards. The Tech offense wasn’t sharp and didn’t appear to be focused, but give the Dawgs credit for that. Expect a much sharper performance next week against the Tigers. Nov. 14 Georgia Tech 49 … at Duke 10 Duke was fantastic in the first quarter getting out to a 10-0 lead helped by an 18-yard Re’quan Boyette touchdown catch, and then it was all Georgia Tech on the way to a Atlantic clinching win. The Yellow Jackets scored 49 unanswered points with Jonathan Dwyer scoring from three and 12 yards out and Josh Nesbitt running for a two-yard score and throwing two touchdown passes including a 75-yarder to Demaryius Thomas. Duke’s offense sputtered after playing so well early on while the Yellow Jackets dominated for the last three quarters finishing with 519 yards of total offense including 306 on the ground. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran 14 times for 110 yards and two scores. Duke: Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 22-35, 212 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Desmond Scott, 6-20, Receiving: Requan Boyette, 6-65, 1 TD Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 6-10, 195 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 14-110, 2 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 2-89, 1 TD What It All Means: Paul Johnson has proved that the system works. Whatever happens in the ACC Championship, the bowl or against Georgia, by getting his team to the ACC title and by going 9-1, he has shown that his brand of offense can win at the big time level. It takes a little while to get warmed up, but when it does, look out. The defense was shaky early on, but it held tough over the second half while the offense came up with big play both through the air and on the ground. Now it’s gravy time, and even though this season has been a success, it can be soured if there aren’t a few more wins. Nov. 7 at Georgia Tech 30 … Wake Forest 27 OT Georgia Tech was 0-for-4 on fourth down conversions, but still head coach Paul Johnson blew off the game-tying field goal attempt in overtime and allowed QB Josh Nesbitt to barrel forward for the first down, leading to a three-yard scoring run on the next play to get the win. Wake Forest got a 34-yard Jimmy Newman field goal in overtime, but the defense couldn’t hold a Tech running game that rumbled for 412 yards. The Demon Deacons had a chance in regulation to get into field goal range, but Derrick Morgan came up with one of his three sacks to force OT. Wake’s Riley Skinner threw two touchdown passes Devon Brown, but Georgia Tech got a 59-yard touchdown dash from Jonathan Dwyer and a 12-yard run from Nesbitt to keep pace. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran 23 times for 189 yards and a score. Wake Forest: Passing: Riley Skinner, 26-40, 263 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Brandon Pendergrass, 11-30, Receiving: Marshall Williams, 8-111 Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 4-14, 51 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 23-189, 1 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 3-38 What It All Means: The running game continues to be amazing, but considering the Yellow Jackets ran for 412 yards, they didn’t control the game nearly enough. Even so, the offense is humming with confidence, the defense, while soft, is coming up big when it absolutely has to, and Tech is a win against Duke away from going to the ACC title game. Tech is now getting to a point where it might be a BCS team even if it loses in the championship, but it has to beat Duke and Georgia to go 11-1 and be all but assured of a big game slot. To win those, the offense can’t turn the ball over and the pass defense has to come up with a big play at some point. Watch out for Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis to throw for 350 yards next week. Oct. 31 Georgia Tech 56 … at Vanderbilt 31 The two teams traded big blows in the first half with Vanderbilt getting Zac Stacy touchdown runs from three and 62 yards and Warren Norman scores on an 11-yard catch and a 80-yard kickoff return, while Georgia Tech kept up with two short Josh Nesbitt touchdown runs and touchdowns from Demaryius Thomas on a 35-yard catch and a 13-yard Jonathan Dwyer run. The Commodores took the lead in the second half on a 23-yard Ryan Fowler field goal, and then it was all Georgia Tech and all the running game with Dwyer running for two three-yard scores and Embry Peeples taking a pass 87 yards for a score as part of a run of 28 unanswered points. Tech finished with 404 rushing yards. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran 22 times for 186 yards and three scores. Vanderbilt: Passing: Mackenzi Adams, 12-22, 152 yds Rushing: Zac Stacy, 8-75, 2 TD, Receiving: Brandon Barden, 3-31 Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 6-13, 193 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 22-186, 3 TD, Receiving: Damaryius Thomas, 4-76, 1 TD What It All Means: Can Georgia Tech’s offense still work if it’s not running the triple option? As it showed against the Vanderbilt run defense, absolutely. There was enough option offense here and there to get by, but the ground game simply blew the Commodore defensive front off the ball time and again. The defense continues to have issues, it’s way too inconsistent and it had too much of a problem against an awful Vandy offense, but there’s no arguing with 8-1 and the inside track for the Orange Bowl. The running game is finding new wrinkles and is getting better and better week after week. Wake Forest’s mediocre run defense is in big trouble next week. Oct. 24 Georgia Tech 34 … at Virginia 9 The Georgia Tech offense sputtered early in the rain with drops and ineffectiveness, and Virginia took advantage with a 6-3 lead. And then the Yellow Jacket attack kicked in with a punishing long drive, finishing with a one-yard Josh Nesbitt run, setting the tone and an 18-play drive, culminating in a one-yard Anthony Allen run helping Tech go on a 20-point run. Allen put the game away in the fourth with a 20-yard touchdown run and Nesbitt tacked on a two-yard scoring dash. Tech outgained Virginia 447 yards to 199. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Josh Nesbitt completed 4-of-8 passes for 85 yards and ran 21 times for 89 yards and two scores. Virginia: Passing: Jameel Sewell, 18-32, 169 yds Rushing: Jameel Sewell, 5-26, Receiving: Vic Hall, 5-51 Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 4-8, 85 yds Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 24-125, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 3-76 What It All Means: It took a little while but the Georgia Tech offense did what it’s supposed to do and rumbled at will over a decent Virginia defense. Josh Nesbitt is running the attack to perfection, and while he won’t receive a lot of All-America recognition because his passing stats won’t be there, he deserves credit for what he’s doing for the offense. The emergence of Anthony Allen as a featured back has taken the pressure of Jonathan Dwyer, and the whole offense is benefitting. Up next is Vanderbilt, to take a break from ACC play, and then it’s Wake Forest and Duke. Basically, this was the stumbling block. Georgia Tech isn’t losing in conference play the rest of the way. Oct. 17 at Georgia Tech 28 … Virginia Tech 23 Georgia Tech ran for 309 yards with QB Josh Nesbitt running for three scores with two from one yard out and a 39 yarder with three minutes to play to put the Yellow Jackets up for good. Virginia Tech tried to hang around, getting a 66-yard scoring dash from Ryan Williams in the third and a caught a seven yarder with less than two minutes to play, but couldn’t get the ball back. The Hokies got big games out of QB Tyrod Taylor, who ran for a 22-yard touchdown and threw the scoring pass to Williams, and Barquell Rivers made 16 tackles, but the offense only had the ball for 21:38. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt completed 1-of-7 passes for 51 yards with an interception, and he ran 23 times for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Virginia Tech: Passing: Tyrod Taylor, 10-14, 159 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Ryan Williams, 14-100, 1 TD, Receiving: Dyrell Roberts, 3-66 Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 1-7, 51 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Josh Nesbitt, 23-122, 3 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 1-51 What It All Means: Who’s going to beat the Yellow Jackets? The running game is humming, Josh Nesbitt isn’t throwing well, but he’s running the option to near perfection, and now it’s time to start thinking about the ACC title. Three of the next four games are on the road, but they’re all winnable, while the toughest ACC game left is against Wake Forest at home. Even though the O is playing well, the defense has to start playing far better in all phases. If the offense isn’t controlling the time of possession, like it did against Tech, there will be problems. Oct. 10 at Florida State 49 … Georgia Tech 44 In a wild shootout, Florida State blinked as the defense couldn’t handle Josh Nesbitt and the Georgia Tech wishbone. The Yellow Jackets ran for 401 yards with Jonathan Dwyer tearing off a 69-yard touchdown dash, to go along with a two-yard touchdown run, and Nesbitt connected with Demaryius Thomas on a 73-yard scoring play. But Florida State kept up the pace with a brilliant day from Christian Ponder, who threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers, but the offense sputtered in the second half failing to get into the end zone until 4:14 to play on a 13-yard Rod Owens grabs. But the Yellow Jackets, down five, were able to hold. The two teams combined for 1,071 yards of total offense. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt completed 4-of-8 passes for 131 yards and a score, and he ran 27 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 4-8, 131 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 14-102, 2 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 2-84, 1 TD Florida State: Passing: Christian Ponder, 26-36, 359 yds, 5 TD Rushing: Jermaine Thomas, 19-98, 1 TD, Receiving: Jarmon Fortson, 7-77 What It All Means: Alright, Georgia Tech. You have the offense working again after sputtering against Clemson and Miami early on, but now you have to prove you can rumble against a big-time defense. If the Yellow Jackets can rumble against Virginia Tech and get the win, then all of a sudden it’s ACC title talk time because there isn’t anyone else on the slate, at least in the ACC, that has a prayer of stopping the ground game. QB Josh Nesbitt was brilliant against FSU, running the offense to perfection, but the defense had a nightmare of a time with Christian Ponder and the passing game. On the plus side, there aren’t any high octane passers left on the schedule, unless you count Wake Forest’s Riley Skinner and Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis. Oct. 3 Georgia Tech 42 … at Mississippi State 31 Georgia Tech crossed up MSU and made the offense move through the air. Josh Nesbitt threw for a career-high 266 yards hitting with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas. The Yellow Jackets got up early on a 24-yard Stephen Hill touchdown run and a two-yard run from Jonathan Dwyer, but MSU answered with an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Leon Berry. Just when it seemed like MSU was going to make a big charge, Jerrard Tarrant took a fumble 40 yard for a Tech touchdown. MSU tried to fight back with a 69-yard Chad Bumphis touchdown catch, but turnovers, committing five on the day, killed the chances for the upset. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt completed 11-of-14 passes for 266 yards and a score, and he ran 23 times for 53 yards. Mississippi State: Passing: Tyson Lee, 20-30, 278 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 18-106, Receiving: Chad Bumphis, 6-123, 1 TD Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 11-14, 266 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 16-83, 1 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 8-174, 1 TD What It All Means: Josh Nesbitt threw another wrinkle into the mix with a tremendous day throwing the ball. He spotted Demaryius Thomas when he was in single coverage and he made Mississippi State pay. Now the defense has to be better. MSU doesn’t have a high octane offense but it was able to come up with 278 yards passing and 209 rushing. Against Florida State’s athletic defense, the Tech offense will have to continue to be varied and balanced unless Jonathan Dwyer and the ground game can dominate from the start. Sept. 26 at Georgia Tech 24 … North Carolina 7 Georgia Tech held on to the ball for over 42 minutes with Josh Nesbitt running for two short scores in the fourth quarter and Roddy Jones running for a 13-yarder in the first. North Carolina never got into a groove with just 17 yards rushing and only getting on the board with a 40-yard touchdown catch from Erik Highsmith in the fourth. Morgan Burnett led Georgia Tech with six tackles and made two picks. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran 19 times for 158 yards North Carolina: Passing: T.J. Yates, 11-26, 137 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Shaun Draughn, 7-26, Receiving: Erik Highsmith, 6-107, 1 TD Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 7-11, 89 yds Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 19-158, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 3-35 What It All Means: It was only one game. Georgia Tech made a lot out of losing to Miami when the running game got shut down, but the team certainly played night-and-day better and seemed rejuvenated by the loss as the offensive line dominated an athletic North Carolina defensive front while the defense got the Tar Heel offense off the field time after time. Long, sustained drives, with 317 rushing yards and 10-of-19 third down conversions, kept UNC from ever finding anything on offense that worked. No one will get time to properly prepare for the Tech offense the rest of the way, and Josh Nesbitt, Jonathan Dwyer and the boys have to take advantage. Sept. 17 at Miami 33 ... Georgia Tech 17 Miami dominated on both sides of the ball holding Georgia Tech's high-powered rushing offense to 95 yards, while the Cane attack rolled for 454 yards helped by a near-perfect day from QB Jacory Harris. The Canes scored 24 straight points after giving up an early field goal. Harris threw three touchdown passes including a 14-yarder to Dedrick Epps and a 14-yard play to tight end Jimmy Graham to put the game away in the third quarter. Georgia Tech got a fourth quarter touchdown catch from Demaryius Thomas from 56 yards out, but couldn't come any closer thanks to the swarming Cane defense. Player of the Game: Miami QB Jacory Harris completed 20-of-25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Miami: Passing: Jacory Harris, 20-25, 270 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Graig Cooper, 17-93 Receiving: LaRon Byrd, 5-83, 1 TD Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 6-15, 133 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Anthony Allen, 6-45, 1 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 6-133, 1 TD What It All Means: It's not time to panic even though Clemson dominated the Tech offense over the second half of last week's game and Miami owned the attack seven days later. The offense looked tired and sluggish, and it didn't help to lose RB Jonathan Dwyer early on to a shoulder injury, but Miami simply played better. A lot better. While the offense will receive most of the scrutiny, the defense had the bigger problems with no ability to slow down Jacory Harris and the short-to-midrange passing attack that cranked out 270 yards and three scores. There's time off now with nine days until the North Carolina game for a team that looks like it needs some rest and focus. Sept. 10 at Georgia Tech 30 .... Clemson 27 Scott Blair connected on his third field goal of the game, hitting it from 36 yards out, to break the tie with less than a minute to play. Clemson's last-gasp drive fell short, but that was about the only thing that didn't go right in the second half for the Tigers. Tech dominated the first half with Anthony Allen starting out the scoring with an 82-yard touchdown run, and Jerrard Tarrant added an 85-yard punt return for a score. A fake field goal led to a Blair 34-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas for a 21-0 first quarter lead, but down 24-0, Clemson roared back with 27 straight points helped by a 63-yard C.J. Spiller scoring run and a 77-yard touchdown catch from Jacoby Ford. With the score tied late, struggling Tech QB Josh Nesbitt connected on two of the three passes he completed all night, with a key 39-yarder to Thomas, to help set up the game-winning field goal. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan made ten tackles, three sacks, and four tackles for loss. Clemson: Passing: Kyle Parker, 15-31, 261 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT Rushing: C.J. Spiller, 20-87, Receiving: Jacoby Ford, 5-109, 1 TD Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 3-14, 83 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Anthony Allen, 5-127, 1 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 3-93, 1 TD What It All Means: This was an important game for Georgia Tech for a variety of reasons. Obviously it was a huge win for the ACC race and was an important win for Tech with road games at Miami and Florida State coming up soon, but it also showed just how creative the offense could be. While it gained 301 rushing yards, there were too many problems in the second half and Clemson was able to get back in the game. However, when needed, Tech found a way to win by getting a big play from struggling QB Josh Nesbittt. Basically, he found a way to get the win, and now the team knows he can be counted on if the team is in a pinch again. Defensively, Derrick Morgan, after coming up with three sacks, and he'll have to be accounted for the rest of the season, freeing up the rest of the line. ... Instant Analysis - Ga Tech 30 ... Clemson 27 Sept. 5 at Georgia Tech 37 … Jacksonville State 17 Jonathan Dwyer all but ended the game 17 seconds into the action with a 74-yard touchdown dash. He also added a five-yard scoring run for a 17-0 first quarter Tech lead. Jacksonville State came up with a 20-yard touchdown catch from Brooks Robinson to close the gap in the second, but a ten-yard Josh Nesbitt touchdown dash and a 68-yard Jarrard Tarrant punt return for a score made it 31-7 going into halftime allowing most of the Yellow Jacket starters to get a rest. Tech ran for 335 yards. Player of the Game: Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer ran seven times for 95 yards and two scores. Jacksonville State: Passing: Marques Ivory, 23-38, 193 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Calvin Middleton, 11-59, Receiving: James Wilkerson, 6-70 Georgia Tech: Passing: Josh Nesbitt, 6-11, 141 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Jonathan Dwyer, 7-95, 2 TD, Receiving: Demaryius Thomas, 4-101 What It All Means: With Clemson coming up next, Georgia Tech needed to get in, get a few reps in, and get out clean. Everything worked when needed with Jonathan Dwyer ripping up yards in chunks and Josh Nesbitt doing enough to get the passing game going. The defense wasn’t a brick wall, allowing 291 yards of total offense, but Derrick Morgan was fantastic with two sacks. The game was never in doubt, everyone broke a sweat, and now it’s on to the Tigers. GGGG. Copyright © Scout.com and CollegeFootballNews.com | |||