ATLANTA, GA – Coming into Saturday’s game under the lights at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Georgia Tech and Miami were both 5-4 and seeking a win to secure bowl eligibility. After a game Paul Johnson characterized as “one of the weirdest” he’s been a part of, Georgia Tech came out on top and secured a postseason bid.

In a match-up familiar to both coaches, Mark Richt came into Atlanta having won the last several of his match-ups at Bobby Dodd Stadium. After Miami's opening drive, it looked like his team had all the momentum to continue that streak. Miami drove down the field in 11 plays, covering 75 yards in a little under five and a half minutes. Of the 75 yards gained, 60 came through 3 passes by starting quarterback N’Kosi Perry.  The remaining 15 yards came via 8 rushes, a tone set by Georgia Tech’s run defense throughout the game.

Georgia Tech immediately regained the momentum, scoring 14 points in quick succession after a 75 yard touchdown drive of their own and a fumble recovery on the subsequent kickoff, punching it in to double their score after starting on Miami’s 23 yard line.

Georgia Tech scored another 3 points via a Wesley Wells field goal late in the second quarter, and seemed poised to take a 17-7 lead into halftime until Miami recovered a rugby punt that ricocheted off a Georgia Tech player.  The Hurricanes punched it in off the short field for another 7 points themselves. Heading into and immediately out of halftime, Miami seemed to hold all of the momentum.

That was until Brad Stewart fought off a defender to haul in a 31 yard touchdown pass from starting quarterback TaQuon Marshall. Marshall went 3-4 on the day for 73 yards and a touchdown, and rushed 24 times for another 92 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tech’s offense had 304 total yards to Miami’s 299, 231 of which came on 53 rushing attempts. Georgia Tech rushed for 4.4 yards a carry against one of the nation’s top defenses that until then had limited their opponents to about 3 yards a carry.

Stewart's touchdown grab put the Jackets up 27-14 late in the 3rd quarter. By the time Mark Richt abandoned the run that Tech’s defense had stuffed all game, a 4th quarter touchdown drive led by Perry through the air was too little, too late. Tech received the ball with just under 7 minutes left in the game and never gave it back, finishing out a gutty 27-20 victory over a team that in recent years seemed to have their number.

With this win, Georgia Tech now stands at 6-4 and has secured bowl eligibility, which seemed improbable after a dismal 1-3 start to their campaign. Where Tech stands now is a testament to the players rallying together and, instead of pointing fingers, lifting themselves and one another up through hard work and achieving what few thought possible just a few weeks into the season. As TaQuon Marshall said after the game, “these next two weeks are going to be fun.”

Multiple Staff Members Contributed To This Article

ATLANTA, GA – A spirited, neck-and-neck first half between Georgia Tech (3-4, 1-3) and Duke (5-1, 1-1) for the Yellow Jackets’ Homecoming tilt quickly turned into a dispiriting unraveling by the home team.

“Three” was the theme.  Fumbles on three consecutive touches by Tech’s offense and special teams resulted in three consecutive touchdown drives for Duke in under three minutes of game time, breaking open a once tied game and giving the Blue Devils a comfortable 21 point lead by the end of the third quarter. The rest of the game was simply a formality, with the Blue Devils coasting comfortably to a 28-14 win.

Duke’s win marked their fourth in their last five tries against the Yellow Jackets.

The aforementioned miscues by the Yellow Jackets were incurred by three different players. None came from the mesh or the pitch; rather the ball was simply lost or stripped while the runner was going down. Nonetheless, the result was the same and doomed Tech’s chances in a game that at one time seemed destined to go down to the wire.

Among the bright spots with the game still in question was the Yellow Jackets’ defense.  Prior to the game-changing errors on offense and special times, Tech’s defense was mostly stout.  They had allowed just 7 points and 168 yards on eight Blue Devils’ drives.  Duke only muscled out 3.9 yards per play.

Tech’s defense forced three turnovers in the first half.  The first came on 4 downs, with Kyle Cerge-Henderson knifing into the backfield and disrupting a 4^th and 1 attempt by the Blue Devils on their second drive of the day.  One drive later, redshirt freshman cornerback Tre Swilling timed a corner blitz perfectly, earning the first strip sack of his career and handing the ball back to the Georgia Tech offense.

Last but certainly not least, a quarterback pressure by Anree Saint-Amour led to cornerback Lamont Simmons’ first career interception.  One cannot understate Saint-Amour’s impact on the game today.  The senior defensive lineman continues to get better and had perhaps the best game of his career. His final stat line included two sacks, one quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.

Another standout, albeit on one crucial play, was true freshman wide receiver Malachi Carter.  With the Jackets staring at a goose egg late in the first half, Carter hauled in a 32-yard touchdown reception from quarterback TaQuon Marshall, pulling the Jackets to a 7-7 tie heading into the halftime locker room.  It was Carter’s third career catch.

Ultimately the lights went out across the board in all phases for Tech late in that fateful third quarter, and the Jackets never recovered.  Up next is a trip to Blacksburg where the Jackets will look to get back on track and improve their chances at a bowl game.  The number of wins still needed to reach a bowl?  Three.