Sept. 29, 2003
Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball was named Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for the second time this season following his performance in leading Tech to a 24-17 overtime victory over Vanderbilt.
The true freshman from Stone Mountain, Ga., became just the third quarterback in Georgia Tech history to rush and pass for 100 yards in a game as he passed for 108 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 103 yards and another score.
Although he struggled for much of the game, Ball caught fire in the final two minutes to ignite Tech’s comeback victory.
Trailing 17-10 with 2:12 to play, Ball and the Jackets took over on their own 11-yard line. On third-and-three from the 18, Ball scrambled and then raced 45 yards down the sideline for a first down at the Vandy 37. Five plays later, he hit tight end John Paul Foschi with a six-yard touchdown pass that tied the score at 17-17 with just 32 seconds to play. Ball accounted for 86 of the 89 yards on the drive with 54 yards rushing and 32 yards passing on four completions.
On the first play of the overtime, Ball faked right and then bootlegged left, diving into the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown run to cap the comeback.
Earlier this fall, Ball was named ACC Rookie of the Year after leading the Jackets to a 17-3 win over 17th-ranked Auburn.
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