Nov. 14, 2004
ATLANTA–Winners of four of its last five games, Georgia Tech hosts 18th-ranked Virginia Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field in the Yellow Jackets’ final Atlantic Coast Conference game. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. and will be regionally televised on ABC-TV.
The Yellow Jackets (6-3, 4-3 ACC) are bowl eligible for the eighth straight year after last Saturday’s 30-10 victory over Connecticut, but Tech concludes the season against a pair of nationally-ranked foes in Virginia and No. 10 Georgia.
The Cavaliers, ranked 18th in both polls, (7-2, 4-2 ACC) are coming off a 31-21 loss to Miami. Virginia will be Tech’s fifth game of the season against a ranked opponent, following wins over Clemson and Maryland and losses to Miami and Virginia Tech.
Defense has been the story in Tech’s recent success, and the win over UConn was certainly no exception, The Huskies and their talented quarterback, Dan Orlovsky, entered the game as the nation’s sixth-ranked passing offense, but Tech allowed only 225 yards, including just 20 yards rushing. The Huskies managed 67 yards passing on their final drive against Tech’s reserves and did not reach the end zone until after time expired with the help of two pass interference penalties.
Tech ranks 12th in the nation in total defense, allowing 298.9 yards per game. The Jackets are 14th in rushing defense (107.0), 28th in passing yards allowed (191.9), 21st in pass efficiency defense (107.2) and 20th in scoring defense (18.2 ppg).
All-star free safety James Butler is Tech’s only senior starter on defense and the unquestioned leader of the unit. He is Tech’s second-leading tackler with 65, along with two interceptions, 2.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Junior middle linebacker Gerris Wilkinson is Tech’s top tackler. Wilkinson has 89 hits to rank second in the ACC. Outside linebacker Chris Reis boasts 57 tackles, and he is fourth in the ACC in sacks (0.78 per game) and tackles for loss (1.44 per game).
On the defensive line, the Jackets are led by all-ACC defensive ends Eric Henderson (29 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks) and Travis Parker (26 tackles, five tackles for loss).
The Tech defense will be tested by a potent Virginia attack that leads the ACC in total offense (442.4 pg) and rushing (251.0 pg) while averaging 32.11 points per game.
Sophomore quarterback Reggie Ball is coming off his best game of the season as he passed for a career-best 288 yards and two touchdowns against UConn. He averages 207.6 yards of total offense per game, including 174.8 yards passing and 32.8 yards rushing. He has thrown 14 touchdown passes but also has 15 interceptions.
Sensational freshman Calvin Johnson is the Jackets’ leading receiver with 36 catches for 624 yards and six touchdowns, including a season-best 131 yards on just six catches in the win over UConn.
The trio of Johnson and seniors Levon Thomas (25-384-3) and Nate Curry (22-292-2) have accounted for better than two-thirds of Tech’s completions and more than 80 percent of the Jackets’ passing yards.
Leading rusher P.J. Daniels, who is fourth in the ACC with 97.0 yards per game and five touchdowns, is questionable this week after missing the last two games due to injury. Redshirt freshman Rashaun Grant has stepped in with 195 yards rushing in the wins over NC State and UConn. He has 335 yards on 72 attempts on the season.
Not to be overlooked is the play of the Tech offensive line, especially the senior trio of center Andy Tidwell-Neal and tackles Kyle Wallace and Leon Robinson.
Tech faces a Virginia defense that ranks 11th in the nation in total defense, 13th in scoring defense and 15th in rushing defense.
BOWL ELIGIBLE FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT YEAR
With its 30-10 victory over Connecticut, Georgia Tech earned its sixth victory of the season to become eligible for an eighth consecutive bowl berth.
On their current streak, the Yellow Jackets have played in the 1997 Carquest Bowl, the 1999 and 2000 Toyota Gator Bowls, the 2000 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the 2001 Seattle Bowl, the 2002 Silicon Valley Classic and the 2004 Humanitarian Bowl. Tech’s longest previous streak was six straight bowl games from 1951-56 under legendary head coach Bobby Dodd.
Georgia Tech is one of just 11 schools in the nation to play in a bowl game each of the last seven years. Florida State and Virginia Tech are the only other Atlantic Coast Conference schools in this elite group. The list also includes Florida, Georgia, Kansas State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, and Tennessee, but Kansas State cannot earn an eighth straight berth.
GEORGIA TECH VS. VIRGINIA
Georgia Tech holds a 13-12-1 advantage in the series with Virginia, which began in 1965 with a 42-19 Tech victory. The teams have split the last eight meetings, and neither team has won two in a row in the series since Virginia won four straight from 1992-95.
The home team has dominated the series in recent years, winning nine in a row. The last win by a visiting team was Virginia’s 24-7 win in Atlanta in 1994. Tech is 11-5 against the Cavaliers at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field.
The Cavaliers’ won last year’s game, 29-17, in Charlottesville, while Tech prevailed, 23-15, in 2002 in Atlanta.
A CASE FOR THE DEFENSE
The Georgia Tech defense has held four of its last five opponents to just one offensive touchdown. In those four games, wins over Maryland, Duke, NC State and Connecticut, the Jackets allowed an average of 195.3 yards of total offense. Tech held all four teams below 100 yards rushing, allowing just 42 yards per game on the ground.
BUTLER HONORED AGAIN
Georgia Tech senior free safety James Butler is one of 12 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top collegiate defensive back. He is a semifinalist for the second straight year.
An all-America candidate who is rated one of the top defensive prospects for the 2005 NFL draft, Butler is Tech’s second-leading tackler with 65 hits. He also has two interceptions, three pass breakups, 2.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumbled and a blocked field goal.
But defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta will you that Butler’s role in Tech’s defensive success goes far beyond statistics. The 6-3, 215-pounder from Climax, Ga., is the only senior starter on the defense, and he is invaluable as a “coach on the field,” making calls and adjustments and providing leadership. Not surprisingly, he earned Academic All-ACC honors last fall in addition to all-ACC accolades on the field.
“JB” is one of Tech’s three team captains for 2004, along with center Andy Tidwell-Neal and wide receiver Nate Curry.
JOHNSON SETS FRESHMAN MARKS
True freshman and ACC Rookie of the Year candidate Calvin Johnson is Tech’s leading receiver with 36 catches for 624 yards and six touchdowns. His six scoring receptions are second in the ACC. He leads all ACC freshmen in receptions and receiving yards and also ranks among the nation’s top freshmen receivers.
The Tyrone, Ga., native has already set a Tech freshman record for receiving yards, and he needs 10 catches to eclipse the school mark for catches by a freshman.
Johnson caught his sixth touchdown pass against Virginia Tech to tie the Rambling Wreck record for touchdown catches by a freshman, equalling Kerry Watkins in 1999. The Tech record for touchdowns scored by a freshman is seven by tailback Robert Lavette in 1981.
TOP SEASONS BY TECH FRESHMENRECEPTIONSRobert Lavette (rb), 1981 45Calvin Johnson (wr), 2004 36
RECEIVING YARDS Calvin Johnson (wr), 2004 624 Greg Lester (wr), 1987 593
TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS Kerry Watkins, 1999 (Fr.-R) 6 Calvin Johnson, 2004 6
TOUCHDOWNS SCORED Robert Lavette (rb), 1981 7 Kerry Watkins, 1999 (Fr.-R) 6 Calvin Johnson, 2004 6
ANSWERING THE BELL
Entering the season, placekicking was a question mark for Georgia Tech, but redshirt freshmen Travis Bell has more than stepped forward.
After missing his first field goal attempt from 46 yards in the season opener, he has made a school-record 12 straight three-pointers, including a season-best 47-yard field goal against Duke. He has also been perfect on extra points (22-22).
Bell has been named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2004 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. The three finalists will be announced Nov. 22.
NATIONAL LEADERS - FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGETodd Pegram, Texas A&M 1.000 12-12Darren McCaleb, Southern Miss 1.000 11-11Reagan Schneider, UTEP .929 13-14Travis Bell, Georgia Tech .923 12-13Alexis Serna, Oregon State .917 11-12Andrew Wellock, Eastern Michigan .905 19-21
SENIOR DAY
Nineteen Georgia Tech seniors will be honored today as they play their final game at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field.
Tech has only senior starter on defense, free safety James Butler, and only five overall, including Nathan Burton, Tabugbo Anyansi, Chirod Williams and Omar Billy.
The Tech offense features three senior starters on the offensive line in Andy Tidwell-Neal, Kyle Wallace and Leon Robinson, as well as receivers Nate Curry and Levon Thomas, tight end Darius Williams and fullback Jimmy Dixon. Also in the senior class are long-snapper Andrew Economos, holder Andy Thomson, and backups Mark Logan, Johnathan Jackson, Kenton Johnson, David Smith, Robby Brown,
COACHING CONNECTION
Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta is a Virginia graduate who lettered three years for the Cavaliers. While playing at Virginia, his position coach was current Tech Director of Athletics Dave Braine.
CONSISTENT SUCCESS
Georgia Tech’s win at NC State improved the Jackets’ Atlantic Coast Conference record to 4-3 on the season, guaranteeing that Tech will finish with an ACC record of .500 or better for the 10th straight year. The only other ACC school that can make that claim is Florida State, which has posted a winning ACC record each of its 13 years in the league, including this season.
CURRY CLIMBS LISTS
With a season-high 83 yards receiving against Connecticut, senior wide receiver Nate Curry topped the 1,000-yard mark for his career. Curry now has 1,023 receiving yards, good for 16th in Tech history. He also ranks 14th with 82 career receptions.
