Coming Home: Football Hosts UVA for Homecoming

Oct. 27, 2014

THE FLATS – Alumni from far and wide will converge on Georgia Tech’s campus this weekend when the Yellow Jackets host the Virginia Cavaliers for their 66th Homecoming game at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Saturday’s game will kick at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Georgia Tech is 49-15-1 all-time on Homecoming and has won 16 of its last 18 Homecoming games.

PUTTING ON AN OFFENSIVE SHOW
Georgia Tech’s offense has amassed 600 or more total yards of offense nine times in program history. Five of those times have come in the Paul Johnson era, including the Jackets’ last two games. In the last two games, the Yellow Jackets have collected 1,223 yards of total offense and have scored 99 points. Georgia Tech has scored 43 (UNC), 56 (Pitt), 63 (WCU), 59 (Presbyterian), and 66 (Kansas) when amassing 600+ yards under Johnson.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will be only the 37th meeting between the ACC Coastal rivals, with Georgia Tech holding a slight 18-17-1 edge in the series history.

• Georgia Tech has won four of the last five meetings. Tech’s average margin of victory in the last four wins: 20.8 points.
• Georgia Tech and Virginia first met in 1965 and has played every year since 1982.
• Georgia Tech was unbeaten in the first seven series meetings. The Jackets won the first six meetings (1965, 1966, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1983) and tied the seventh (1984).
• Virginia is Georgia Tech’s third-most played Homecoming opponent. Saturday will be the sixth time the Jackets have hosted UVA on Homecoming. Tech is 3-2 vs. UVA on Homecoming.
• Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson is 4-2 all-time vs. Virginia.
• Georgia Tech OL coach Mike Sewak is a 1981 Virginia graduate and played three years for the Cavaliers.
• One of Georgia Tech’s all-time greatest victories was a 41-38 win over Virginia in Charlottesville in 1990 when the Cavaliers were ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Jackets went on to win a share of the national championship that year.

EATING UP YARDAGE
QB Justin Thomas’ 951 career rushing yards ranks 6th all-time for Georgia Tech quarterbacks. Thomas needs 49 yards to become only the 6th 1,000-yard rushing QB in Georgia Tech history. Thomas needs 283 yards to become the 2nd Georgia Tech QB to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. 

TECH 300
Georgia Tech has rushed for 300+ yards in 45 of 87 games under head coach Paul Johnson. The Jackets are 36-9 in those games and have won 10 of their last 12 300-yard games.

3RD DOWN CONVERSIONS
Georgia Tech leads the nation in 3rd down conversions with a conversion rate of 58.1 percent (54 of 93). Georgia Tech is the only FBS team ranked in the Top 10 in both 3rd down and 4th down conversions. The Yellow Jackets are tied for 6th, converting 77.8 percent of 4th down tries (7-of-9).

TURNING TAKEAWAYS INTO POINTS
Georgia Tech has 16 total takeaways, converting 13 takeaways into 87 points. The Jackets scored 35 points off five takeaways last week at Pitt. By contract, the Jackets have allowed just 21 points off their nine turnovers.

GOLDEN RETURNS
Redshirt junior DB Jamal Golden leads the ACC with 529 combined return yards (510 kick, 19 punt) – ranking 12th in the nation. Golden also leads the ACC with 510 kick return yards. Golden’s 1,301 career kick return yards ranks 6th on Georgia Tech’s all-time list.

THE Paul Johnson RADIO SHOW
The Paul Johnson Radio Show returns for the 2014 season and will be held Monday nights from 7-8 p.m. at Hudson Grille Midtown (942 Peachtree St NE). Hosted by the “Voice of the Yellow Jackets” Brandon Gaudin, the one-hour live call-in show can be heard statewide on the GT IMG Sports Network. If you can’t attend, you can call and ask Coach a question at 866-477-7020. You can also submit questions on Twitter using #GTRadio or through the GT Athletics Facebook page.

The first 25 Georgia Tech students to show their BuzzCard at each of the Paul Johnson Radio Shows will receive either a free dessert or free wings. Additionally, there will also be a GT burger special for $5.95 and free valet parking.

DOWNLOAD GEORGIA TECH GAMEDAY APP (Download: App Store | Google Play)
Georgia Tech Athletics joined forces with IMG and SportsLabs to develop the Georgia Tech Gameday app to keep Yellow Jackets fans connected to the action while on campus or watching from home. The Georgia Tech Gameday App will replace the current official app for Georgia Tech Athletics.

The Georgia Tech Gameday App is packed with robust social, on-campus and stat-driven features that enhance the gameday experience by delivering: free live game audio; real-time Instagram and Twitter feeds from the team and fans; the official game-day guide with key times, events and need-to-know information including stadium maps and parking to plan the day; live conference and Top 25 scores, real-time stats; opt-in alerts for weather updates, pre-game events, play-by-play information and more.

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