ATLANTA – Georgia Tech punter Dan Dyke has been named to the Verizon Academic All-District III football team for the second straight year, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
A sophomore from Winter Springs, Fla., Dyke maintains a 3.95 grade point average in Electrical Engineering. He is now eligible for the Verizon Academic All-America team, to which he was also named last year.
Dyke ranks third in the ACC and seventh in the nation with a 44.6-yard average while helping the Yellow Jackets to a net punting average of 38.9, good for 11th in the country.
The 20th-ranked Yellow Jackets (7-2, 5-2 ACC) play their final Atlantic Coast Conference game Saturday at Maryland (5-5, 3-4 ACC), which has won three of its last four games and seeks a sixth win to become bowl-eligible. Saturday’s game kicks off at 12 noon at Byrd Stadium and will be regionally televised (Fox Sports Net South in Atlanta).
The Terrapins are coming off a hard-fought 13-10 loss to North Carolina.
“Maryland had 17 first downs to 10 (for North Carolina), and they had the ball for 38 minutes,” said Tech head coach George O’Leary. “When I watched the game on film, I thought they outplayed North Carolina. It’s game they very easily could have won, which would have been their fourth straight win.”
O’Leary said he has been impressed with the Terrapins’ defense.
“Overall they’re playing very good team defense,” he said. “They’re not giving up a lot of points, and they’re tackling very well. I’ve been very impressed with [defensive tackle] Kris Jenkins.”
Tech will be seeking the 600th victory in the history of the program, entering the game with an all-time record of 599-403-43. There are currently 19 teams in Division I-A with 600 victories, led by Michigan with 803, although North Carolina can also earn its 600th victory Saturday against Duke.
