Football Returns to The Flats, Hosts North Carolina

Sept. 28, 2015

THE FLATS – Long-time rivals Georgia Tech and North Carolina meet for the 51st time on
the gridiron Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series 28-19-3, have won eight straight in the series at home and 14 of the last 17 overall. The game is live on ESPNU, and can be heard on the Georgia Tech IMG Sports Network, locally on 680 The Fan and 93.7 FM.

QUICK SLANTS
• Tech is at home for the first time since Sept. 12 and welcomes a red-hot North Carolina team that is averaging 47.3 points over a three-game winning streak that it brings to Bobby Dodd Stadium.
• The Yellow Jackets and the Tar Heels have been no strangers to shootouts as the winner of the last five meetings has scored no less than 30 points, and the combined scoring average of the last five meetings has been 74.8 points per game.
• Through four games, Tech has been called for the fewest penalties (seven) and fewest penalty yards (59) in the FBS.
• With three new starters in the offensive backfield, Tech has rolled up 1,304 yards rushing this season to rank third the FBS. Tech is sixth in rushing yards per game (326.0) and ninth in yards per carry (6.1). The Yellow Jackets’ 41 rushing plays of 10+ yards are second-most in the FBS, while the 14 plays of 30+ yards are third-most.
• Tech has thrown for a touchdown pass in 12 consecutive games, a streak that began Oct, 18, 2014 at North Carolina. According to ESPN.com, it’s the fourth-longest active streak in the ACC.
Junior QB Justin Thomas has a TD pass in eight consecutive games.
• Thirteen different Jackets share the team’s 24 touchdowns, led by graduate B-back transfer Patrick Skov with seven. Skov is third in the ACC with seven touchdowns.
• Since the start of 2014, Tech has scored 184 points off turnovers, which are fourth-most in the FBS. Tech’s +122 points-off-turnover margin (184-62) is also fourth-best since 2014, according to ESPN.com
• Senior DB Chris Milton is the FBS’s active career leader with six blocked kicks. Georgia Tech has blocked 12 kicks since 2013 — the most in the FBS. Milton blocked his fourth career punt versus Tulane.
• The 2015 season marks the 25th anniversary of Georgia Tech’s 1990 National Championship. A full season of events are planned and a special 25th Anniversary coin will be used by the game officials for every coin toss at home.

SERIES NOTES
• Georgia Tech and North Carolina will meet for the 51st time in school history and for the 26th time on The Flats.
• Tech leads the all-time series 28-19-3 and the Yellow Jackets hold an 18-7 advantage when playing the Tar Heels at home.
• Tech has won the last eight meetings at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with its last home setback coming in 1997.
• The Jackets have won 14 out of the last 17 meetings with the Tar Heels.

MORE ON THE UNC SERIES
• The two teams have combined for more than 50 points in four of the last five meetings.
• In 2012, Georgia Tech and North Carolina produced the highest scoring game in ACC history — a 68-50 slugfest won by the Yellow Jackets at Kenan Stadium.
• In 2013, the Jackets posted a 28-20 come-from-behind win at home against the Tar Heels by scoring the game’s final 21 points after trailing 20-7 in the second quarter.
• North Carolina native Paul Johnson is 5-2 in his career versus the Tar Heels.
• Tech, which is playing its second consecutive team from the Old North State, is 138-71-4 against schools from North Carolina.
• North Carolina handed Georgia Tech its only blemish to an otherwise perfect record in 1990 when the Tar Heels tied the Yellow Jackets 13-13 in Chapel Hill. Tech finished the season 11-0-1 and earned a share of the national championship.
• Georgia Tech and UNC first met on the gridiron back in 1915. The two teams met 14 times prior to 1945, then went nearly 30 years without meeting.

UNC-TECH CONNECTIONS
• From 1999 through 2001, UNC head coach Larry Fedora was an assistant at Middle Tennessee under then-Blue Raider head coach Andy McCollum, who is now an assistant at Tech. With Fedora’s help, McCollum built the MTSU program from a 3-8 record in 1999, to 6-5 in 2000 and 8-3 in 2001.
• McCollum and Fedora were assistant coaches together on the staff at Baylor for four seasons (1993-96).
• From 2009-12, UNC’s defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was the head coach at Auburn and Ted Roof was the defensive coordinator for the War Eagles from 2009-11. Mike Pelton was the defensive line coach at Auburn from 2011-12.
• Georgia Tech has two players on its roster from North Carolina — Domonique Noble (Mount Ulla/West Rowan) and Marcus Marshall (Raleigh/Millbrook).
• North Carolina has 12 players on its roster from Georgia.
• Harland Howell and North Carolina’s Allen Artis both attended Wheeler High School in Marietta together.
• C.J. Leggett, Roberto Hinojosa, Anree Saint-Amour and North Carolina’s Donnie Miles and Jay Stackhouse all went to North Gwinnett High School.
• Scott and Brad Morgan attended Etowah High School with North Carolina’s Ayden Bonilla.
• David Curry and North Carolina’s Mikey Bart and Nick Polino all attended Buford High School.
• Both Tyler Teknipp and North Carolina’s Justin Thomason attended Eagle’s Landing in McDonough, Ga.
• Ricky Jeune and UNC’s Tommy Hatton went to St. Joseph’s Regional in Montvale, N.J.
• Lamont Simmons and the Tar Heels’ Sam Smiley attended Raines High School in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Victor Alexander and Lynn Griffin and UNC’s Andre Smith both went to Trinity Christian in Jacksonville, Fla.

CLOSING IN ON 100TH GAME
• Head Coach Paul Johnson is in his eighth year on The Flats, and Saturday versus North Carolina marks his 98th game as the Yellow Jackets’ coach.
• Johnson’s record at Tech stands at 60-37, a winning percentage of .619.
• Johnson will become just the fourth head coach at Georgia Tech to reach the 100-game mark.

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